Kyrie Irving Drama

Kyrie Irving wants out of Cleveland. I don't get it.

There it no better place to win. LeBron is unselfish with the ball. The Cavs without LeBron were a lottery team. Kyrie isn't a good enough player to carry a team himself. Something is wrong in Cleveland.

Maybe it's Dan Gilbert. Maybe it's because there is no General Manager. Maybe it's LeBron. Maybe Kyrie feels like they can't beat the Warriors. Maybe Kyrie is incredibly selfish. We don't know what's going on behind the scenes.

Nothing Kyrie has said, or reportedly said, makes any sense. Kyrie wants out of Cleveland to go to the Knicks (probably the worst run franchise in the league with no chance of winning), the Spurs (admirable but Kyrie would be second fiddle to Kawhi Leonard), the Timerwolves (Kyrie would be second fiddle to Karl-Towns, Jimmy Butler and Andrew Wiggins) and Miami. Miami seems to be the only destination that makes sense but why?

Sure Kyrie could be the guy in Miami. Coach Eric Spoelstra is fantastic. The Miami lifestyle is appealing to some guys. Living in Florida he wouldn't have to be massive income tax on his massive salary which will only grow. But leave possible championship contention to what? Make the playoffs as the 7th seed and get inevitably stomped by LeBron?

What do we not know? Has LeBron made it clear he's leaving for Los Angeles? So Kyrie is jumping ship ahead of time? Is LeBron different behind the scenes, as opposed to on the court?

LeBron defended Kyrie as little as 2 weeks ago, when the Cavs were reportedly shopping Irving. But were they shopping Irving or did Kyrie quietly let them know he wanted to get traded. And then, 1 week ago Kyrie wants out and Brian Windhorst reported LeBron was "blindsided". I don't think it's possible LeBron could have been blindsided, I really don't. LeBron is too smart, he has too much internal power, and with Tristan Thompson, J.R. Smith, and Rich Paul all working for Klutch Sports, and being everywhere in Cleveland, I don't think Kyrie could keep it secret.

So again, why does Kyrie want out? Reports indicate he's jealous of John Wall and Damian Lillard, guys who are the centerpiece(s) of their respective teams. But they have no chance to win the championship. Kyrie has his own shoe, is one of the most beloved players in the NBA, and has a championship ring. Details are trickling out about Kyrie's unhappiness. Frankly some of it is petty. Irving being jealous of Wall and Lillard. Irving has been to 3 straight finals'. Irving has a bigger shoe deal than both of those guys. Windhorst reported none of Irving's close friends were allowed to fly on the plane (while LeBron's friends were allowed). Are these issues worthy of ditching a contender, I don't know.

Maybe Kyrie feels unencumbered to move around, especially since he has a ring. Maybe now fired General Manager David Griffin wanted to trade Kyrie away while attempting to trade for Jimmy Butler or Paul George. Or maybe he wasn't included in those talks. Or maybe once Griffin was fired, Dan Gilbert, or whomever the fuck is running Cleveland started including Irving in potential trade talks. This is a bad look for Cleveland, and for LeBron James.

There's no reason LeBron had to say he was "blindsided" or "hurt" about Irving leaving. LeBron more than anyone knows this is a business. You know how many fans were blindsided and hurt when LeBron initially left for Miami? Is LeBron trying to make himself look like the victim? What's LeBron's role in this? LeBron is the second best player of all time. LeBron deserves to be able to call the shots on his own team. Is he taking it too far?

It looks bad for LeBron because it seems like Kyrie doesn't want to play with him. Which makes no sense. LeBron shares the ball. He screens for Kyrie. They run a nice pick and roll. Cleveland sucked without LeBron and with Kyrie. Maybe Kyrie doesn't care about winning and only cares about stats/personal achievements? I don't know. Cleveland is a mess.

They're a messy mess. Kyrie trade rumors. firing David Griffin, who reportedly had a deal in place to get Jimmy Butler (Imagine a lineup with Butler, LeBron, Thompson, that's a scary defensive lineup). Firing Griffin, lowballing Chauncey Billups, rolling along with no General Manager and now this?

If LeBron leaves next near, I don't blame him. Dan Gilbert is gonna Dan Gilbert. I suppose he did his part in shelling out the money to resign Korver, but Gilbert will always be a problem. Ultimately LeBron can point the finger at Gilbert and say, "hey I left to avoid that guy". No wonder LeBron signed shorter deals with player options while signing in Cleveland. Also, without Irving, do the Cavs have any chance against the Warriors? Negative. They lost in 5 with Irving. Unless the Cavs can get some decent players in return for Irving. Cleveland is going to be in trouble with Golden State on the horizon.