Kyrie to Boston rumors heating up. Deal nearly complete

[DJ Fieri]

Bro.....when Irving was in Cleveland and they went 20-62.....he was like.....

"Irving is the youngest player to make the AS team!!!!"

"He's like the youngest to win the skills challenge!!!!"

@LAD, @Mecca, @mick7-1961, @LUNCHBOX am I lying or preaching the truth?

"He has 5 game-winning shots!!!! He's cllutch!!!!!"

 

[LUNCHBOX]

I think you guys are getting on Wiggy a little unfairly due to past performance. His points aren't unreasonable.

Does anyone really think that the Celtics have leapfrogged the Cavs to be the Eastern Conference sacrificial lamb?

Well who saw them winning more regular season games then The Cavs last year either? Lots can happen, Injuries happen, possible chemistry issues on the Cavs ( I guess on the Celts too since they turned over their entire roster )

 

[flyerhawk]

Kobe could play defense.

Mr. Flat Earth can't even spell it.

Oh I agree it is pretty unlikely.

 

[Black Adam]

Oh I have. He is one of the loudest blind homers here but he's certainly far from the only one.

must've double posted. sorry about that...

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

It's a legitimate question if they're better.

Again, Kyrie is not a superstar, he's not even a top 20 player.

RPM projections dropped Boston from 49 wins to 43 wins after this trade; and CLE improved from 49 wins to 53 wins.

Really? And that's before factoring in the pick. Man this trade is completely different then my original thoughts.

 

[knowyourenemy]

I think thats crazy talk.

Kyrie is definitely a better offensive player....there is nothing Kyrie cant do offensively....offensively is why he is somewhere between a top 13-20 player i nthe league

Kyrie is only 25- so he can improve defensively still- and at 25 he is def. better than Curry was at 25, and right around where RW was at 25----- but he has to up his defense if he is gonna crack the top 10 best players in the league.

Whoa there.

Player Comparison Finder: Stephen Curry (2012-13) vs. Russell Westbrook (2012-13) vs. Kyrie Irving (2016-17) | Basketball-Reference.com

Not sure what you're looking at to determine that he's definitely better than Curry at this stage in their respective careers.

 

[DirtDirtDirt]

Come playoff time, Tom Brady shows the league who the real MVP is.

Just like LeBron does.

That tends to happen when a Brock Ossweiler led team is your biggest competition

 

[knowyourenemy]

That tends to happen when a Brock Ossweiler led team is your biggest competition

So the LeBron comparison is apropros.

 

[The Q]

Really? And that's before factoring in the pick. Man this trade is completely different then my original thoughts.

People don't realize the gap from IT to Kyrie isn't that big.

 

[Wamu]

That tends to happen when a Brock Ossweiler led team is your biggest competition

I think the Cleveland Clowns will shock the world this year & double their win total from last year. 2-14 sounds better than 1-15.

 

[flyerhawk]

Well who saw them winning more regular season games then The Cavs last year either? Lots can happen, Injuries happen, possible chemistry issues on the Cavs ( I guess on the Celts too since they turned over their entire roster )

The Cavs have almost the same roster with Kyrie, who apparently was a malcontent, being swapped out by a popular IT.

Injuries of course can affect any team. The Warriors might not win next year if KD and Green get hurt.

 

[Black Adam]

I think we will really find out about the two of them this year. If Ingram gets a little bigger and improves his shot like people thought he would, he could still be the better option.

Ingram's been putting in the work. I know Summer League doesn't mean a whole lot, but i could see a flash or 2 of what the kid could be...

there's a reason Magic Johnson refused to deal him away...

and i trust HIS judgement over some guy on a sports message board...

 

[LUNCHBOX]

The Cavs have almost the same roster with Kyrie, who apparently was a malcontent, being swapped out by a popular IT.

Injuries of course can affect any team. The Warriors might not win next year if KD and Green get hurt.

Bradley Crowder, IT gone...( dont know if im missing any other moves ) , but that is 3/5 of your starting linup...so yea I 'd say roster turnover

 

[Wamu]

If Ainge is smart after this season is over he'll trade Kyrie to Cleveland for IT.

 

[flyerhawk]

Ingram's been putting in the work. I know Summer League doesn't mean a whole lot, but i could see a flash or 2 of what the kid could be...

there's a reason Magic Johnson refused to deal him away...

and i trust HIS judgement over some guy on a sports message board...

Well we really have no idea what Magic Johnson's judgment amounts to so far. Isiah Thomas was an all time great PG and one of the worst GMs in league history.

Regardless, appeals to authority don't really validate a position. Ingram may turn a lethal shooter this year or in the future and justify his draft pick. Or he may never be more than league average or worse player. We really don't know yet.

 

[WiggyRuss]

"He has 5 game-winning shots!!!! He's cllutch!!!!!"

prob the clutchest player in the league. If not DEF. top 3.

 

[Wamu]

Bradley Crowder, IT gone...( dont know if im missing any other moves ) , but that is 3/5 of your starting linup...so yea I 'd say roster turnover

You left out a very key player in that trade, Ante Zizic. The Celtics will regret somewhere down the road trading him away.

 

[flyerhawk]

Bradley Crowder, IT gone...( dont know if im missing any other moves ) , but that is 3/5 of your starting linup...so yea I 'd say roster turnover

Oh the Celtics essentially have a new team. Horford and Smart are the only guys still on the team to average more than 20 minutes a game last year.

So the Celtics are certainly a wildcard as far as chemistry goes. Stephens is a good coach but he can't magically make chemistry work if isn't there.

 

[knowyourenemy]

It's a legitimate question if they're better.

Again, Kyrie is not a superstar, he's not even a top 20 player.

RPM projections dropped Boston from 49 wins to 43 wins after this trade; and CLE improved from 49 wins to 53 wins.

Whether they're "better" will depend on how their young guys perform and how Hayward assimilates. Overall, Boston is better than last year with the additions of Hayward and Irving (Basically, Hayward + Irving is better than Thomas + Crowder + Bradley). Anything projecting 43 wins should raise some eyebrows. Boston is also better longterm with Irving over Thomas. The question for me is whether they're better longterm with Irving than they are with that Brooklyn pick. I think Ainge realizes that Boston has to cash in on its assets and trading for a 25 year old All-Star with 2 years left on his contract isn't a bad return.

 

[WiggyRuss]

People don't realize the gap from IT to Kyrie isn't that big.

ehh...right now you are right....

2-3 years from now when Isiah is 30-31 and Kyrie is 27-28 the gap will continue to grow. Isiah wont be a top 30 guy and Kyrie will have a chance to creep into the top 10 if his defense ever picks up.

But right NOW for this season? Isiah can give about 80-90% of what Kyrie did.