Eyes On NBA: Where Does Kyrie Irving Fit?

By @TrueGodImmortal

Imagine you've been watching the free agency and post Draft fallout and all of a sudden, you hear Kyrie Irving wants to be traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers. Imagine you've seen Jimmy Butler traded to Minnesota for virtually nothing, you saw Paul George traded to the Thunder for basically scraps, and Gordon Hayward leave Utah in the dust for a shot at greatness in Boston. Now, with Kyrie asking for a trade out of Cleveland, what makes the most sense for him and his future? Let's take a look at the teams he requested and where he fit the best.

*San Antonio Spurs

-Please don't use Kyrie in Duke under Coach K as an example of Kyrie working well in a system. This was back when he was young and hadn't developed his game to the best of his ability. He's still not quite in his prime, but his scoring and his ability with handles are top notch. However, I think this is a bad fit for him. Coach Pop has a system in place and promotes defensive awareness and Kyrie doesn't feel like the right player for that. Also, another element is that Kyrie is already tired of being in the shadow of LeBron and being under another top 5 player in Kawhi isn't the smartest move. Plus, what assets do the Spurs have to give up that would make sense? Lamarcus Aldridge and Danny Green isn't enough value to really make the trade make sense. It doesn't make sense for the Cavs to make this trade and Kyrie doesn't fit enough in that system IMO.

*Minnesota Timberwolves 

-Now, on paper, this makes sense, but in reality, it doesn't. Kyrie being traded there would require the Timberwolves to give up at LEAST one of three players. You either have to trade Jimmy Butler (which makes no sense for Minnesosta), Andrew Wiggins (who I doubt the Cavs want since they traded him away for Kevin Love), or Karl Anthony Towns (which is not happening). Jeff Teague and Jamal Crawford is not a serious deal for Kyrie and if they don't get rid of one of the three big time players, Kyrie isn't going to Minnesota. It would be great if he was a free agent who could join the Wolves as is, but since that's not possible, it's unlikely he heads there.

*Miami Heat 

-Logically, this is probably a good option for him. Playing with Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters, and Hassan Whiteside would be fun, but once again there's the biggest issue looming: Miami would have to trade one or two of their most valuable assets and Miami probably doesn't seem willing to give up a Dragic and  Waiters for Kyrie. Still, this is a little more possible than the other two destinations listed so far. Still, I don't think this is the team he will end up one. Now, onto the most likely destination for Kyrie.

*New York Knicks 

-The most logical of his choices. The deal that makes the most sense. The Knicks could use a star that they could embrace after the sour experience Melo went through. Kyrie playing with Tim Hardaway Jr. And Porzingis could be fun times for New York. The Knicks aren't begging Melo to stay anymore and Melo would rather be in Cleveland than New York anyways. A Carmelo and first round pick for Kyrie is about as close to equal value that the Cavs will get and it's the smartest deal to do. The Knicks keep Tim Hardaway Jr. and Porzingis, while getting Kyrie in the fold, and the Cavs get two important pieces as well: Melo, who takes the role that Kyrie had as a scorer, and a future first round pick for when the inevitable happens and LeBron leaves. For a team as strapped for cash and players like the Cavs are, bringing in Carmelo and possibly Eric Bledsoe if they can manage a three team trade with the Suns is very smart. Either way, the Cavs are fucked, so get something while you can before it all falls down.

There are other dark horse candidates like Denver Nuggets and Phoenix Suns, but there's not much that remains appealing about those particular deals. The most comfortable place for Kyrie to land is close to his home with the New York Knicks, and with Kyrie being from New Jersey, it just makes sense. Whatever the case will be, the Cavs need to get a deal done sooner than later and focus on life after Kyrie. The Knicks provide the best chance of that. I think Kyrie ends up in New York when this is all said and done.

-True 

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Eyes on the Ring 1:37 AM  No comment

Eyes On NBA: 7 Of The Best LeBron James Playoff Performances

By @TrueGodImmortal 

LeBron James has been to 7 NBA Finals, 6 of which he's been to consecutively. For all the talk (and the accurate talk) of him building up super teams to win championships, there is no doubt about it that his performances in the playoffs have been some of the most amazing things that we've witnessed in NBA history. With his 7 Finals appearances under his belt and over 200 playoff games, we wanted to narrow down his best performances in the playoffs to 7. Let's take a look at what we feel are his 7 best performances in the playoffs.

