One on One: The Kyrie Situation

For months I’ve convinced myself that the national dialogue that the Cavs are in complete disarray was merely manufactured material for the national outlets. They were still the best team in the East, and Gordon Hayward joining the Celtics might make for a slightly more competitive Eastern Conference Finals, but that the Cavs were surely a lock to head to their fourth straight NBA Finals.

Then the Kyrie bomb dropped and I flashed back to my pre-parade Cleveland fan panic mode. Fortunately, it didn’t last long. A few hours later, I was firing away deals on the trade machine, and I truly started to believe that dealing Kyrie could make the Cavs not only better against the Warriors next June, but an influx of young (cheap) talent could be exactly what the team needs right now. Kevin Love’s value on the market didn’t field much, and I honestly value his skill set more than Kyrie’s for no other reason, that he’s a terrific stretch big, and elite rebounder, and the best quarterback to play in Cleveland since Bernie Kosar.

With all the hoopla in mind Carson Zagger and myself had a quick game of one-on-one to see where we both stand on the entire situation. Feel free to share your answers in the comment section below.

Cory: Carson, what percentages of blame do you hand out to everyone involved with Kyrie wanting to leave the only franchise he’s ever known?

Carson: It’s tough to dole out percentages when Kyrie has yet to publicly articulate his thoughts. At the very least, though, this is 90% on him, because at the end of the day, this trade demand is the decision of Kyrie Andrew Irving alone. He’s a grown man who sleeps in the bed that he makes. We all have things in the workplace that we don’t like, and it’s on us as individuals to either cope or change the situation. It appears that Kyrie is opting for the later. That’s his choice. And if his choice is to douse the aforementioned bed in gasoline while smoking a cigarette, well, then that’s his prerogative too.

That said there are obviously other factors that’ve shaped his decision. Would Kyrie feel differently if LeBron James was never his teammate or if Dan Gilbert was never his owner? It seems like it from our outside point of view. I’ll pin 9% of this on LeBron. After all, the story leaked about Kyrie made a point to single out LeBron as a reason for the trade request. Whether that reason is based on LeBron’s demanding, fickle, and subtweeting ways, or the domineering effect of James’ mere presence, remains to be seen. Some blame lies with the Cavs biggest star for sure. I suppose in the context of the butterfly effect initiated by LeBron’s return three summers ago you could put all of the blame on him—would Kyrie have ever felt the need to get away from LeBron if there wasn’t a LeBron to get away from—but I’m not about to jump down that philosophical rabbit hole.

The final percentage of blame goes to Dan Gilbert. This is conjecture, but it’s possible that the awkward timing of David Griffin’s release combined with the chaotic perception given off by the Cavs as a franchise may have pushed Kyrie over a cliff on which he was teetering. As owner of the team, Comic Sans Dan deserves a little bit of the blame/credit with anything that happens to the Cavs.

Cory: Good stuff buddy, good stuff. I actually just watched The Butterfly Effect a few nights ago with my roommate. Now, he’s the best roommate I’ve ever had, but lawd does he love some terrible movies. The premise was intriguing, but the end result was a mess. Kind of like the first three years of Kyrie’s career. In a way though, their failing led to all of this. If they didn’t bomb on Anthony Bennet, they don’t win the lottery and draft Andrew Wiggins. If they don’t have the trade chip that is Andrew Wiggins, perhaps LeBron doesn’t comeback, they don’t win a title, and Kyrie is happy as a dog in heat at the dog park because he’s averaging 35 a game on a 35 win team.

Carson: Your turn. What do you make of Kyrie centering his trade request on not wanting to play with LeBron?

Cory: Whenever I see a couple having a drag out barnburner of a fight in public, I wonder to myself, how bad are things at home? It’s an iceberg theory in a way. If strangers can see that kind of dysfunction, there’s got to be so much more there behind closed doors. LeBron’s seasonal affective disorder, humiliating teammates during a game, and blatantly ignoring his coaches is what he lets the world see. How bad can this dude be in the locker room when no one else is there?

I don’t buy the lazy theory that Irving is just leaving a year early because he knows that LeBron is leaving next year and he doesn’t want to be trapped there with Kevin Love and Kay Felder. That entire idea contradicts that he doesn’t want to play in LeBron’s shadow. Kyrie hasn’t been trolling Dan Gilbert on Instagram. Kyrie has removed Cleveland from his Twitter bio. He’s trolling LeBron.

https://youtu.be/fgH1cx1u4MQ

I’ve always thought that Kyrie came into a really difficult situation as being the star who was pegged to replace LeBron. He was 19 and sad sack children mumbled if he was going to leave them the way LeBron left him, when Kyrie himself, was a child in a way. Anthony Davis didn’t have to answer questions about filling Chris Paul’s shoes, and KAT didn’t have to tell the fanbase that he was there to stay unlike Kevin Love. We act like Kyrie has had to deal with playing in LeBron’s shadow for three years. We’ve had Kyrie in LeBron’s shadow since the moment he arrived in Cleveland.

