Kyrie requests a trade

[weastern bias]

Towns is not good defensively, to describe his contribution on that end of the floor as "above average" is more than generous

He's good to great at most facets of the offensive game, if he was good defensively he'd be basically be Anthony Davis, but he's not, so he's not

He's only 2 seasons in though, so he's definitely got time to improve

 

[VoluntaryDom]

Towns is not good defensively, to describe his contribution on that end of the floor as "above average" is more than generous

He's good to great at most facets of the offensive game, if he was good defensively he'd be basically be Anthony Davis, but he's not, so he's not

He's only 2 seasons in though, so he's definitely got time to improve

He is discount Davis. Not as good defensively but still not bad. Just his teammates suck on defense.

 

[Aladyyn]

Center is the position with BY FAR the biggest defensive impact. Can't blame everything on the wing players...

 

[VoluntaryDom]

Center is the position with BY FAR the biggest defensive impact. Can't blame everything on the wing players...

Our wing players were statistically among the worst defenders in the NBA.

Also Rubio is a bum on both sides of the floor.

So is Dieng.

It was Towns, 2 pure scorers/ass defenders, and 2 bums. No wonder we sucked.

Now we have Jimmy (light years better than lavine defensively), Teague (>>>Rubio) and Gibson (good on defense).

Also Jamal Crawford, a really cool bench ballhandler.

 

[Aladyyn]

Rubio is a great defender...

 

[VoluntaryDom]

Rubio is a great defender...

No he's not lol

And he's even worse on offense.

 

[Pyromaniac]

I think Irving just got tired of being treated like a little brother/underling by Lebron. The situation was different with Wade and Bosh, I think Lebron saw them more as colleagues and it was Wade's team to begin with. Pat Riley's influence also helped stabilize things. The Cavs just didn't have the personalities that the Heat did, it was the Lebron show and everyone knew it. Who can blame Kyrie for getting tired of it? They had a good ride and won a championship but it was obvious in the Finals that they were no match for the Warriors. No upside for Kyrie to playing second fiddle if they can't win.

 

[Stylizer1]

They won a championship lmao

They had an opportunity to build a dynasty like the Warriors instead of renting players with no loyalty. That is why they have a fractured locker room. James, Irving, Thompson, Wiggins, all drafted by Cleveland. Wiggins with his rookie contract would have given them more flexibility to go out and add another important piece. Wiggins could have learned a lot from Lebron too going against him in practice.
Instead they got a championship and were amazing.

This organization is all about pointing fingers and being selfish. The exact opposite of what Golden state is.

 

[VoluntaryDom]

They had an opportunity to build a dynasty like the Warriors instead of renting players with no loyalty. That is why they have a fractured locker room. James, Irving, Thompson, Wiggins, all drafted by Cleveland. Wiggins with his rookie contract would have given them more flexibility to go out and add another important piece. Wiggins could have learned a lot from Lebron too going against him in practice.
Instead they got a championship and were amazing.

This organization is all about pointing fingers and being selfish. The exact opposite of what Golden state is.

Good points

 

[Stylizer1]

Good points

I look at it from a point of view how the NHL has a hard cap and you need young, good players on entry level contracts to give you flexibility. Golden State has built there team so well that they could sign Durant with ease and still not be one of the highest payrolls in the league. They are so good that the guy left money on the table to stay. That says everything you need to know on how you build a dynasty.

 

[Vamos Rafa]

In this century, only the Warriors and Spurs can say that building a championship team is through drafting. Otherwise, you'd be looking at championship teams that went on a shopping spree for proven talent. So quit your armchair GMing.

 

[Stylizer1]

In this century, only the Warriors and Spurs can say that building a championship team is through drafting. Otherwise, you'd be looking at championship teams that went on a shopping spree for proven talent. So quit your armchair GMing.

You want me to quit doing what the purpose of this site was made for?

SA and GS built multiple championship teams by drafting their core players.

 

[KaylaJ]

They had an opportunity to build a dynasty like the Warriors instead of renting players with no loyalty. That is why they have a fractured locker room. James, Irving, Thompson, Wiggins, all drafted by Cleveland. Wiggins with his rookie contract would have given them more flexibility to go out and add another important piece. Wiggins could have learned a lot from Lebron too going against him in practice.
Instead they got a championship and were amazing.

This organization is all about pointing fingers and being selfish. The exact opposite of what Golden state is.

it's easier to be looked upon well when you're winning. GS was in this position last yr when they lost to Cleveland. the butt of all the joke and people writing think pieces about how they had gotten cocky and lost their way. I'm not saying the Cavs haven't been questionable ever since before they even drafted Lebron, but what if the Warriors don't get Durant and don't win this year?


i'm not trying to put GS down, but sometimes there isn't a clear plan. what could've been had Robinson not convinced Duncan to say? what would've happened if the Spurs don't strike out on multiple free agents including Jason Kidd. what if their gamble of trading a guy they drafted in George Hill didn't work out with Kawhi? it's easy to say it did and hooray, but that isn't exactly a path so easily followed.

 

[Vamos Rafa]

You want me to quit doing what the purpose of this site was made for?

SA and GS built multiple championship teams by drafting their core players.

It has only worked for two teams. The rest of the past champions did it by trading for and signing proven all stars.

