Irving’s request puts Cavs in tough spot
Even if Cleveland doesn’t trade star, team chemistry may never be the same
The Cavaliers do not have to trade Kyrie Irving.
They do not have to capitulate to the wishes of a 25-year-old point guard who cannot become a free agent for two more years.
But repairing the damage done inside the locker room by Irving’s request that leaked out Friday would be no easy feat. The Cavs’ “All for One” and “All In” mottos were torched in an instant. The report by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst that Irving wants to be dealt to a team on which he can be a focal point and not LeBron James’s wingman carries with it the presumption that personal stardom is more important to him than winning.
If that’s the case, I don’t want someone that selfish on my team.
If that’s the case, I can’t see James and Kevin Love and J.R. Smith and Tristan Thompson convincing him otherwise. It seemed a throwback to Irving’s younger days, when the Cavs’ first overall pick in 2011seemed more focused on developing his brand as he slogged through three seasons with a 78-152 record.
Do the Cavs want to play with someone who hurt their chances of trading him for a high-profile player by not informing the team of his wishes before the June 22 draft? Although former Cavs general manager David Griffin parted ways with owner Dan Gilbert on June19, Griffin continued to assist the team until his contract expired on June 30. Had Irving voiced his feelings before the draft, the Cavs might have landed the Indiana Pacers’ Paul George, or more likely the Los Angeles Clippers’ Chris Paul, James’s close friend.
If Irving would rather make more money from shoes and endorsements and television commercials, would get more satisfaction from those than chasing another championship ring, then I’m ready to let the best isolation player in the league go if the deal is right.
But I’m not giving him away for Carmelo Anthony, 33, without a young player and/or draft pick along with him. The Chicago Bulls got the seventh overall pick and young players Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine (although LaVine is coming off a torn ACL) for Jimmy Butler. Irving should be worth that much despite his defensive liabilities. Koby Altman’s phone should be ringing off the hook and one of the callers could be the Suns, who have a defensive-first point guard in Eric Bledsoe and fourth overall pick Josh Jackson of Kansas. On Thursday, the Suns hired the Cavs’ James Jones as vice-president of basketball operations; Jones would provide Irving an immediate confidante.
I realize it’s not easy being Robin to James’s Batman. During LeBron 1.0, the Cavs never found anyone capable of handling the role. But the fact that the Cavs are 4-23 in the past three seasons without James doesn’t give much credence to Irving’s belief that he’s ready to carry a team. The fact that he reportedly mentioned the Minnesota Timberwolves, who traded for Butler on draft night, and the San Antonio Spurs, led by Kawhi Leonard, among four possible trade destinations is confounding as well.
Perhaps Irving is making a preemptive strike, figuring the Cavs will go into full-blown rebuilding mode if James departs in free agency after next season.
That would leave Irving as the focal point, but he might be playing amid the rubble. Gilbert could decide it is no longer worth paying massive luxury tax bills and trade away the team’s core for draft picks and young players. Irving and Love would have one year left on their contracts, so they would be the next to go after James. As hard as it is to comprehend that the Cavs are one year away from a teardown, it doesn’t make good business sense to let Irving and Love leave without compensation.
Perhaps Irving has silently harboured resentment that he decided he could no longer bear. He agreed to a five-year, $94 million contract extension on July 1, 2014, thinking the Cavs were finally his team. Ten days later, James announced he was coming home.
Analysts were quick to point out Friday that this could turn out like it did for Irving’s idol Kobe Bryant, who asked the Los Angeles Lakers to trade him to the Bulls in 2007. Bryant did not get his wish, and won his fourth and fifth NBA championships after that.
But this situation might not be wrapped up in a wine and gold bow. I’m not sure that Irving and James can repair their relationship after Irving’s request left James “blindsided and disappointed,” according to Windhorst. Focused on another title, James might be able to coexist. But Irving’s longing to be a team’s star doesn’t seem conducive to championship chemistry.