Why Kyrie Irving requesting a trade isn’t terrible news

The Cleveland Cavaliers trading Kyrie Irving isn’t the worst thing in the world.

In the biggest bit of news in the sporting world today, Kyrie Irving requested a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers in a meeting last week, reports ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

But it’s okay.

Don’t worry Cavs fans, for the haul the team would get back for Irving is greater than what he may offer the team by himself. Sure, he hit one of the greatest shots in the NBA Finals.

But has he done much more than score? Irving is a one-dimensional isolation player who needs the ball in his hands to succeed; there is also another ball dominant player on the Cavaliers roster, his name is LeBron James.

Not to discount everything that Irving has done for the franchise but maybe parting ways with the young superstar isn’t all that bad. Lets entertain the positives of letting Irving go via trade.

LeBron should be the focal point of the Cavs, not Kyrie

The main reason Irving wants out is because he feels as if he is playing in LeBron’s shadow; Irving desires a greater role and wants to be “that guy” on his new team. Maybe now fans can see why this isn’t terrible news for the Cavaliers organization: if Irving is not willing to take a backseat to arguably the greatest player in NBA history, what does that say about his character and desire to win? Could LeBron continue to play alongside another player who believes he is superior than the King? What does this say about Irving and LeBron’s relationship, one that the whole world thought of as brotherly?

If Irving is to leave, what does that mean for Cleveland?

If Irving is traded to another team, it could mean one of two things.

1. The Cavaliers are about to blow it up.
2. The Cavaliers are looking to build around LeBron James with another All Star… maybe Carmelo Anthony?

It is already evident that Kyrie wants out, so it would be smart of Cleveland to follow in the footsteps of Indiana and get something out of their All-Star before he walks away for nothing. When (or if) Kyrie departs, the Cavaliers could either ask for future draft picks and an All-Star (or two). This wouldn’t be terrible, as Cleveland could also reach a deal with point guard Derrick Rose, who averaged 18.0 points per game last season.

If the Cavaliers traded Irving for an All-Star player, the lineup could look something like this:

PG: Derrick Rose

SG: *Insert All-Star here

SF: LeBron James

PF: Kevin Love

C: Tristan Thompson

–or–

PG: *Insert All-Star here

SG: JR Smith

SF: LeBron James

PF: Kevin Love

C: Tristan Thompson

Related Story: Derrick Rose and the Cavs

Losing Irving may not be all that bad.

It is well known that Irving is a shoot-first point guard.  His style of play directly contrasts LeBron’s because they both largely need the ball to be effective on offense.  Yet, Irving is subpar in creating shots for teammates and rebounding the basketball.

This puts more pressure on LeBron and the other forwards to rebound and assist.

Essentially, Irving is a deadly, once in a generational talent as a scorer at the point guard position, but that is mostly all he offers. This past year, Kyrie averaged 25.8 points per game, 5.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game.

In no way are these statistics subpar; Irving is one of Cleveland’s “poster-children”, and rightfully so.  But, perhaps the package the Cavaliers could receive could be of more use to them.

Related Story: Derrick Rose could be a steal for the Cavs

Is it time to part ways with Kyrie Irving?  Or should the Cavs hold on to their dream and go against his wishes by keeping him through his contract? 

Statistics courtesy of Basketball-Reference.