There he goes again, the ball miraculously still in his hands, blowing past a player that up until that very moment was a hero in his home country, and now has to settle for second place in the heart of his nation’s fans.
Only the replay will tell just how in the world he found the angle to flick that layup in, with dizzy, confused defenders only finding the ball as it drops to them after falling through the net. Kyrie Irving’s artistry can be ego-crashing to the opposition. He will pull the rug out from under you with the world watching, and he will do so with the most charming of smiles.
As we enjoy Irving doing his thing on the international stage with Team USA in the World-Cup, we can’t wait to see how he will do as a part of new and improved Cleveland Cavaliers. The three-headed monster will be unleashed in the supposedly ‘up-for-grabs’ Eastern Conference, led by the rookie coach David Blatt.
Kyrie’s career
Kyrie Irving does not believe in karma. At least he shouldn’t. Kyrie’s career path seems to have no correlation with his actions whatsoever.
First he’s ditching the NBA draft combine (starting a trend for top picks), then he’s rewarded with being the No. 1 overall pick at the 2011 Draft. He’s being criticized for his lack of development as a player and a leader, and then gets a $90 million contract in return. This summer, Kyrie went from being the most questioned max-player in the most dysfunctional organization in the NBA, to suddenly holding the keys to the East’s shiniest contender. Even now, with Team USA, due to the uncertainty around Derrick Rose, Irving became a lock as a starter instead of having to fight for a roster spot. Basic cause-affect rules did not apply to Kyrie up until now, but he can’t ask for any more freebies with this Cleveland Cavaliers team.
Kyrie spent his first three years in the league being a one-man band for an awful team, doing as he pleased in the wasteland of Cleveland. Right now, Irving is the outlier to just how far natural talent can get you. What he does next is all about the intangibles defining that talent.
How does he fit with his new super-teammates? What will Coach Blatt will be asking of Irving, and how will he go about doing it?