Kyrie Irving hits game-winner against Boston; puts up 23/4/6 on 10-14 shooting

[FireDavidKahn]

True or false. If the Timberwolves had the first pick in the 2011 draft they would've picked Irving? Yet another point guard...

No comment.


Honestly, at that time I probably would have traded Rubio and taken Irving. David Kahn wouldn't have traded the pick though. He was in bed with Rubio from day 1 and there isn't anything that could be offered that would of made Kahn trade him.

But now that we have seen them both play in the NBA, I doubt Cavs fans would trade Irving for Rubio and Wolves fans wouldn't trade Rubio for Irving. They both affect the game in polar opposite ways and are playing far beyond what rookies should be.

[RedBlackAttack]

That's pretty damn sexy go-to move he's developing. Love how he just gets to the basket so smoothly.

I'd be pretty upset if we didn't have Chris Paul. Both of our Franchise are pretty happy with the Baron Davis trade now, I'd say.

I hate to mention that you could have just amnestied Baron with the way things worked out and gotten Kyrie, as well... But, you could have just amnestied Baron and gotten Paul without losing out on this kid.

But, yeah... I don't think either franchise is singing the blues.

Dan Gilbert might be disliked by some fans for a myriad of reasons, but the guy basically bought Kyrie Irving for $20 million when you look at the whole thing in retrospect. Very few GMs are willing to take on that kind of salary for a chance at striking gold. He did it and things couldn't have worked out any better. It is hard not to love having an owner willing to take that kind of risk.

We get another middle of the lottery pick in this coming deep draft and the rebuild might be over. That is crazy when you think about the way people were talking when 6 left. People saying it would take the franchise a decade to recover.

Right now, we have a wealth of young talent led by the best 19-year-old I've seen in a while.

People may soon have to admit that our franchise is better than it is given credit for.

[RedBlackAttack]

This makes me want to go get a Irving jersey now.

I've been waiting for his official one to hit the team shop... Hasn't happened yet.

[Fiasco]

I hate to mention that you could have just amnestied Baron with the way things worked out and gotten Kyrie, as well... But, you could have just amnestied Baron and gotten Paul without losing out on this kid.

I think everything happens the way it's supposed to. If we keep Baron (without knowing whether or not an amnesty would be available at the end of the CBA negotiations), our record probably changes because of his erratic play. You saw him win a game for you in Cleveland. He did the same for us here that year, too. And what are the chances the Clippers' pick goes from 9th to 1st again? The fact that it happened is still considered a miracle. We also got Mo Williams, and I know everyone rags on him here but he's been great off the bench... hell, I think he is our bench most of the time.

If we do amnesty Davis, Sterling is still on the hook for his salary and I doubt Olshey gets him to bite on Chris Paul and his contract. We also keep Eric Gordon, who has made is ever apparent that he cannot be relied on to stay healthy and our team looks something like "Irving-Foye-Gomes-Griffin-Kaman" instead of what it is now. Aminu probably busts out, Kaman doesn't get enough playing time and we're back to the old age Clippers that keep waiting on their youth to save them from themselves.

Kyrie's a good guy and a good player, but he's not Chris Paul. Maybe one day he'll get there, but LA doesn't have time to see just how good its youth can be when one of the best point guards in the game wants to come play here and lead us to a title now.

There are too many things that could have happened for me to say anything other than everything happened the way it did necessarily.

[Ronin]

Could he push for a spot in the All Star game?

Derrick Rose is in but who else? Rondo's hurt? Deron Williams is having an okay year.

[Jakeh008]

True, there has been quite a few who could've used couple more years in college (Marvin Williams comes to mind). I don't think Irving is one of them however. This thread is asking to be bumped few years later when Irving meets the expectations.

N*gga, I'm a prophet with this sh*t. Go ask about me. I'm never wrong.

[Meticode]

Could he push for a spot in the All Star game?

Derrick Rose is in but who else? Rondo's hurt? Deron Williams is having an okay year.

Possibly, I think he'll come up short though. Hell, even LeBron missed the all-star game his first year even though he averaged 21/5/5 for the year for a rookie. My guess is Rondo or Williams will get voted in easily though.

[LilEddyCurry]

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=216885

[Kiddlovesnets]

Well his inability to run the point is rather disappointing so far, poor man's Tony Parker at best.

[Meticode]

Well his inability to run the point is rather disappointing so far, poor man's Tony Parker at best.

Are you serious with this comment?

[RedBlackAttack]

I think everything happens the way it's supposed to. If we keep Baron (without knowing whether or not an amnesty would be available at the end of the CBA negotiations), our record probably changes because of his erratic play. You saw him win a game for you in Cleveland. He did the same for us here that year, too. And what are the chances the Clippers' pick goes from 9th to 1st again? The fact that it happened is still considered a miracle. We also got Mo Williams, and I know everyone rags on him here but he's been great off the bench... hell, I think he is our bench most of the time.

If we do amnesty Davis, Sterling is still on the hook for his salary and I doubt Olshey gets him to bite on Chris Paul and his contract. We also keep Eric Gordon, who has made is ever apparent that he cannot be relied on to stay healthy and our team looks something like "Irving-Foye-Gomes-Griffin-Kaman" instead of what it is now. Aminu probably busts out, Kaman doesn't get enough playing time and we're back to the old age Clippers that keep waiting on their youth to save them from themselves.

Kyrie's a good guy and a good player, but he's not Chris Paul. Maybe one day he'll get there, but LA doesn't have time to see just how good its youth can be when one of the best point guards in the game wants to come play here and lead us to a title now.

There are too many things that could have happened for me to say anything other than everything happened the way it did necessarily.

