The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Looking at twists, turns of Irving trade saga
Jeff Schudel tries to make sense of the Kyrie Irving-Cavaliers trade situation (good luck with that, Jeff). Plus, thoughts on the Indians at the MLB trade deadline and Browns camp attendance.
Unnamed sources have multiplied like rabbits reproduce ever since the story of Kyrie Irving asking to be traded broke on July 21. About the only person who hasn’t been quoted is the Cavaliers All-Star guard himself.
My initial reaction was Irving will still be with the Cavaliers when training camp opens in late September. But the more he said-he said stories that surface, the more unlikely that seems.
The burning question is how deep does the animosity between Irving and LeBron James run? And if it is as bad as the insiders say, how did they coexist well enough to bring an NBA championship to Cleveland last year and get to the Finals again in 2017 — three straight years in all?
“There’s an incredible amount of animus that has built up between LeBron and Kyrie,” Brian Windhorst of ESPN was quoted saying at the website Cavaliersnation.com
Stephen A. Smith of ESPN, who seems to have an ax to grind with James, wrote a commentary for The Undefeated with the headline “Kyrie Irving got tired of being ‘son’ to LeBron.”
Irving signed a five-year, $90 million contract 10 days before James rejoined the Cavaliers in 2014 after four seasons in Miami. Smith wrote Irving didn’t know James would be returning to the Cavaliers and that “he didn’t particularly care for James’ return to Cleveland.”
Irving is an intelligent man. Wouldn’t you suppose that before signing the big contract, he should have said to himself: “Hmmm, LeBron is a free agent. I wonder if he might want to come back here?”
Things have disintegrated so badly the Cavaliers can’t even get Irving to return their phone calls, according to Jason Lloyd of The Athletic.
Somebody is going to be right about which team Irving is traded to because predictions have him going to almost half the teams in the NBA.
According to Windhorst, the Phoenix Suns are willing to offer Eric Bledsoe, Josh Jackson and a draft pick, though Windhorst says the Suns might be hesitant to part with Jackson.
Ramona Shelburne of ESPN is predicting the Cavs will ship Irving to Miami, but she doesn’t say whom the Heat would send to the Cavaliers.
Irving, if you want to believe the anonymous sources, wants to play for the Knicks more than any of the other three teams he listed — San Antonio, Miami and Minnesota — as his preferred destinations.
Yet another ESPN reporter, Pablo Torre, is quoted in the New York Post saying, “I got a phone call, and the voice on the other end of that phone call is a trustworthy person,” Torre said. “And he was saying to me that Kyrie Irving very badly wants to be a New York Knick. Kyrie Irving wants to come home.”
Irving went to high school 20 miles from Madison Square Garden.
Where Irving wants to play doesn’t matter because the Cavaliers can trade him to any team. He has no say.
No one looks good in this fiasco, however it ends. If the Cavaliers get multiple players for Irving, it is logical to assume the bench will be stronger, but the starting lineup would be weaker, even with the addition of Derrick Rose.
Quiet at deadline
Don’t expect the Indians to do anything dramatic at the July 31 trading deadline like they did last year when they boldly traded four prospects to the Yankees for relief ace Andrew Miller.
According to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, the Tribe is seeking a lefthanded reliever to replace Boone Logan, who might miss the rest of the season with a strained left lat muscle. The asking price for such a specialist to pitch to one or two batters before turning to Miller, Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen in the late innings wouldn’t be nearly as high as what the Indians gave up for Miller.
“In the sixth or seventh, we went and got the lefty, and it was a good lefty,” Manager Terry Francona told reporters in Chicago on July 28. “When you have two and they’re reliable, when you lose that one (it’s tough). Fortunately, we have other guys that have done really well. But, it would be nice to have that second lefty, if possible. I don’t think you ever just want to have the second lefty to say you have it. I think it can almost cause more trouble than help.”
ESPN reported the Indians are interested in reliever Justin Wilson of the Tigers. Wilson has pitched 39 1/3 innings over 41 appearances with a 2.75 ERA. He has 55 strikeouts and issued 16 walks.
The Indians might also pursue Padres’ lefty Brad Hand, Bastian reported. Hand has a 2.04 ERA with 69 strikeouts and 14 walks over 53 innings in 48 games.
Boone went on the disabled list on July 20. He has pitched 21 innings in 38 games and has a 4.71 ERA. He has 28 strikeouts compared to nine walks.
Fan friendly Browns
The Browns are doing everything they can to accommodate fans visiting training camp. The grandstand seating 1,200 makes it much easier to watch practice than in the past.
Still, attendance the first two days seemed lower than in the past. Normally the Browns announce attendance. They did not after the first two days.
In keeping with the Dawg Pound theme, the Browns, in conjunction with the Northeast Ohio SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) have set up a puppy adoption service at training camp. A total of 18 puppies were adopted over the first two days of camp. A total of 138 puppies have been adopted since the program began in 2015.
I didn’t know that
… Until I read my Snapple bottle cap.
Maine produces more toothpicks than any other state in the United States. ... The Earth rotates at 1,040 mph . ... . The average cat can jump five times as high as its tail is long . ... Every tweet Americans send is archived by the Library of Congress. ... Snails can sleep for up to three years . ... A lemon contains more sugar than a strawberry.