 

[Neutrinos]

I'm not sure why Kyrie is getting so much heat online. He's taking his career into his own hands, rather than waiting to see what LeBron does. If LeBron wanted Kyrie to be up-front with him, he should have been transparent about his own situation. If it's true that LeBron's camp leaked this, he's hurting the Cavaliers' ability to get a good return in a trade, and pushing all the anger in Kyrie's direction.

I guess it speaks to the bandwagon/bully nature of the internet. Kyrie will deal with the same relentless ******** that KD has to deal with.

Because he's showing zero loyalty to the franchise that drafted him 1st overall and made him a very wealthy man

Because he's showing zero loyalty to the fanbase that has cheered and supported him from the time he entered the league


I used to be an NBA fan, but this "I've got to get mine" attitude from these NBA superstars has completely turned me off of the league

 

[Virtanen18]

Because he's showing zero loyalty to the franchise that drafted him 1st overall and made him a very wealthy man

Because he's showing zero loyalty to the fanbase that has cheered and supported him from the time he entered the league


I used to be an NBA fan, but this "I've got to get mine" attitude from these NBA superstars has completely turned me off of the league

Lol you poor thing. Loyalty gets you nowhere. Especially for those trash reasons you listed

 

[Virtanen18]

They had an opportunity to build a dynasty like the Warriors instead of renting players with no loyalty. That is why they have a fractured locker room. James, Irving, Thompson, Wiggins, all drafted by Cleveland. Wiggins with his rookie contract would have given them more flexibility to go out and add another important piece. Wiggins could have learned a lot from Lebron too going against him in practice.
Instead they got a championship and were amazing.

This organization is all about pointing fingers and being selfish. The exact opposite of what Golden state is.

They had the potential, sure. Also had the potential to win nothing and just have a really good team for a long time. Instead, they went for the peak, and I'll be shocked if you could find one player/coach/manager/etc on the championship team that wishes they had gone for stability instead.

I have no clue why fans want to compare every other team to Golden State. They might be a once in a lifetime example. Expecting every team to be like them is a quick way for a lot of teams to get nowhere.

 

[Aladyyn]

Lol you poor thing. Loyalty gets you nowhere. Especially for those trash reasons you listed

Avery Bradley was loyal and now he's on the Pistons. Kyrie's stance is perfectly reasonable.

 

[Aladyyn]

I'd also probably rather have Rubio on my team than Irving. But I'm biased towards these euroball type PGs.

 

[Ivan13]

I'd also probably rather have Rubio on my team than Irving. But I'm biased towards these euroball type PGs.

This might be the most outlandish thing I've ever read here and we've been blessed with that nonsense from the Asia something guy here.

 

[Aladyyn]

This might be the most outlandish thing I've ever read here and we've been blessed with that nonsense from the Asia something guy here.

I just think it would be easier to build a good team around a PG with Rubio's limitations (scoring) rather than Irving's (everything else).

 

[Stylizer1]

it's easier to be looked upon well when you're winning. GS was in this position last yr when they lost to Cleveland. the butt of all the joke and people writing think pieces about how they had gotten cocky and lost their way. I'm not saying the Cavs haven't been questionable ever since before they even drafted Lebron, but what if the Warriors don't get Durant and don't win this year?


i'm not trying to put GS down, but sometimes there isn't a clear plan. what could've been had Robinson not convinced Duncan to say? what would've happened if the Spurs don't strike out on multiple free agents including Jason Kidd. what if their gamble of trading a guy they drafted in George Hill didn't work out with Kawhi? it's easy to say it did and hooray, but that isn't exactly a path so easily followed.

The team wasn't pointing fingers at each other it was the media trying to create stories. Being cocky is a result based on past accomplishments and being careless in the moment. Without Green's suspension the Warriors probably win that series. No one has drafted 12 players and won a championship with them, they have always added free agents. Hindsight makes for great debate

 

[Ivan13]

I just think it would be easier to build a good team around a PG with Rubio's limitations (scoring) rather than Irving's (everything else).

Rubio's only limitation is scoring? First of all, even if it is, it's a gigantic one that impacts the game severely. Secondly, I don't know from where you get the idea that he is even average defensively?

 

[Timo Time]

Lose to the Warriors twice in three years?

Basically guaranteed a Finals Appearance for the foreseeable future with this core?

Demands a trade.

Looks like this may over take that one guy who left as a free agent, as the weakest move in sports.

 

[Street Hawk]

A Kyrie Irving trade will ruin the NBA finals

I don't know if Lebron and Kevin Love will even get Cleveland back to the finals (with or without Carmelo), and the Warriors will sweep anyone they meet there anyway, so I kinda hate this

This past season was year 1 of the new TNT/ESPN/ABC deal for the NBA. Still another 8 years left on it.

What can the Cavs get for Kyrie? Either a player who is close to his talent, but older like Melo, or a younger player who isn't as good like Wiggins (has time to get better). So, this makes the Cavs less of a power/threat to the Warriors.

Could spell blowouts in the finals even if they get there. That is going to hurt the NBA TV numbers.

It does seem weird that he wants to leave now rather than take another shot to win. Get to the finals and see how things go at least. Most likely he's certain LeBron will leave in 2018 so he'll be the only guy left.

As for whether they should have moved Wiggins for Love, I'm not sure LeBron/Kyrie/Wiggins would share the ball enough to play together?