Kyrie Irving

[godfather]

I might be in the minority with many, but I'd actually like Kyrie to initiate the offense more this year than LeBron.

LeBron can still be a facilitator for this team without always having the ball on top of the key, initiating the offense.

But, I think his days of having the ball in his hands an awful lot, working on top of the key have peaked.

He should be operating closer to the basket.

 

[Damien O'Connel]

I might be in the minority with many, but I'd actually like Kyrie to initiate the offense more this year than LeBron.

LeBron can still be a facilitator for this team without always having the ball on top of the key, initiating the offense.

But, I think his days of having the ball in his hands an awful lot, working on top of the key have peaked.

He should be operating closer to the basket.

Facilitating and playing closer to the basket aren't mutually exclusive.

Frankly, Lebron can get guys open just as well by simply standing on the block as he can when he's driving to the hole using 5x the energy.

Kyrie is at his most deadly when he can think score first. I want Lebron initiating offense as much as possible...would be thrilled if he could get over 10 apg sometime in the coming years.

 

[gourimoko]

I might be in the minority with many, but I'd actually like Kyrie to initiate the offense more this year than LeBron.

LeBron can still be a facilitator for this team without always having the ball on top of the key, initiating the offense.

But, I think his days of having the ball in his hands an awful lot, working on top of the key have peaked.

He should be operating closer to the basket.

I think you're in the minority, but I think you're completely right.

While Kyrie is probably the best isolation player on the floor, it'd be ideal if he took James off the ball.

 

[godfather]

I think you're in the minority, but I think you're completely right.

While Kyrie is probably the best isolation player on the floor, it'd be ideal if he took James off the ball.

His turnover rate was terrible last year. I think his days as a ball handler, and operating on top of the key are over with. It takes a lot out of him too.

That doesn't mean the offense still won't, or can't be initiated through him a lot.

I think LB just needs to play closer to the basket, where he can still be a versatile threat passing, shooting, driving, etc...

 

[Kypus]

Team already putting it out there not to expect too much too soon?

Report: Cavs want to cut playing time for LeBron James, Kyrie Irving

By James Herbert | NBA writer
August 23, 2015 9:59 am

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/25278252

From Pluto:

The Cavs also want to cut Irving's minutes. Mo Williams was signed to help out at point guard. Irving is coming off surgery for a fractured knee cap, so it makes sense to keep his workload light in the regular season.

http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/index.ssf/2015/08/cleveland_cavaliers_have_terry_17.html#incart_river

 

[NasstyNate]

I might be in the minority with many, but I'd actually like Kyrie to initiate the offense more this year than LeBron.

Blatt tried this at the beginning of the year. The team (Lebron) rebelled and took the easy route via ISO and simple PnR. Part of me thinks Kyrie loved it because it let him just focus on getting buckets. It's easy regular season ball because talent wins out when teams go 80% effort.

Playoffs are a different beast, and I am still very concerned about the state of the team going into the year. I believe Lebron learned from Shaq that the regular season doesn't matter. See "chill mode." However, we do not have the institutional knowledge of a team like the Spurs to be able to tinker around during the regular season and turn it on right before the payoffs. We still need to figure out how to use Love. He is nothing but a stretch 4 in an offense envisioned by Lebron. And Kyrie has every incentive to play in Lebron's offense because it suits his scoring talents so well. Kyrie is my favorite player, but I think it is fair to say he'd rather shoot than pass. He needs to be in an offense that uses the defensive attention paid to him to our advantage. Blatt sees that. Lebron doesn't. And we are going to be in big trouble in the ECF/Finals as long as Lebron wins out. It's so frustrating.

 

[Jordan]

Blatt tried this at the beginning of the year. The team (Lebron) rebelled and took the easy route via ISO and simple PnR. Part of me thinks Kyrie loved it because it let him just focus on getting buckets. It's easy regular season ball because talent wins out when teams go 80% effort.

Playoffs are a different beast, and I am still very concerned about the state of the team going into the year. I believe Lebron learned from Shaq that the regular season doesn't matter. See "chill mode." However, we do not have the institutional knowledge of a team like the Spurs to be able to tinker around during the regular season and turn it on right before the payoffs. We still need to figure out how to use Love. He is nothing but a stretch 4 in an offense envisioned by Lebron. And Kyrie has every incentive to play in Lebron's offense because it suits his scoring talents so well. Kyrie is my favorite player, but I think it is fair to say he'd rather shoot than pass. He needs to be in an offense that uses the defensive attention paid to him to our advantage. Blatt sees that. Lebron doesn't. And we are going to be in big trouble in the ECF/Finals as long as Lebron wins out. It's so frustrating.

I agree with this. My theory is that the entire offense needs to change and that it should have happened last year. Kevin Love needs to become a legitimate scoring option when he is on the floor and not just a three-point specialist. Anyone who watched him in Minnesota knew how talented he was and how Blatt/Lebron were not using him properly. I think if Love starts playing more as a #1/#2 option at the elbow, it will simultaneously allow Kyrie to become the true #1 option. I also think having a guy like Mo, who is an incredible interior passer, allows Kyrie to play as the #1.

Overall, though, I agree simply switching Kyrie and Lebron's role may not work because it failed last year. The entire system needs to change otherwise it will become even more of an isolation-based offense.

 

[JMoneyYourHoney]

I can't stress enough how much I wish Kyrie had taken the end-of-regulation shot in Game 1. We were basically gifted the game after Kyrie's remarkable block on Curry and we blew it because LeBron thought a $hitty, off-balance shot while draped by 3 defenders was the smart move.