I understand that Kyrie wants to be his own man, and run his own team. He signed a five-year extension to be that, and then the guy he’s been compared to since he was drafted usurped the franchise and took our focus away from him. Kyrie is sick of it. He’s sick of LeBron screaming at him about defense when LeBron takes more plays off than any MVP candidate every regular season. He’s sick of LeBron being catered to and pampered. He’s sick of LeBron acting like a domineering father. Kyrie already has one of those.

Cory: How would you handle Kyrie’s trade request?

Carson: I’d handle it exactly the way the Cavs front office has thus far. No one is panicking while they search for the optimal deal for Irving that will best improve the team going forward. It’s really the only way they can play it.

This is a championship contender fielding an all-time great still in his prime—not a rebuilding team looking to blow it up like the Bulls or Pacers. To receive the pocket lint and paper shavings those two other teams received for their exiting stars would be a crushing blow.

Shop Kyrie and see what you can get. If the offers are underwhelming, you still have him under contract for two more years, a leverage point Chicago and Indiana did not have. Of course, us folks outside of the organization can’t know exactly how disgruntled the star point guard is with the whole situation. A sense of urgency may or may not kick in as training camp draws closer.

Carson: Say the offers on the table are less than ideal and training camp is a week away. How do you feel about the relationship between Kyrie and LeBron moving forward, and does this change how you approach the whole situation?

Cory: I’d follow what you suggested above. Assuming Kyrie is a professional and shows up for training camp, sit him down and give him basically the Brad Stevens free agency pitch of how great they are as a team. How he’ll get to drive the car more on weekends. I firmly believe that this Cavs team could win three titles together, if not for the chance that the Warriors lucked into a cap spike which let them sign Durant. How many other Western Conference finalists over the past decade could have beaten last seasons Cavs? Off the top of my head, the 2014 Spurs. That’s probably it.

The short series this year against the Warriors is a bit misleading. If Shump doesn’t play in game three, or the Cavs could have mustered any offense in the final two minutes, that series was going six. If the Cavs won at home then it would have gone seven. Anything can happen in the NBA. Kevin Durant has had two significant surgeries on his foot. Steph could break down again. Iggy could lose a step. The Warriors could fall victim to complacency just like the Cavs did last year. This Cavs team can win another title.

NBA players have egos so big that Trump probably would want to put him name on them. I’d like to think with everything Kyrie and LeBron could accomplish together, they can find some sort of common ground. I’d like to think that they can both share mutual, genuine contrition and both vow to give it another shot.

If they renew their bond, they can be better than ever. This team has thrived off of internal chaos for the past three years and this is the biggest roadblock thus far. If the team goes into the season and the fences can’t be mended, the team can wait until after December 15th, when signed summer free agents are eligible to be traded, and find the best deal possible.

Cory: What’s your ideal trade for the Cavs if things cannot be patched up?

Carson: I love some of the pieces that Phoenix and Milwaukee can send back in Kyrie deals; I just don’t see either as very realistic at the moment. Irving just doesn’t seem to fit the Suns timeline for contention, and they’ll likely be in the cellar for a couple more years.

In this deal, the Suns get a player they chased after two short years ago in Aldridge. Aldridge gets to be “the man” once again, helping them climb the ladder of respectability. The Spurs get an heir to Tony Parker, and a closer who can take them to the next level in the playoffs. Greg Popovich would surely bring out the best in Irving as he hits his prime.

The Cavs would obtain two players they covet: a defensive minded point guard who can still contribute 20 points per game and a true 3-and-D wing. The Cavs and Suns would both demand more in the deal. Phoenix would send Miami’s 2018 top seven protected first rounder to the Cavs, and the Spurs would trade a future first rounder to Phoenix.

Cory: Assuming Kyrie isn’t willing to come to the table for a detente with LeBron, it’s probably best if they do accept the best possible package for him. I ponder if the Suns’ hesitation on moving Josh Jackson is merely a ploy to get the Cavs to lower their asking price on the other parameters of the deal. The Cavs naturally would rather have the Suns’ own selection than Miami’s first rounder next season.

Of course we’d love to dump Iman Shumpert, and get Jared Dudley back in exchange. Many have pointed out that James Jones is working in the front office with Phoenix, and he has first hand experience with Kyrie. The same goes with any other player the Cavs could throw into the deal. Let’s accept that we have to have to watch Shump chuck up ill-timed shots and dribble the ball out of bounds for another season, and kick him out of the deal the way any sane person boots dive bar vermouth from a martini (it’s gross, and there’s probably fruit flies in it).

For the Suns, they get their first All-Star player in his prime in eight years. While we’re on the topic of years, the team hasn’t made the playoffs in seven seasons, and they have little chance of making it this season with their current roster. Ideally, the Cavs could pry the Miami pick from the Suns as well, but if this deal is ever on the table, I’d take it.

Bledsoe might not be on the banana boat, but he’s close with LeBron. If he stays healthy, and can produce what he did last season with slightly better shooting percentages, he’d be an All-Star in the diluted East. Jackson is the player the Cavs obviously would covet the most in the deal. If the Cavs somehow had the #1 pick in the draft this year, Jackson probably would have been their selection. If he can improve on his long ball percentages, he could be the next Kawhi, or Kawhi-light down the road. If he doesn’t, he’ll still be a balls to the walls defender capable of contributing on a championship team, or a rebuild.