Gilbert is worth $6 billion and is balking at paying a GM a couple more million. Fuck him. Who could've thought that someone that got rich off of predatory mortgages would be such a dickhead?!
After winning Cleveland a championship, I won't even be mad at him for leaving this time. Spoiler I'm lying to myself. I'll be furious.
Oh, I totally won't be mad if Lebron leaves. He got us a Championship and Gilbert fucked this whole thing up by letting Griff walk.
What is Altman doing so far that Griff isn't though? I am happy Billips didn't get hired. I hate the president figure head position then a GM. A GM opening with this team currently is just talk radio fodder IMO.
If LeBron dips you sell everyone, Kyrie included. He's not going to carry a team and he's next out the door in FA. He doesn't want to spend his prime scratching to make the playoffs as an 8 seed every season.
I'll also echo that I wouldn't hold it against LeBron if he left again, and The Decision gutted me for a while.
As the resident Kyrie is the best player in the league president, I would like to tell you that your are wrong.
No you. I too like you was gutted when Lebron left. I like that the best player in the game plays for my favorite team but I am Kyrie all day every day.
Look I like Kyrie, he's just not going to carry a team. He's a liability on defense and his best skill is as a one-on-one scorer not a distributor. We see what this team is without LeBron every time he rests. Unless you can get a boatload of young talent for Love (you can't), you sell Kyrie and anything else for young talent and picks.
All of that's fair. His biggest problem is that he is constantly considered a point (which by size he is) but he isn't. He is a shooting guard. Which makes him and Lebron a good pairing since Lebron is a point. I think the team "falls apart" when Lebron is out due to roster construction. If they had a true back up point and Kyrie never played it they would be so much better off But again I am a Kyrie shameless homer
More realistically, I don't think anyone in the East did enough to catch up with us and it feels like other than Boston getting a bit stronger, almost all threats in the east are cleared right now. I just have a tough time picturing a guy who has been to 7 (8 next year potentially) straight finals would leave a 3 (or 4) consecutive conference champion to go to the Lakers and - even if he gets Paul George or Carmelo - be neck and neck with 3 other legitimate buzzsaws (GSW, HOU, SA). Just hard for me to picture him leaving Cleveland again to joining a team that would be expected to lose in the conference semis. He also seems like a guy who would seem to care about being like a "10 time consecutive conference champion" or something. I think he signs another 2-year deal after next year and then takes a hard look at leaving when he's ~33-34 and Boston, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, etc. have seemed to catch up to him. This is assuming he doesn't hate Gilbert more than he loves Cleveland, which could be true.
I think LBJ hates Gilbert and Gilbert has always struggled with the notion that James runs the franchise. Anyway ... if Cleveland can land Crawford as a scorer off the bench and land Carmelo when he is bought out then they will have my attention going into next season. Kyrie, Love, LBJ and Carmelo on the same team intrigues me.
Does anyone listen to Road Trippin? I just started and listened to the last few and they're more candid than I expected and I love it
this is shaping up to be the offseason of blueballs. though to be fair I really don't know what we could realistically do to catch up with GSW, short of someone spoonfeeding a fourth star to us.
Probably a link to this....Billups knew Kyrie wanted out.... http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...ey-billups-says-knew-kyrie-irving-was-unhappy
The current NBA offseason certainly has not gone how LeBron James hoped it would. Instead of gaining another star to help win another NBA title, it looks like the Cleveland Cavaliers are on the verge of losing Kyrie Irving after his shocking trade demand surfaced last week. While the rumors involving James leaving Cleveland after the upcoming season have continued to fester, James’ resolve to bring more rings to The Land have reportedly remained strong. According to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net, sources close to the situation have stated that James remains committed to winning in Cleveland: “Sources confirmed all of this to Amico Hoops, adding that James has no plans to waver in his commitment to the franchise, and is hopeful it works out that he’s in Cleveland for the rest of his career.” Amico added that no decision has been been made on James’ upcoming 2018 free agency, but it appears that his ultimate decision will be based on how the upcoming season plays out. ESPN‘s Chris Haynes recently concluded an article regarding James’ future with a similar sentiment: “His primary focus is next season, an entire season with the Cavs in pursuit of another championship,” he wrote. If anything, this revelation should be added motivation for newly minted general manager Koby Altman to get the most talent as possible out of Irving’s trade request. If James sees a future of success in Cleveland, it seems he’d be more than happy to finish out his career in a city he calls home.
Wouldn't Eric Bledsoe, Josh Jackson, and a 2018 first be good return for Irving? Bledsoe would be like an 80 cent on the dollar replacement for Irving, Jackson is a very high upside potential stud (and reason for LBJ to stick around... and under full rookie contract...) and that pick would be guaranteed lottery next year. I'd be happy with that. http://cavaliers.247sports.com/Bolt...e-and-Josh-Jackson-for-Kyrie-Irving-105444944
"I knew so much about the situation that the rest of the world doesn't know. But it's unfortunate, man, because [Irving is] a special talent. So much of what he's been able to accomplish on and off the floor has been as the beneficiary of LeBron James. That would be alarming to me if I was a team looking to get him." Billups, an NBA analyst for ESPN, said he's surprised Irving would want a trade away from James. "You're getting everything you want," Billups said. "You're getting all the shots you want, you're playing for a great coach, when the game is on the line they're coming to you, you're playing on national TV every week. To me, I don't get it. Everybody has their own desires. Maybe he wants to be Russell Westbrook and go try to win the MVP and get all the shots. That's the only thing sense I can make of it, and to me that doesn't make sense." Tell em Chauncey
I don't know off the top of my head either, but I think that would be a big selling point for him. Love and Bledsoe are still relatively in their prime, and adding Jackson and another top 10 rookie in 2018 that could develop for the next few years has to be really attractive to him. He's never been able to mold a young guy the way he wanted him to. I think that trade would probably make us less likely to overthrow GSW next year, but make us more sustainable in the long term.
jackson and a pick is a good enough package to potentially flip for another star at some point too, if that was the direction you wanted to go. if that deal is on the table, i don't see how you don't jump on it
I'd take that trade in a heartbeat. With that said, I don't know if I believe the Suns would give up Bledsoe, Jackson, AND a protected lottery pick for Kyrie.
Phoenix has both their pick and Miami's next year. Start negotiations asking for Bledsoe, Jackson, and their pick and if they don't bite, settle for the Miami pick. Which would probably be a 11-17 type pick, but still a good asset. Phoenix needs to do something to jumpstart that franchise.
I just can't see Lebron waiting on josh Jackson when he wanted nothing to do with Wiggins. Any Kyrie trade in my mind would have to include a 3rd team where cavs got Bledsoe and another piece that helps them now.
That would be absolutely all necessary (at minimum) or I'd move on. As Windhorst said....the market will be red hot for Irving.