Kyrie Irving

[DatDudeZ3]

So with 7 spots on the Eastern reserve roster left, who gets in out of:
Wade, Bosh, Butler, Teague, Irving, Knight, Horford, Millsap, Vucevic, Love, Drummond

It's crazy but Irving, last year's ASG MVP, might not make the roster this year.

Kyrie, Wade, Teague, Bosh, Butler, Vucevic, Millsap

 

[Baseline Runner]

Don't underestimate how much better Timo is making everyone else look better on defense right now including K Love. Having a big man like Mozgov who is very good at defending the paint makes everyone else's job on defense quite a bit easier. The last several games I have closely watched Mozgov on the defensive end and he is very good, the kind of good that won't necessarily show up in his block tally. He makes a big difference.

In a way some of the criticism that was lashed out at Irving on the defensive end (I am as guilty of this as anyone) was undeserved. Modern point guards are very talented, with the ability to score inside and out. Without a paint protector backing you up they are difficult for anyone to guard.

 

[tristan+kyrie=$]

Can Shump take like 5-10 min of Kyrie minutes? Realistically I want Shump to take minutes from LBJ Kyrie and JR....cut each down....Lebron at 35 min a night...Kyrie at 35 and Shump at 32 and Smith at 30 sounds great

 

[theSTEREO.]

So with 7 spots on the Eastern reserve roster left, who gets in out of:
Wade, Bosh, Butler, Teague, Irving, Knight, Horford, Millsap, Vucevic, Love, Drummond

It's crazy but Irving, last year's ASG MVP, might not make the roster this year.

You cut Vucevic, Wade, and either Bosh or Love, and Knight or Drummond.

To be selected from a losing team, you need to be unbelievable, like kyrie was in 2012, and Vooch is not that dominant. Really good, but not dominant.

Heat don't deserve two all stars. Not sure we deserve three. And you pick one of the guys from the unexpected surging teams, either Detroit or Milwaukee.

Absolutely zero chance Kyrie doesn't make it. He'll be on the roster for sure. Love is a long shot though. Even with his struggles, I think he still makes it if we have the Hawks record. Not so sure the coaches wanna give him a vote over an extra Hawk or Wizard even.

 

[Mr. Orange]

Knight? As in Brandon Knight? 0% chance.

 

[theSTEREO.]

Knight? As in Brandon Knight? 0% chance.

Guy is single handedly keeping a team that should be near Sixers level in a fairly secure playoff spot, despite losing their best player.

Knight has been putting up fantastic numbers all year. He's not better than Wall, Lowry, Krving or Teague, but he's firmly in the conversation.

 

[All4One1ForAll]

Knight? As in Brandon Knight? 0% chance.

Knight's actually balling this year. They're the sixth seed and they have absolutely no one outside Knight.

 

[Gus Zing]

Can Shump take like 5-10 min of Kyrie minutes? Realistically I want Shump to take minutes from LBJ Kyrie and JR....cut each down....Lebron at 35 min a night...Kyrie at 35 and Shump at 32 and Smith at 30 sounds great

It would be for the best if he could. Kyrie is playing 38 mpg. Now that he's actually trying on defense it's requiring more energy from him as well. We got to get his mins back down.

Kyrie's going to be needed to carry the offense at times in the playoffs. Hopefully we figure out the backup pg spot so we can keep him fresh.

 

[Snarly]

Kyrie and LeBron better hatch a plan where they both blow into his ear. That being Stevenson... Yeah. F him up Bronny!

 

[Toph]

Knight has been so good. Wish he was still in Detroit so we could see what SVG could do for his career. Kidd seems to be doing a hell of a job with him so far, though.

 

[Plaxicofan7]

Kyrie follows up his best performance of the season by posting his... SECOND best performance of the season. I think Kyrie gets WAY too much hate when he struggles, but right now he is playing the best all-around ball of his CAREER, and is being overshadowed.

I said it just the other day and I am sticking to it: If Kyrie can play this kind of basketball, we are going to be scary. I think Sunday will be a BIG test for him against Westbrook. If he can go into that game and make life hard for Rus, I think we walk out with the win.

Here is hoping to "this" Kyrie staying with us for a long time.

 

[wuck]

Blatt could have the luxury to move Kyrie over to guard someone else if Westbrook proves rough. I'd rather see Kyrie deal with Westbrook effectively, but if it means some time with him covering Roberson or Jackson, well, that's why the Cavs have Shumpert/Smith/etc.

