Kyrie Irving is an artist. Let him paint. If his artwork is 30 points per game on a 40-win team, so be it.
Irving already has his iconic masterpiece. Now, he wants his own masterpiece. No one can ever take away Irving’s 2016 Finals, his Game 5 tour de force of 41 points on 17-24 shooting facing elimination on the road, or his championship-winning step-back three over the two-time MVP in Game 7.
That shot will never abandon Irving and will be the first sentence of his basketball obituary. It will live forever in basketball history, maybe a little longer.
What Irving did as a Cavalier against the Warriors gives him untouchable historical equity. He is proven. His aptitude for the big stage can never be doubted, because he showed, time and time again, in barrages of unstoppable scoring, in the tensest moments, that the biggest stage was beneath him.
The moment propelled him, and when the world was loud, his mind quieted, nervousness and conscience left at the door.
Irving wants those moments to himself. It makes sense because as a basketball player he barely needs anyone else. His teammates are mostly irrelevant, hazy figures in coloured clothing standing around him. He plays the game against the man in front of him.
The only way that Irving helps his teammates is by helping them win the match. He is a black hole, but an efficient one. He makes nobody better except for the scoreboard. Would you want him as the leader of your favourite team? Maybe not. Would you want your favourite team to face him in a playoff series? Definitely not.
Irving exists in his own universe, one that not even LeBron James could penetrate. Occasionally, Irving would reap the rewards of James’s genius and otherworldly presence, running secondary actions after James had collapsed the defence, or knocking down open threes created by James’s extra-terrestrial vision. But most of the time, he just went to work, on his own time, while everyone else, including the greatest player on Earth, stood around and watched.
Irving is a selfish player, whose selfishness helps his team succeed. He is a transcendent offensive creature, the most unguardable one-on-one scorer in the league. His jumper is smooth and devastating, his handle immaculate and weaponised. He is surely the most creative finisher at the rim that the game has ever seen, someone who regularly manufactures angles out of impossibilities.
What Irving does – score efficiently in isolation – he could do in Sacramento or Denver or anywhere else in the league. Some players need LeBron James to thrive – Irving does not. If he wants to succeed in the way that most of us measure success, he might need LeBron. But conceptions of success are diverse. Irving’s current idea of success seems to involve leading his own team, crafting his own identity, and having more of those big moments which he feasts on all to himself. He will win fewer games without James, but perhaps only outside of Cleveland can he become the best realised version of himself as a basketball player.
For one of the most selfless, visionary players in NBA history, it doesn’t seem like a lot of fun playing with LeBron James. His standards are lofty, and everything is done on his terms. Irving is a piece on his chessboard.
(Image: Keith Allison/CC BY-SA 2.0)
James also might be gone in a year. The game’s best player is also its biggest control freak, and Irving’s trade demand is a strong statement that he won’t be held hostage by James like so many before him.
Irving already has his championship and the proof that he belongs. Wanting to see how far his game can go without being tied to James is a sympathetic wish. Could Irving average 30 per game and win a scoring title? Could he become a lower-tier MVP candidate? Could his playmaking skills develop in a situation where he gets to play as the true lead ball-handler?
His decision to leave Cleveland is selfish but eminently understandable. He might be sentencing himself to the fate of being a far less culturally significant Allen Iverson, but if that’s the case, so be it. Irving has earned the chance to find out if that’s all that awaits him.
If he wants to try and be a king himself, he has to leave the king behind.
mushi
Guest
Problem is Winslow can't score from anywhere. I'd try and get someone that might still have memories of his post tourney hype and get someone a little less sexy that could shoot from somewhere
Lisa
Guest
Easy.. The team is built for LEBRON. If Irving stays and LeBron leaves in 2018. The pieces there and the contracts given to those role players were to make LeBron happy. Those same pieces really dont do much for Irving. As a Denver fan i hope we dont trade for Iriving. He reminds me of Melo. Can play iso and put up great stats but cant win on his own and doesnt make others better.
Swampy
Guest
Talk of Miami offering Dragic and Winslow - surely the Cavs would jump on an offer like that? A starting line up of Dragic, Jr Smith, Winslow, LeBron and Love/Thompson is a pretty good small ball unit - much superior defensively and then with Derrick Rose off the bench (lol poor derrick) they would still be the beast of the East.
Machooka
Roar Guru
Excellent evocative piece Jay on one of the NBA's true enigmas. For mine Kyrie has an awesome handle with a scorer's mentality when finishing at the bucket but... yep, then there are some buts about the rest of game. He's sensational going down hill if afforded the space to do so, but his defence is surely questionable. So he's really a one way player eh. This recent request of his to take his talents elsewhere is just another nail in the coffin for the CAVs. Fair to say they are all an unhappy bunch presently, front and back office. And, just for a moment, imagine what it would be like being around LeBron when he's not happy. Insufferable comes to mind. Again thanks for a quality read.
mushi
Guest
Does he live most of the year in LA? When his LA home was vandalised they said he used it infrequently.
mushi
Guest
The “Super max” doesn’t apply to players with 10+ seasons as all it does is allow younger players, who meet the criteria, to step up a bracket in max salary. So Cleveland can offer a year longer and an 8% escalation v 5% but LeBron has been opting for shorter contracts with player options as you can still get the 5% increase (a max contract for him is the higher of 35% of the cap or 105% of last seasons salary) and if the cap goes up by more than 5-8% then he can get an increase in salary above the equivalent year in a max contract. It also gives him the flexibility to move teams if he wants. So it’s no certainty that the Cavs can offer him much more than the rest of the league if he continues with that style of contract.
