NBA 2017 - 2018

I forgot LeBron has a no-trade clause, duh. I’d tell Kyrie to fuck off and be a professional this year, then see what LeBron does next summer. If he leaves, then it’s Kyrie’s team anyway.

The funny thing is everyone wants to trade Kevin Love, but he’s the only one that seems content to be there.

Kyrie gets his wish… Traded to the Celtics for IT, Crowder, Brooklyn’s number one draft pick next year, and some European dude with a lot of umlauts in his name!

The prevailing thought seems to be that the softest got fleeced and I agree, given that the Cavs were under pressure to trade Kylie. But what do I know!

Given how badly the Cavs abused Isaiah in the pick and roll in the playoffs before he was injured, I’d call this a win for the Celtics. It really depends on the draft pick (guessing it will be top 5 however) and whether LeBron opts out after this year, while Irving appears under contract for 3 more years.

Kind of weird for the Cavs since IT is so bad on defense. Oh well, just re-arranging deck chairs I guess.

Kyrie is a bad defender too who doesn’t have the same size excuse.

I’d say this is about as good as Cleveland could do with this demand being sprung on them like it was. IT is a legit scorer, the same poor defender so about a wash overall and they get a high pick.

The Phoenix trades could’ve been interesting. You’d be gambling on Eric Bledsoe’s health. If you actually care about trying to beat Golden State, then it might’ve been worth a gamble.

The pick and Crowder’s cheap contract are nice because if LeBron leaves, they can let IT walk if they want and rebuild outside of the luxury tax. The problem is they’d still have some of those expensive contracts for another year or two.

It’s a decent trade for both teams. Celts get a younger premier scoring, defense afterthought, point guard without the injury concern. The Cavs get a rental of IT to help w/ LBJ’s probable final year in Cleveland, a plus defender/hustle guy in Crowder, and a great 1st round pick for 2018 when they’ll be in full rebuild. The Celts still have the Lakers 1st rounder next year, if it falls in the 2-5 spot, and there’s a great chance it will.

Kyrie’s been an injury concern since the 10 game season at Duke.

Unless Isaiah’s hip is worse than we know, this seems like an awful lot for the C’s to pay for one extra year of control. IT was straight up better last year and, if healthy, it’s even odds who is better next year. So you’re giving a bargain contract on a starter, a well-regarded prospect, and a hugely valuable pick for one extra year plus the Bird rights. As a C’s fan, I’d feel much better about this if it were any other pick but that Nets pick.

(That’s the logical, objective analysis. As an emotional fan that goes to a bunch of games, liked IT a lot, and is not a Kyrie fan… rough night.)

IT was also, straight-up, one of the most popular Celtics since Bird. Bill Simmons mentions that quite a bit. Who doesn’t love a 5’9’ dude who delivered one of the Top 10 most efficient seasons from a NBA point guard ever.

SImmons also talked about this potential trade option in his podcast last week.

It’s a strange move for the Cs, because they could have sat still and watched Cleveland implode after LeBron leaves. But it sorta makes sense for the Cavs. Kyrie can’t stand LeBron anymore. This may be their attempt to go all-in this final year of having King James. And there’s absolutely no way they do this trade without the Nets pick, because they may have a 1-year rental on IT. Then they’re looking at losing James and IT.

Also, I imagine the Simmons household hit the equivalent of DEFCON 1.

This really changes nothing in the East. Cavs will still get to the Finals and lose to the Warriors. Lebron leaves next year. Where does he go? That is the only question.

I saw a clip recently of Simmons complaining about the Pierce/Garnett trade to the Nets when it was announced because the first round picks would clearly be out of the lottery. Hah! So who knows what will happen.

Just a few bits;
Irving’s last contract year is a player option. Barring a major injury, he’ll decline it because the max deal has risen significantly since he signed. That makes him controllable for two seasons, although he may re-sign a new max deal when that comes to pass. As good of a shooter as he is, Irving’s ability to get to the hoop is absolutely tremendous.

Neither Irving nor Thomas are good defenders. At all. It doesn’t seem to be related to effort for either; they just don’t have the lateral quickness.

Thomas is only controllable for one season, and he’ll almost certainly be testing the market when he’s done. There won’t be a Boston homecoming unless Irving finds himself on the trading block once again, because they’re basically the same player (a score-first point guard) and Irving is an upgrade.

Jae Crowder has three years left on his deal, all under the Cavaliers control. He’s an interesting piece and fits well with the rest of the team.

The wild card of the unprotected Brooklyn draft pick (which SHOULD be a good one) is not insignificant. Nobody knows until the lottery how good or “meh” that will be, however. Ante Zizic is a well thought-of prospect who banged bodies fairly well in the summer league, but I’m not holding my breath. Tristan Thompson’s limitations as a post player have become well-known and being able to slide a more dynamic player into the pivot will be welcomed by the Cavaliers, but Zizic has yet to lace up his shoes for an NBA game so time will tell if he’s that player.

I see why the Celtics made the move; they routinely got beat like a drum in the playoffs against the Cavaliers, and getting Irving both takes away a top-flight weapon from their inter-conference rival and upgrades their own version. They had to make a change to alter what must have started to feel like their destiny. They have young, talented pieces to put around Irving and look to be quite potent for at least the next two seasons.

The Cavaliers got quite the haul, and frankly did better than I expected. They wanted Irving gone once the news leaked, having no interest in any more drama than required (yes, Thomas will be hitting the market, but neither the fanbase nor the locker room is invested in him and no “betrayal” vibes will be felt), and the talent received in return is collectively far greater than that leaving. Of course, Irving is the best player in the mix, and losing that elite scorer is going to be felt. However, one thing this last Championship series showed is that sometimes you need more than just the ability to score, and that’s where the balance of players comes into the mix.

I think the Irving trade was interesting. Celts were the 1 seed last season, but no one gave them a chance against the Cavs, rightly so. Does this trade make them better against the Cavs? I don’t think so. I don’t think the Cavs got better in the sense that they will be able to compete with the West, but I would be shocked if the Cavs aren’t in the Finals again next year.

I think it’s mostly a wash, with the Celtics getting a little better. I think the only way they’re getting to the Finals is if Lebron suddenly starts showing the miles he’s put on his body.

Trade could still be up in the air.

To be clear; the Cavaliers knew he was injured, it’s just a matter of how injured. Assuming his projected recovery fits the team’s timetable within a comfortable range, the deal will stay in place.

Cleveland snaked a 2020 second rounder out of it. Probably also did themselves no favors down the road when making trades. That said, I think Thomas is more hurt than he’s let on.

I don’t blame Cleveland for being cafeful. Philly scammed the Pelicans in the Jrue Holiday trade by withholding medical information, but NO had every opportunity to do their own medical analysis. If caveat emptor is expected, then you can’t hold it against Cleveland.

In other news, Kyrie has some rambling video expressing love to Cleveland. I couldn’t even follow a logical train of thought in the quotes I read at ESPN.

“…I love the world, and I love people…”

Uhh, that’s cool, man.