Plus, you know how much fun it would be to see Kyrie and Dion go back and forth. Super entertaining.

 

[The Process God]

Plus, you know how much fun it would be to see Kyrie and Dion go back and forth. Super entertaining.

Dion gets blocked at the rim by Mozgov while screaming "And one!" Kyrie runs down the floor and and-1s it. Rinse repeat.

Would be entertaining indeed.

 

[davedugan43]

I love Kyrie Irving. Just ever since we drafted him, he's been a favorite of mine. Sure, he has defensive problems, and probably played a hand in Brown's second firing, but all in all, you have to love him recently. He loves Cleveland, spends time in NEO doing charity work and filming spots for Pepsi Max, or having his own shoe made. He advertises his favorite restaurant's and spots in Cleveland on Twitter and Instagram. He was the single weapon we had the past four years with Dion Waiters looking like a potential second weapons at times. A year later, after dedicating himself to a city and team that had a rough past four years, he's rewarded with both a max contract and longterm commitment from his team, and he gets new teammates LeBron James, Kevin Love, Mozgov, Marion, Miller, Jones, and JR. Add in a coach with a knack for championships and a new outlook and emphasis on defense, and you see a guy truly happy with his life right now. He loves Cleveland, he loves the Cavaliers, he loves the fans, and he's finally becoming a complete player. Just seems like everything is falling into place for Mr. SwIrving.

 

[RedBlackAttack]

Kyrie follows up his best performance of the season by posting his... SECOND best performance of the season. I think Kyrie gets WAY too much hate when he struggles, but right now he is playing the best all-around ball of his CAREER, and is being overshadowed.

I said it just the other day and I am sticking to it: If Kyrie can play this kind of basketball, we are going to be scary. I think Sunday will be a BIG test for him against Westbrook. If he can go into that game and make life hard for Rus, I think we walk out with the win.

Here is hoping to "this" Kyrie staying with us for a long time.

Even the best defensive players in the NBA struggle to make life hard for Russ when he gets racing up and down the court. I might rather see Shump stick on him as much as possible, because it frees Kyrie up to do his thing on the other end of the floor. Don't get me wrong... it would be a great sign if Kyrie just says "f#ck it" and tells the coaches he wants to matchup with Russ, but at the same time, I'd expect OKC to use guys other than Westbrook to defend Kyrie. Irving has a pretty good track record of making life miserable for WB and they've had to switch off of him many times before and/or bring help.

I'm sure it will be defense by committee on both Durant and Westbrook, just like they'll have to do with LeBron and Kyrie.

I love Kyrie Irving. Just ever since we drafted him, he's been a favorite of mine. Sure, he has defensive problems, and probably played a hand in Brown's second firing, but all in all, you have to love him recently. He loves Cleveland, spends time in NEO doing charity work and filming spots for Pepsi Max, or having his own shoe made. He advertises his favorite restaurant's and spots in Cleveland on Twitter and Instagram. He was the single weapon we had the past four years with Dion Waiters looking like a potential second weapons at times. A year later, after dedicating himself to a city and team that had a rough past four years, he's rewarded with both a max contract and longterm commitment from his team, and he gets new teammates LeBron James, Kevin Love, Mozgov, Marion, Miller, Jones, and JR. Add in a coach with a knack for championships and a new outlook and emphasis on defense, and you see a guy truly happy with his life right now. He loves Cleveland, he loves the Cavaliers, he loves the fans, and he's finally becoming a complete player. Just seems like everything is falling into place for Mr. SwIrving.

I will second this. I feel sort of protective of Kyrie in a way that I don't for Love, LeBron or any of the other new guys (or the "new/old" guys like LeBron).

Maybe it is because Kyrie was here during some very lean years when the organization was almost completely open about its tankage (remember the three-year plan?) or if it is just his easy-going personality...

He put up with a lot of stuff that would have had other guys bailing. But, he stuck with it and the fact that he signed his extension with such an exclamation point (in literally minutes after the moratorium was lifted) and before the roster had the major makeover.

I feel like he's actually underappreciated by a lot of people... a lot of Cavs fans, in particular. His skillset is very unique, he's still crazy young (22!) and he has proven with his words and actions that he is devoted to the team/city.

Get 'em Kyrie.