*Cleveland Cavaliers vs Detroit Pistons 
(2007 Eastern Conference Finals, Game 5)

-In what would end up being one of the all time greatest performances I've ever witnessed in NBA playoff history, Bron showed up and showed out as the true star that he was. At only the age of 22, Bron went out and performed like a much wiser and older player against the juggernaut that was the Pistons team. He put up 48 points, which was a career high in the playoffs at the time, along with 9 rebounds and 7 assists, but what stands out the most, is LeBron scoring the final 25 points of the game for the Cavs and willing them to a big time victory to go up 3-2 in a 109-107 win. This is one of his best easily.

*Cleveland Cavaliers vs Orlando Magic 
(2009 Eastern Conference Finals, Game 2)

-The Cavs went 66-16 in the regular season. LeBron was a leader. He was stepping up big time to push this team to the Finals and he had one more series to go (he wouldn't make it to the Finals this year). However, this was the game that showed me 100% that he was able to truly lead like no other. His game 1 performance is probably slightly better than this one, but what makes this one stand out is how he showed up to win the game when it was needed. 35 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and a game winning shot that shouldn't have went in. This was an amazing Bron performance and one of his most clutch shots ever.

*Miami Heat vs Indiana Pacers
(2012 NBA Semifinals, Game 4)

-After going down 2-1 in the series to a young and growing Pacers team, the Heat were in need of a boost. Enter LeBron James. Showing why he's the best player in the league, LeBron went as hard as he could at the Pacers team, leading the Heat to a victory and with 40 points, 18 rebounds, and 9 assists. A truly amazing performance.

*Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics
(2012 Conference Finals, Game 6)

-When LeBron wants to step up, he certainly can. He's made a career out of being a big time player and though he won't win every single time, he will win when it counts a majority of the time. With the Heat down 3-2 in the Conference Finals and staring down a possible elimination, LeBron stepped up big time and had his number called when it counted the most, going off in the first half hitting 12 out of 14 shots for 30 points before halftime, dunking at will against the Celtics, and just destroying them at every chance he got. He would finish with 45 points on 19 of 26 shooting, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists to force a game 7. This is one of his most efficient games in his career in the playoffs and it's widely seen as one of his best performances ever.

*Miami Heat vs San Antonio Spurs 
(2013 NBA Finals, Game 7)

-After Ray Allen saved the day in Game 6 (after Bron brought them back in the game), the Heat and LeBron would do what they needed to do to take game 7 against a focused Spurs team. LeBron stepped up in a big way to earn back to back championships, as he finished with 37 points, 5 for 10 from three, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists for a huge victory, including the dagger over Kawhi for the win.

*Cleveland Cavaliers vs Golden State Warriors 
(2016 NBA Finals, Game 5)

-This was the game changer. After Bron ended up down 3-1 in the Finals, he worked his magic to motivate the team to get back in the game. It helped the Cavs that the Warriors were without Draymond Green and lost Andrew Bogut in the 3rd quarter while they were up by a few points to injury, but what really pushed the Cavs to victory was the one-two punch of Bron and Kyrie. Bron would put up 41 points, 16 rebounds, and 7 assists to lead the Cavs to a huge victory over the Warriors 112-97.

*Cleveland Cavaliers vs Indiana Pacers 
(2017 Playoffs, 1st Round, Game 3)

-This performance isn't even 24 hours old, but it's nothing short of magnificent. It might be the greatest first round performance in LeBron's entire career and easily his most impressive. With a 25 point deficit at halftime, the Cavs could have just called it a game and rested LeBron, Kyrie and Love who couldn't seem to get things going in the first half. He was not his most efficient during the first half, but he finished with a solid and efficient shooting performance going 14 for 27 from the field, and he finished with a 40 point triple double during this game, with 41 points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists to rally the team back to take a 3-0 series lead and a 119-114 victory. 200 plus playoff games later, this might be the best Bron performance in the playoffs ever.

There are many more performances that could be here, from his series against the Hawks in 2015 to his many games against the Bulls, and his game 6 against the Spurs, or even his game 7 performance against the Warriors, but these are the 7 best IMO. LeBron James is a force to watch and one of the best players I've ever had the pleasure of watching and when it's playoff time, there's really no one better (except the GOAT Jordan, of course). He won't be around forever, so let's continue to marvel at the feats of LeBron while he's still here.

-True

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Eyes on the Ring 12:05 AM  No comment