We win Game 1 (and very likely salvage Kyrie at least for another game or two), the series takes on a whole new dimension. We deserved to win too with how well we played for 4 complete quarters.

 

[amurderofcrows]

Just a thought.
Blatt may just , game to game, exploit individual matchups more this season (regular) than last year because he has a better feel, not only for his own players, but the rest of the League.

 

[Tlyons]

Team already putting it out there not to expect too much too soon?


http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/25278252

From Pluto:

http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/index.ssf/2015/08/cleveland_cavaliers_have_terry_17.html#incart_river

TP with the Captain obvious article.

Windyesqe

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

Playoffs are a different beast, and I am still very concerned about the state of the team going into the year. I believe Lebron learned from Shaq that the regular season doesn't matter. See "chill mode."

However, we do not have the institutional knowledge of a team like the Spurs to be able to tinker around during the regular season and turn it on right before the payoffs.

Very well said. The Spurs know the right way to play, so the regular season is about staying sharp, developing/integrating new players into an established system, and keeping minutes down for the vets.

We don't yet have an established system (not the right kind, anyway), so we need to build/develop that during the regular season. And that takes more work, not chill mode.

Agree with everything else, too. I really hope LBJ will buy in this season.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

I can't stress enough how much I wish Kyrie had taken the end-of-regulation shot in Game 1. We were basically gifted the game after Kyrie's remarkable block on Curry and we blew it because LeBron thought a $hitty, off-balance shot while draped by 3 defenders was the smart move.

We win Game 1 (and very likely salvage Kyrie at least for another game or two), the series takes on a whole new dimension. We deserved to win too with how well we played for 4 complete quarters.

Heck, if Kyrie's injury was caused by a knee-collision, then you could butterfly effect that any change would have spared him.

 

[itsnotagame]

When I hear/read comments about how the Cavs need to restructure/revamp their offense so Kevin Love is more of a featured player, I wonder if the people making these comments are basing them off how they expected Love to play last year, instead of how he actually played. Because in the 60 or so Cavs games I watched last year, Love got plenty of touches, plenty of early offense post up opportunities, and plenty of chances to be a dominant force. And while he had some great games -- and provided the Cavs with valuable floor spacing -- there were also many times he looked completely discombobulated. Missing wide open shot after wide open shot, getting out muscled/hustled underneath, poor body language, etc. I can remember multiple times when, while trying to post up, he had the ball literally ripped from his hands by the guy guarding him. That's not supposed to happen so frequently to a "top 15" player. And it's understandable that someone like Lebron or Kyrie or Blatt can witness that (repeatedly!) and lose some confidence in him.

Yes, it would be great if we had the 20 and 10 Kevin Love next year. But I think that's more on him actually playing better than it is on the Cavs making any major changes.

 

[NasstyNate]

When I hear/read comments about how the Cavs need to restructure/revamp their offense so Kevin Love is more of a featured player, I wonder if the people making these comments are basing them off how they expected Love to play last year, instead of how he actually played. Because in the 60 or so Cavs games I watched last year, Love got plenty of touches, plenty of early offense post up opportunities, and plenty of chances to be a dominant force. And while he had some great games -- and provided the Cavs with valuable floor spacing -- there were also many times he looked completely discombobulated. Missing wide open shot after wide open shot, getting out muscled/hustled underneath, poor body language, etc. I can remember multiple times when, while trying to post up, he had the ball literally ripped from his hands by the guy guarding him. That's not supposed to happen so frequently to a "top 15" player. And it's understandable that someone like Lebron or Kyrie or Blatt can witness that (repeatedly!) and lose some confidence in him.

Yes, it would be great if we had the 20 and 10 Kevin Love next year. But I think that's more on him actually playing better than it is on the Cavs making any major changes.

A more diverse offense is harder to guard. It is as simple as that. The whole league knows it and the best teams are implementing decentralized offenses that get open shots from moving/passing as opposed to simple ball dominant guys setting up teammates. Chris Paul/Lebron are just about the only guys in the league capable of carrying their teams and we've seen how far they've gotten on their own. It's a hard ceiling.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

When I hear/read comments about how the Cavs need to restructure/revamp their offense so Kevin Love is more of a featured player, I wonder if the people making these comments are basing them off how they expected Love to play last year, instead of how he actually played. Because in the 60 or so Cavs games I watched last year, Love got plenty of touches, plenty of early offense post up opportunities, and plenty of chances to be a dominant force. And while he had some great games -- and provided the Cavs with valuable floor spacing -- there were also many times he looked completely discombobulated. Missing wide open shot after wide open shot, getting out muscled/hustled underneath, poor body language, etc. I can remember multiple times when, while trying to post up, he had the ball literally ripped from his hands by the guy guarding him. That's not supposed to happen so frequently to a "top 15" player. And it's understandable that someone like Lebron or Kyrie or Blatt can witness that (repeatedly!) and lose some confidence in him.

Yes, it would be great if we had the 20 and 10 Kevin Love next year. But I think that's more on him actually playing better than it is on the Cavs making any major changes.

I think there's some truth in that, and there's been speculation that his back was bothering him a lot.

But basketball is a rhythm game, and I do think the LBJ-centric PR offense took Love too far away from his game. It's too bad, because if LBJ finds his outside shot, he and love should have a devastating 2 man game option to add to the offensive arsenal, in addition to everything else.