Kyrie Trade Discussion Continued

[phraoh]

Kyrie supposedly hasn't been happy in Cleveland since he was drafted, so I was shocked when he signed his current contract like 5 minutes after it was offered. He has ALWAYS been a very selfish player and out for himself, and didn't care about winning, so I imagine, he resigned so he could make the most money and get the most shots, figuring he could lead the league in scoring or something. People are fools if they think he won't be traded..he is as good as gone, and they will get a decent package...this being in the open or not is immaterial to other GM's.....this leverage stuff is in your dreams...you want a player you try to get him. 2 years is an eternity in the NBA.

[John Murdoch]

From reports it would seem that Cavs are content just keeping Kyrie and watching the feud take place. Not sure if they are just trying to get some leverage back or what. Talk about awkward first day of training camp when Kyrie and Bron reunite for next season.

Yeah not gonna happen. Do u remember how Odom and Pau were after the veto? Theres no way you can recover from a demand like that ..and thats probably the reason he made it so he can force their hand and not try to reconcile

[Dupp]

At the start of the trade period i said i wanted to trade kyrie. Lots of people jumped on me about it... Then he requests a trade month later at a time that sucks for us.

Theres no loyalty in sport. Just to the team. Wish Dan let Griffin trade him.

[BasketballFan7]

At the start of the trade period i said i wanted to trade kyrie. Lots of people jumped on me about it... Then he requests a trade month later at a time that sucks for us.

Theres no loyalty in sport. Just to the team. Wish Dan let Griffin trade him.

How do you feel about Bledsoe? Even as a Kyrie "hater," I'm only lukewarm on it. I feel that management could improve the team this year (and significantly) if they weren't so focused on adding future building blocks. But Bledsoe? I feel that the focus on him is because it 1.) placates LeBron, and 2.) gives the ability to add pieces for a rebuild. It's not that I don't like Bledsoe, I think he + another piece would upgrade the team. And I it's not that I think that the team will decline much with him in place of Kyrie, at least not during the regular season, but I don't know that management's trade desires are entirely sensical.

IMO, the Cavs are going to end up not adding enough to 'compete' now, giving LeBron another excuse to leave, and they also won't add enough to truly affect a potential rebuild in the grand scheme of things. And Bledsoe is a decent fit but not ideal. JMO.

[ProfessorJM]

If Cleveland is patient, they actually might be able to get a better overall team, as good as Kyrie is IMHO.

[Kempistry2]

We'll see what happens, but I'm surprised LBJ isn't taking more heat for this. His constant threat to leave after any given season means that the entire team is in constant turmoil and it has finally come back to bite him in the ass. The constant bitching that his team isn't good enough, which is trashing your teammates, was uncalled for.

The ironic thing is that LBJ would have been much better off if he'd just left Cleveland and gone to a competent team with a good owner/GM and then he wouldn't have had to deal with all this BS. He wanted to be King James though, not an average player like Steph Curry or Tim Duncan. Player, coach, GM and owner if he could. There is a reason why players play, coaches coach and GMs GM and I don't think Lebron has ever understood this. He's gotten horrible advice from someone and it has just fed his ego. What does he have to show for it? Very little except criticism.

He should have left Cleveland the first time and signed with Boston or the Spurs and stayed put. Once he hit 35 or so if his team stunk take a retirement tour to whichever team is good.

In his quest to be The King he's only tarnished himself.

[John Murdoch]

The argument that Kyrie couldnt carry his own team doesnt really hold weight imo since the team wasnt catered around him as they knew Lebron could possibly return. Waiters and Verejao as your sidekicks isnt winning anything even with prime lebron im sry. Lets see how he actually would do if a franchise gets behind him and gives him real players ala Iverson in Philly

[Kempistry2]

If you are a star caliber player who would want to play on a team where the other star constantly belittles your play and treats you like a servant/child? Lebron wouldn't accept that, so why would he expect a guy like Kyrie to?

Lebron has been acting like he is a GM and the alpha player, but anyone who has watched the NBA knows that GMs can't treat their star players like that anymore. They need some coddling. The fault is mostly on Lebron here. In no other situation in the NBA would a star player get treated like crap from his own team.