mushi
Guest
That's a stretch! He'd need to tank it back into the 80s
Red Kev
Roar Guru
LeBron will leave the Cavs for one simple reason - to tank their value so he can buy them as an owner when he retires.
astro
Guest
Haberstroh's ESPN article yesterday said it best: "As the No. 1 option on the team, Irving's record in the NBA is 132-247 (.348), or the equivalent of a 29-win team." and "In the 17 games that James has sat the past three seasons with Irving starting, the Cavs' record is a woeful 4-13 (.235)." and "With Irving on the court and James off the court, the Irving-led Cavs have been outscored by 94 points in 2,000 minutes, or minus-1.7 per 48 minutes -- a point margin roughly on pace with a New Orleans Pelicans team that finished 14 games under .500 last season." Irving is a great dribbler, and finisher at the rim who's not afraid of taking big shots. To your point mushi, one of the best one-on-one players in the league. But his game doesn't translate to wins...at least, not yet.
mushi
Guest
I don't think you can call two puff peice rankings evidence of anyhitng other than an absence of evidence. - two bloggers, - before the start of last season - one citing points per game, iso scoring and fg% , so essentially a self confessed anti objective analysis guy - one basically puts it down to a single shot changing his career ignoring that Kyrie had a sub-par season playing below career average TS% REB% AST% STL% bad +/- stats etc across only 50 games. - neither even mentioning his defence because they don’t factor it in, - neither mentions anything about team efficiency again because they don’t even think about it, - no mention how he goes to water without Bron on the court, and - nothing mentioning his performance last year (because well it hadn’t happened) Yes Irving can score, and yes he looks amazing doing it. Hence for those puff piece lists with no research he’s an easy choice. But for winning games, not just a battle of the highlights, that is done over thousands of possessions over 80-100 games. The only reason he is in that list is because his team won a finals series, a series at the end of a season he played only 50 odd regular season games. A series he was in because of largely another player. But lets ignore all the evidence from the 400 odd other games Kyrie played. He’s as flawed as Ricky Rubio, it’s just his strengths are the most entertaining and memorable part of the game. If it were a game of one on one Irving would be one of my top 5 picks. But consider this in the last 4 years ESPNs real +/- (a sometimes harsh stat for bad defenders on good teams) had him 12th,28th , 9th and 34th amongst point guards. Basketball reference’s BPM (a somewhat kind stat for bad defenders on good teams) has him at 12,13,7 and 7. Out of that I get a player who, if you care about how many points your team scores and how many the other team scores. Sits around 10-12 for a point guard which sounds like average to above average starter assuming a curve for production. I’d definitely take Paul, Curry, Westbrook, Lowry, Wall, Conley and Lillard over him. Then it depends on the Harden designation. Then there is a group of Hill, Thomas, Bledsoe and Dragic where it would come down to a “fit” question. Then value would be a durability versus age versus contract discussion amongst that group. I’m probably in the minority, because I don’t care how pretty my team wins, but I think (depending on supporting cast) that Teague, Walker and Rubio can add as much value. Though not as a #1 as scoring is a more, not all, important aspect for the “alpha dog”.
jeff dustby
Guest
hes leaving - deal with it
Brian
Guest
I agree. Am a big Paul fan so would have Rockets ahead of OKC but neither really. So we are left agin with either the Spurs or Cavs needing the perfect storm to challenge GSW. Its a shame because if KD stays in Oklahoma the GSW v Cavs rivalry becomes one of the greats and Kryrie probably doesn't want out at this stage
Davico
Roar Pro
And NY, Miami or the Clippers are contenders to beat the Warriors by adding Kyrie??? Yeah right, OK!
Davico
Roar Pro
True LeBron is a contender wherever he goes! To Steve, If you think he is not tempted by going to LA where he lives most of the year and has eyes on life after ball then you are delusional! He has won his titles and if he went to a lower team and played just for himself he would be a chance to break most records in the game! The Cavs front office at the moment is a shambles and lets be honest, the difference in contracts is chump change to what he makes from endorsements. And LA vs Cleveland is a no contest in endorsement $$$$. I would love to see him stay and get what he needs compete but let's be honest the better players are getting drawn to the better teams in bigger markets because the diff between 55m and 50m and a chance at a title is??? GSW has Silicon Valley money, LA, Boston, NY, Miami and SA are big money markets where players want to play and live.
Olo
Guest
"He’s an average to just above average starting point guard" this article puts him at number seven in the NBA. http://www.nba.com/magic/galleries/top-players/ranking-best-point-guards-2016-17-cohen-20170413/ this one from last year has him at number four. behind only curry, westbrook and chris paul. http://www.nba.com/article/2016/10/18/fran-blinebury-ranks-top-point-guards-2016-17-nba-season i don't think you can really call that 'average'
Swampy
Guest
He does have a very appealing contract though mushy!
Swampy
Guest
Kobe didn't go it alone - he just got rid of the other supernova. The lakers squad was still OK
Swampy
Guest
Wherever LeBron goes that team is a title contender.
Mushi
Guest
I think the possibility of Kyrie winning MVP is exactly the same with or without lebron
Mike Dugg
Guest
New York is the place for him. Melo and picks for him and Shump. Porzingus would be happy to be 2nd fiddle and no triangle system there will help that team a lot