Excellent points, especially the idea of Baron staying all year possibly having a big impact on your final record (and then your chances of getting that No. 1 pick).

Also, I agree about Mo. Mainly the people who rag on Mo are James fans who do everything in their power to diminish anyone that may have offered him any help during his time in a Cavs uniform. However, he is still very well liked and respected in Cleveland for both his play over the previous two regular seasons and the majority of the playoff series that he was in and the fact that he was a stand-up guy who really seemed to enjoy his time with the Cavs.

Have absolutely nothing but love for Mo and I really wish he could have been the answer at point for the Clippers. I'm glad to hear that he is still having a real impact.

There was this weird moment before and shortly following the draft where your fans were slightly bitter and angry that we ended up with that top pick and several notable ones on this site went out of their way to disparage our franchise and, in particular, Kyrie Irving. All of that seems to be over now that you guys secured CP3 and are now a prime landing spot for big-time FAs.

Both franchises are in a good place and there is no reason why we can't root for one another. I like this Clips' team.


The only thing that I would cite as a response would be this...

Kyrie Irving is 19. Chris Paul is 26. Blake Griffin is 22.

In four years, Paul is probably going to have to start changing his game to accommodate for slightly diminished athleticism/reflexes like all players who entered the league at 18-19 do when they hit the big 3-0. The same thing will happen to Kyrie, I'm sure.

However, that gives you probably four years to build around CP3 and Griffin while both are still in their absolute primes... Actually, Griffin will just be hitting his prime, probably, around 25-26.

On the flip side, if you had Irving and Griffin, their athletic primes would be coinciding much more closely and you would have a lot more years of both being on the roster playing at the absolute peaks of their careers.

Also, if you did get Kyrie (which was a stretch if you kept Baron, but just theoretically), maybe instead of focusing all of your energy this past offseason on getting Chris Paul, you go after Dwight Howard with the same gusto. It is hard to imagine Orlando passing up on the deal that New Orleans received.

So, think about a team of Irving-Griffin-Howard to build around for the next decade.


Don't get me wrong... You guys did what you had to do and, as a result, you have a great point guard in his prime and one of the best young players in the league... Not to mention quality young guys like Bledsoe, Jordan and Foye; and quality veterans like Billups, Butler and Mo.

That is a damn fine looking team.


On our side, I feel like we are in absolutely great shape. We have the best teenager in the league and one of the very best 19-year-old rookies I have ever seen. Along with him, we also have a big man that was drafted No. 4 and has shown that he is well ahead of where almost everyone thought he was when he was drafted in Tristan Thompson. He has the upside and work ethic to be special.

Along with those two, we have a lot of other quality young guys that maybe a lot of people haven't heard of, but they will and it probably wont be long... like Alonzo Gee, Samardo Samuels, Omri Casspi and Semih Erden.

Then, we have a guy who is really having a great season in Anderson Varejao. He leads the league in offensive rebounds, is 5th in overall rebounds and is deadly on the pick-and-roll (as the Celtics learned tonight). Although he is 29, he has only been in the league for seven years. With the style of his game and the way he plays along with little mileage on his legs, he could have the kind of impact he is having this year into his middle 30s.

And, with the way he is playing right now, we could get something very nice in return if the organization should decide to go in a younger direction... But, he looks so good, I'd hate to see it happen unless it is for something like another potential lottery pick.

Then, we have completely expendable veterans that are having very nice seasons like Jamison and Anthony Parker... Guys that will be sought after at the trade deadline by teams in title contention looking for that little extra something to get them over the top. Nice assets to have.

With all of that and probably another lottery pick in one of the deepest drafts of my lifetime, things are looking just great for us, too.


Anyway, cheers to two franchises and fans that deserve it.

[RedBlackAttack]

Well his inability to run the point is rather disappointing so far, poor man's Tony Parker at best.

#trollfail

[Miserio]

Well his inability to run the point is rather disappointing so far, poor man's Tony Parker at best.

Well, Tony Parker is one of the best pg-slashers i can remember... Being a poor mans Tony while being 19 years old and played less than 15 games in college is quite an accomplishment.

[RedBlackAttack]

http://www.insidehoops.com/forum/sho...d.php?t=216885

Funniest thing is, he isn't the only one with egg on his face from that thread...

Other interesting quotes:

This could be the WORST draft in NBA history.

It isn't just Kyrie who is excelling very early in his career. He is clearly the highest profile and has been the best thus far, but guys like MarShon Brooks, Markieff Morris, Iman Shumpert, Kawhi Leonard, Brandon Knight, Norris Cole, Kemba Walker, Derrick Williams and even a guy like Jon Leuer have all shown that they can be nice contributors very early in their careers.

This draft is starting to look very far from the worst in NBA history, let alone the WORST (all caps for emphasis).

It'll be hard to beat 2000. But players like Kyrie and Derrick Williams are being overrated because of the lack of star players. Last years draft was the race for Wall, the year before that was for Griffin.

Pre injury Kyrie Irving really impresesd me. If you guys are just basing his talents on what you saw during the NCAA tourney then you guys are misjudged but I will still admit he his being overated.

Brandon Knight brothers. Brandon Knight.

you were wrong about both derrick rose and kevin durant...

after seeing your op, i'm concluding kyrie irving is a good bet

^^^Good call.

Irving is far from a monster, in fact I think Brandon Knight freashman from Kentucky is a better prospect. Knight is quicker and and is a better ball handler, also he's taller.

Irving plays like a 14 year NBA veteran with bad knees.

Worst. Scout. Ever.

[bdreason]

I think he's playing amazing ball. Efficient ball with a poor supporting cast at the PG position? Yes, please.