Bill Livingston’s Thoughts on Kyrie Irving
2011-05-19
Irving is not that quick, but he is considered the lone can’t-miss player in the draft — provided the toe injury that sidelined him for most of Duke’s games does not recur. Evidence in the NCAA Tournament was that Irving was just fine. So the Cavs’ rebuilding moves at a pace that, if not quite up to that of the very quickest point guards, is still rapidly accelerated.
I will concede that I was not excited about winning the lottery. I was pleased, but the 48 points Dirk dropped on OKC filled me with more excitement than the prospect of landing Kyrie Irving does. (Those contested jumpers!) This Livingston column reminds me that I’m being sorta silly; Cleveland fans should be enjoying their newfound hope.
I have two main concerns with Derrick Williams. First is that I really wonder if he’ll have a position to play in the NBA. There seems to be a good chance he gets abused defensively by both PFs and SFs in the pros. Also, while he is a great shooter I seriously wonder about his ability to create shots for himself and for others. We need a guy who can create shots, and I think that would be Irving over Williams. There are just too many ifs with Derrick Williams for me to be sold on him as a #1.… Read more »
It’s hard to knock Derrick Williams, but I think we have to pick Irving. Especially if the alternate plan is to take Williams and get a guard later. The gap between Irving and the rest of the guards is too big. Irving is a guy with no knocks against him. Walker has two or three big ones: size, passing ability, and outside shooting. Knight is thought to have good size, but Kyrie measured as slightly taller than him. Knight’s strongest skill is his shooting ability, and yet Kyrie is a better shooter than him. None of these guys is going… Read more »
Irving was measured at the draft combine at 10.3% body fat. Probably a major reason why he hasn’t had that lightning quick speed, but is definitely something that can be fixed. I have a problem with people arguing to take Williams #1 and Knight #4. Sure, that could be the best combo, but what if Knight gets taken by the Jazz? Then we would be out of a big PG prospect. My opinion: don’t be fancy, just take the best player on the board, which appears to be Irving. BTW, Enes Kanter looks very impressive at the combine and is… Read more »
Kyle, your argument doesn’t hold water. Marvin Williams wasn’t even the best player on his team at North Carolina. He only averaged 11 points a game. It was just a bad draft pick. As for the Beasley comparison? How about 38% three point shooting versus 57% three point shooting on 2.2 and 1.9 attempts per game respectively. Derrick Williams shot 19% better, while shooting almost the same amount of shots. He shot 58% from the field and has more blocks and steals than Beasley did. Yes, he’s not as good of a rebounder. Oh yeah, his shooting percentage from three?… Read more »
I’m sorry, but is there any reason that Derrick Williams is just the next Marvin Williams? Point guard is a much safer pick, I don’t think you can miss easily with a top playmaker. Besides, in the modern game the point guard is becoming more and more like a quarterback or offensive general. We absolutely need a potential All-Star at PG, especially with Byron Scott as our coach, if the Cavs are to be successful. I think the #1 should be a no-brainer, Kyrie Irving. The people talking themselves into drafting Williams are just going to end up with the… Read more »
I agree with Chris. Derrick Williams has the chance to be an ELITE scorer, Isos, moving without the ball, running the floor, off the dribble, post ups, shooting off screens, and spot up shots, he can score any way. Irving is good but has an injury risk, and a very small sample size of work. I think Williams is much closer to being “Can’t Miss.”
In my opinion the Cavs absolutely, 100% need to draft Williams with the first overall pick. With securing the number 1 and number 4 overall draft picks there are 3 potential point guards in the top 5 and only one SF with star potential (being Williams). Not to mention Williams has more of a body of experience than Irving, and the Arizona beat Irving’s blue devils (yeah its a team sport but williams and irving had big roles in that game). I know people knock on Kemba Walker’s height, but the guy resembles Dwayne Wade talent and can close games… Read more »
I really think Kyrie can be very very good. Smart, crafty and not a stiff, he has the upside to be a chris paul type point guard, and you can never underrate the coaching he’s received already from Coach K.
On a different note, I came across this post with some outstanding Sports commercials. Check them out! http://bit.ly/mlXFv1
I don’t know why some people are glad but not thrilled by this. Irving is going to be a really good player at the next level. He’ll be a great floor general and a great guy to build a team around.
NOT EXCITED ABOUT WINNING THE LOTTERY?????
I think part of the reason Irving doesn’t excite is just the comparisons from recent drafts: He’s good, but he’s no Wall (and certainly no Rose). As a Longhorns fan, I’m more sold on the All-Star potential of Williams (or even Knight, to be honest), but you guys have a logjam at the 4. Curious to see what the Cavs do with those picks!