LeBron Names Love, Irving Among Favorite Teammates
The narrative before LeBron James signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers last year was that he and Kyrie Irving, according to Brian Windhorst to Cavs the Blog:
"And the other thing is: if the Cavs ever dream of having LeBron, it’s not going to be with Kyrie there. LeBron and Kyrie have drifted apart in the last few years, even to the point that if the Cavs wanted to get LeBron they would maybe trade Kyrie for someone who would fit better with LeBron. And I’m not making that up. That line of thinking was not originated by me. That’s just the truth."
Then, after LeBron still came to Cleveland to pair with Irving, rumors were that James and Kevin Love had trouble getting along, as noted by Frank Isola:
"But several sources close to the situation in Cleveland claim that James has tried to make it work but that he’s frustrated by Love’s inability, and in some ways unwillingness, to get with the program. Remember, James pushed the Cavs to trade Wiggins to the Timberwolves to acquire Love, who could be one-and-done in Cleveland."
Yet Love still returned to the Cavs on a 5 year deal this off-season.
So while narratives are often written the proof, as they say, is in the pudding. While Irving, Love and James may have had their share of issues learning to play together, three alpha males are bound to have that issue. The assumption is that LeBron will be a Cavalier for the rest of his career, while Irving and Love are signed on for the long term.
Tonight, LeBron had a Twitter Q&A with fans on Twitter. One of the most interesting answers was a question about the teammates that have been his favorite. James answered with Ray Allen, Chris Bosh, with the question assuming the Dwyane Wade as one of the answers. The other two names? Irving and Love:
@conr_rich Ray Allen, @chrisbosh @kevinlove @KyrieIrving just to name a few
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 28, 2015
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While that could just be LeBron avoiding any controversy, it is still a good sign for the Cavs moving forward. After one season together, Love, Irving and James will have a better chance of making things really prosper next year. They started coming together as a team after trades completed the team’s roster needs.
On paper, Love, Irving and James are the best fitting Big 3 in the NBA. All three are good to great shooters and passers. Irving and Love have some work to do on the defensive end but showed some improvements last year and will be surrounded by solid defenders in James, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov. The Cavs are set to dominate with their Big 3 especially if LeBron really does feel so positive about Irving and Love.
What do you think about LeBron naming Love and Irving among his favorite teammates?