Attack of the Mid-Top

Yesterday, it was revealed that the Cavs own Kyrie Irving is going to have a signature shoe drop from Nike on December 23rd. He is the only player outside of Kevin Durant to earn a shoe line from the Swoosh in the past ten years. This is just one more sign that the Wine & Gold franchise has really turned a corner. How many other teams have two guys with signature sneakers from one of the major companies? 

Like many players with a signature kick, Kyrie opted to go with a mid-top type design instead of a traditional high-top. I appreciate the simple layout without a ton of plastic supports going up the sides or a crazy pattern. The shoe is actually pretty functional; look at the grip pattern below. It goes beyond just the sole of the shoe and rolls up the sides. When you break as many ankles as Kyrie does, you can’t risk slipping because you’re pushing your foot steps to the limit. All the ankles need to be broken.

Here’s a picture that is just baffling:

Why is Charles wearing dress pants with a track jacket and sneakers?

Here’s the reveal video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4f1xR08A6g#t=74

It’s shot in some weird R & B influenced way. It almost makes me feel violated and caused me to listen to Robert Kelly’s Chocolate Factory while typing this up.

–

Mike Miller received what might be the longest write-up on him since the start of his career from Grantland today. Jonathan Abrams penned it, and it is an incredible look into a bizarre career that’s seen so many different phases. Miller has been a bench warmer, a sixth man, and a starter throughout the years. What really stands about him is that he is just a people person, and that might be his best basketball attribute.

“What I do is, I understand people,” Miller explained. “I understand what they’re going through. For some reason, I’m always in a good mood. It’s a blessing for me. I understand it’s a team sport and if there’s going to be individuals inside it, how do I relate to every one of those players differently? The way I do stuff with LeBron during a game is completely different than what I’m going to do with Kyrie [Irving]. Some people need to talk. Some people need to laugh. I’m always in that good mood because at the end of the day, I’m [playing basketball] for a living.”

He also knows what how badly Cleveland wants a title.

“The history of this city, if they go on to win one and I’m somewhere else — that’s the decision I couldn’t live with,” Miller said. “So when it came down to the money, unfortunately I left a lot on the table again. It is what it is, but I’d have a hard time [waking up] every morning if I would have went somewhere else and not had the opportunity to win [a title].”

–

Writing about shoes got me thinking about the various ones LeBron James has put out. Look at this history of his sneakers to kill some time today.

–

Matthew Dellavedova could be back in the next week after going out on November 4th against Portland with a sprained knee ligament.

–

What should Cavs do with Dion Waiters? There is no doubt in my mind that Waiters is talented. I have seen him methodically carve up an entire defense to get to the rim and score at will, and he’s even hounded guys defensively by just poking at the ball the entire time they dribble. He has wonderful size at 6’4” and 225 pounds. He shouldn’t be bullied by opposing guards.

This season he’s oscillated between chucking up a ton of shots and being far too passive like in the last game against the Bucks where he took just one shot in nine minutes. He hasn’t made a three pointer, something the Cavs need someone to do, in over half of the games he has played in. He just can’t find his flow on the new look Cavs. Check out his games logs all together to see the inconsistency and ineffectiveness.

I want Dion to be a contributor to the team and think he has something to offer. Remember last year when there was serious talk Waiters ran the team better than Irving when Irving missed a stretch of games? David Blatt should try to trot out a star less lineup or a LeBron/Kyrie less one for ten minutes a night to revive Dion. The Neon man can lead a unit when he has the ball in his hands and is empowered to. Why not try this? The stars get to rest, and the organization gets to see if Waiters is willing to set guys up and make good decisions when he has ample opportunities to shoot. He might not throw a crazy mid range shot if he knows he can bring the ball up the court every time.