[robdog_5]

That Bucks trade makes a lot of sense and I don't know why Greek Freak would want out after that. Kyrie, Giannis and Parker would be a great three to build around. Kyrie, Snell, GF and Parker with Henson is a nice group. Get Henson/Monroe with them and Deledova. Depth is an issue but use dried up money as an opportunity to grab some depth on Vet min. That's a team that can make noise in East

Let's get something straight.
Giannis will not be a 2nd banana to anyone.
Kyrie is great and all but if he wants "his" team then bucks clearly don't fit that description.
Giannis is a nice lad, he doesn't speak in public regarding FO moves and decisions but that doesn't mean that he will accept another guy going there and demanding the things kyrie will demand.
Other than that, the bucks are built via length, athleticism and defensive ability.
Brogdon and middleton are essential pieces to this logic.
Kyrie does not have any of the above skills.
As for henson, i suppose you haven't watched the bucks play last season.
The guy is the worse big on the roster, he can't do anything right and he's getting paid 11mil per year.
The team cannot get rid of him without attaching a pick.
Monroe proved his worth.
Yes, the bucks need one more solid PG but the guy who was a perfect fit for them will be playing in LA next season.
Patrick Beverley.

Yes, i want to see the bucks make the next step but it would have been a mistake acquiring a star just for marketablity and nationwide coverage.

I don't follow the Bucks day in and day out so I don't know all details of their roster. I do however, feel like as great as Giannis is he will need some players around him to get some buckets. Maybe not a great fit in sense that Kyrie is going to have ball in his hands a lot vs Giannis instead but sharing the load is way to go now a days.

[Mulhollanddrive]

Which reports say they'll just keep him?

[clyde21]

Kyrie supposedly hasn't been happy in Cleveland since he was drafted, so I was shocked when he signed his current contract like 5 minutes after it was offered. He has ALWAYS been a very selfish player and out for himself, and didn't care about winning, so I imagine, he resigned so he could make the most money and get the most shots, figuring he could lead the league in scoring or something. People are fools if they think he won't be traded..he is as good as gone, and they will get a decent package...this being in the open or not is immaterial to other GM's.....this leverage stuff is in your dreams...you want a player you try to get him. 2 years is an eternity in the NBA.

Part of the reason why he was quick to sign that contract is that he had a lot of injury issues at the time. Same as Steph when he took his deal.

[JonFromVA]

We'll see what happens, but I'm surprised LBJ isn't taking more heat for this. His constant threat to leave after any given season means that the entire team is in constant turmoil and it has finally come back to bite him in the ass.

James has never threatened to leave. There are certainly players who have willingly hitched themselves to James and have little interest in playing for the Cavs if he's not there. That's technically a benefit of having him on the team. No James, no Kevin Love for instance. No Derrick Rose, etc, etc.

The constant bitching that his team isn't good enough, which is trashing your teammates, was uncalled for.

He didn't "bitch constantly" ... he made a factual observation that the team needed help ... one that echoed the front office's plans. He didn't trash anyone and if Kyrie couldn't see that much of the team's struggles were due to his inability to run the second unit effectively, that's on him.

[Mulhollanddrive]

What % would you give of Irving being traded to Phoenix?

[JonFromVA]

At the start of the trade period i said i wanted to trade kyrie. Lots of people jumped on me about it... Then he requests a trade month later at a time that sucks for us.

Theres no loyalty in sport. Just to the team. Wish Dan let Griffin trade him.

How do you feel about Bledsoe? Even as a Kyrie "hater," I'm only lukewarm on it. I feel that management could improve the team this year (and significantly) if they weren't so focused on adding future building blocks. But Bledsoe? I feel that the focus on him is because it 1.) placates LeBron, and 2.) gives the ability to add pieces for a rebuild. It's not that I don't like Bledsoe, I think he + another piece would upgrade the team. And I it's not that I think that the team will decline much with him in place of Kyrie, at least not during the regular season, but I don't know that management's trade desires are entirely sensical.

IMO, the Cavs are going to end up not adding enough to 'compete' now, giving LeBron another excuse to leave, and they also won't add enough to truly affect a potential rebuild in the grand scheme of things. And Bledsoe is a decent fit but not ideal. JMO.

When Kyrie was recovering from knee surgery, the Cavs won a bunch of games with Matthew Dellevedova as their "point guard". Pretty much anyone who can shoot, defend, initiate the offense, and stay healthy is going to do pretty well. Bledsoe should be great (if he can stay healthy), but the Cavs could get by with less if the trade doesn't bring back a PG due to James and Rose.

Competing now isn't much of a problem compared to getting past the Warriors, and that's where shaking things up isn't necessarily a bad idea. The key is to get a young player as part of the deal. That way the Cavs would still have options/moves they could make.

[JonFromVA]

What % would you give of Irving being traded to Phoenix?

That's up to Phoenix and how much risk they're willing to take on without a commitment from Irving. In a few days, Jackson will be eligible to be traded, and we shall see.

[og15]

Kyrie supposedly hasn't been happy in Cleveland since he was drafted, so I was shocked when he signed his current contract like 5 minutes after it was offered. He has ALWAYS been a very selfish player and out for himself, and didn't care about winning, so I imagine, he resigned so he could make the most money and get the most shots, figuring he could lead the league in scoring or something. People are fools if they think he won't be traded..he is as good as gone, and they will get a decent package...this being in the open or not is immaterial to other GM's.....this leverage stuff is in your dreams...you want a player you try to get him. 2 years is an eternity in the NBA.

I don't know if the contract was shocking. He was going to be a RFA who was going to get the max first non rookie contract offer, so where would he go? They also just drafted Wiggins, so that was likely promising for him. Maybe he was planning to sign then see how it goes in the next year or two and if it isn't working try to get traded. LeBron came though ,and so did winning, a lot of winning, so that can pacify a person, at least for some time.

[nbafan38]

I think Cleveland should hold onto him until they get exactly what they want. There is no need to rush. he's not going to sabotage on the court because that won't look good for him.

[infinite11285]

If you are a star caliber player who would want to play on a team where the other star constantly belittles your play and treats you like a servant/child? Lebron wouldn't accept that, so why would he expect a guy like Kyrie to?

How dare LeBron hold Kyrie back!

Where are you getting the notion Kyrie was "constantly belittled" by LeBron, or anyone for that matter? Kyrie's been wanting to leave Cleveland for years now and those first reports began to surface long before LeBron came back. Now, it's "LeBron's fault" he wants to leave? Nonsense...

Fact of the matter is Kyrie's seen the most success in his entire career alongside LeBron. The fact that he can't humble himself a bit, learn what it takes to truly lead a team from an all-time great until it's his time while enjoying the chance to compete for championships is indicative of a problem on Kyrie's end, not LeBron. Afterall, what team is Kyrie going to where he expects to compete? If it's anywhere out West; good luck dealing with Golden State. If it's anywhere out East; good luck dealing with LeBron or the Celtics. Kyrie isn't the caliber of player to lead a team to a championship on his own merits. But if he wants to waste the best years of his career playing for a low to mid-tier team "being the man" to get bounced out the 1st and 2nd rounds year after year then he's truly a delusional, selfish idiot. If he wanted out that badly then he should've never signed the extension.

[Birdie]

At the start of the trade period i said i wanted to trade kyrie. Lots of people jumped on me about it... Then he requests a trade month later at a time that sucks for us.

Theres no loyalty in sport. Just to the team. Wish Dan let Griffin trade him.

How do you feel about Bledsoe? Even as a Kyrie "hater," I'm only lukewarm on it. I feel that management could improve the team this year (and significantly) if they weren't so focused on adding future building blocks. But Bledsoe? I feel that the focus on him is because it 1.) placates LeBron, and 2.) gives the ability to add pieces for a rebuild. It's not that I don't like Bledsoe, I think he + another piece would upgrade the team. And I it's not that I think that the team will decline much with him in place of Kyrie, at least not during the regular season, but I don't know that management's trade desires are entirely sensical.

IMO, the Cavs are going to end up not adding enough to 'compete' now, giving LeBron another excuse to leave, and they also won't add enough to truly affect a potential rebuild in the grand scheme of things. And Bledsoe is a decent fit but not ideal. JMO.

But who else can they target as a replacement level not crap, still on decent contract vet PG to replace Kyrie? That's the issue. I, too, aren't thrilled about Bledsoe "only" but would be better placated if it came with Wilson Chandler or Khris Middleton or Avery Bradley or Patrick Beverley where we improved other areas of our team. But I agree, Bledsoe + Jackson + pick, personally, I don't think that gets us any closer to GSW for 2018 season. So then, what are we playing for? We might as well write LBJ's ticket out of town if that's how they're approaching it.

Problem CLE has, doing this half compete/half prepping for LBJ's departure will ultimately lead us to 1) we come up short cuz we didn't have the right players 2) we settle for a crap return on Kyrie and 3) LBJ just leaves anyways...

[dorkestra]

Is this really that different than when Joe Johnson wanted to leave the legendary Suns team to have his own team in Atlanta?
http://www.espn.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=stein_marc&id=2120105