In an October 2013 survey
on NBA.com, NBA general managers were asked “If you were starting a franchise
today and could sign any player in the NBA, who would it be?” As expected,
LeBron James held the vast majority of the responses, while Kevin Durant was
the GM’s second choice. With both men having played in the league for years and
having made their marks with MVP awards and several All-Star game and playoff
appearances, it is no surprise that their names were first to come to the minds
of those studying them every day. What may not have been as easily predicted
was the GM’s third choice: Cleveland Cavaliers’ fourth year guard, Kyrie
Irving.
Of course, Irving has been known across the league as one
the NBA’s top players; however, he has not always been discussed ahead of many
other NBA veteran elite players, such as Chris Paul and Stephen Curry.
The
6’3”, 193 pound Irving out of Duke was the first overall pick in the 2012 NBA
Draft, despite sitting out most of his college season due to injury. Since
then, he has continued to wow opponents, coaches, and spectators across the
league, while adding impressive accolades to his résumé.
“It’s obviously a great accomplishment to have the respect from the GM’s in the league as well as players,” says Irving, “It puts a lot more pressure on me, but that’s something you want as a player.”
He adds, “The recognition is a true testament to the hard work that I put into the game every single day, and it’s just what I expect for myself. It’s great to be up there with those two great guys in the league, but I just try to be the best player and best teammate for my team.”
In his first three NBA seasons, Irving played 33.7 minutes per game, while averaging 20.7 points— the second highest for a point guard in the NBA, behind Curry. Adding on to that, Irving received the 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year Award, was an All-Star in 2013 and 2014, and was named the 2014 NBA All-Star MVP. At the age of 21, this made him the youngest player to have been awarded the All-Star MVP since LeBron James in 2006. However, as impressive as this recognition may be, Irving is still not satisfied.
“Those
are great individual accomplishments,” he says, “but for me it’s just about
making the playoffs and trying to win a championship. Obviously, those things
are going to make my career. The individual accomplishments are great and all,
but I just want to win. I want to be a part of something that’s bigger than me,
and that’s my team winning a championship.”
When
it comes to the 2014 NBA offseason, it is no secret that GM David Griffin and
the Cavs have stepped up their game in terms of trades and signings. After
missing the playoffs last season, the Cavs are now predicted to lead the
Eastern Conference standings, having acquired NBA All-Stars Lebron James and
Kevin Love, among others.
Along
with this new highly talented roster comes great pressure to win, especially in
the struggling Eastern Conference. As much as the newly acquired players strive to win, no one is more aware of
the Cav’s need to win than Irving.
“Obviously
[winning] is going to be a process since we have some new pieces,” says Irving,
“but the only thing that is going to matter is how well we come together and
handle everything internally.”
Last
season, at an average age of 24, the Cavs were the youngest team in the NBA. As
a team with a high talent ceiling, lack of experience is a justifiable reason
for their lack of success in the 2013-2014 Eastern Conference standings;
however, it does give Cavs’ fans promise for the future.
As
a twenty-two year old and one of the younger players on the team, Irving says,
“Obviously, when you have the youngest team there’s going to be some advantages
and disadvantages, but the only thing that we’ve learned is that we have a core
group of young guys that had to grow really quickly, and, now that we have some
veterans on the team, it’s going to kind of ease our roles a little bit or show
us the proper way of how to be professionals. We have to figure it out. We’ve
had a few veterans, but we haven’t had a lot of them, so every single day we
are learning from each other and learning on the job.”
In addition to new faces between the baselines, the Cavs are bringing a new head coach to the sideline: David Blatt. As one of the most successful American basketball coaches in European history, Blatt is a four-time Israeli League “Coach of the Year” and 2014 Euroleague “Coach of the Year,” in addition to multiple league championships throughout Europe.
This being the Cavs’ third head coach in three seasons, Irving is excited to see what Blatt has to offer to the Cavs’ program and the NBA, along with his adjustment to the league as a whole.
“After
meeting Coach Blatt for the first time, he just seemed like a genuine coach and
a genuine person,” says Irving, “Obviously, he has won overseas. Coming to the
NBA, it’s going to be his first time coaching here and my first time playing
for him. I’m just excited to get to work with him and see how gifted he is as a
coach. He has won a lot of games as a coach. We’ll just have to see how that
can translate to the NBA.”
Irving
has already experienced Hall of Fame-caliber coaching during his time at Duke
and currently as a member of Team USA, playing under Coach Mike Krzyzewski.
“Playing
for Coach K, he just taught me how to really be a true professional especially
at a young age. Going to Duke, we were number one in the country starting off. Unfortunately,
I got hurt eight games in, but he had the trust in me to play in the NCAA
tournament. That’s something you definitely want from a coach is someone who is
going to allow you to be yourself and someone who is going to allow you to grow
into that role.”
He
adds, “I was around two great seniors at Duke in Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler.
We had young guys on the team. We all had our own walks of life. Coach K just
allowed me to grow into who I was going to become and that is who I am today. He
caught me at a young age, and we’re still close to this day. That relationship
we have goes far beyond the basketball court.”
Irving’s early life basketball influences
included his father, Drederick Irving, along with Irving’s Godfather, former
NBA great Rod Strickland. Irving’s father was a guard at Boston University in
the 1980s before moving to Melbourne, Australia to play professionally. Having
lost his mother at an early age, Irving credits his father for supporting him
and helping shape him into the person who he is today.
“He’s helped me become a better
man on and off the floor and has just made me ready for anything that is thrown
my way,” says Irving, “That was a lot when I was 19 years old coming into the
league, but now three years in, going on year four, he’s there every single day
helping me emotionally, mentally, and physically, just staying ready all the
time and keeping me grounded.”
Adding, “Losing my mom really
made me figure out what is important in life, and that is the family that I do
have: my dad and my two sisters. Everything that I do is for them and for the
betterment of their future. Losing my mom is an unfortunate thing, but it
happens in life. I’ve moved on from it, and now I’m just taking care of the
family that I do have.”
As for his Godfather, Irving
says, “He’s just helped my transition to the league be that much easier and
prepared me for everything and anything that’s going to be thrown at me. He
spent 17 years in the league, and, hopefully, I can spend as much time as him.
It’s great to have a family member like that who can help you through
anything.”
Despite having been surrounded by
basketball greats throughout his entire life, Irving is only satisfied if he
impresses one specific person: himself.
“No
one has higher expectations for me than I do,” he says, “I just keep that in
perspective and just expect more for myself than other people. I just go out
there and try to remember the goals I set for myself and for my teammates and
go out there and try to be the best player I can be.”
Adding,
“Honestly, I just try to separate myself by being a complete player. I try to
do everything out there, and whatever is needed at any moment of the game, I
feel like I can do. For me, it’s just trying to be a complete player.”
Although
the team may be experiencing hefty roster changes going into the 2014-2015
season, Irving believes his role as a player will remain the same.
“Nothing is going to change,” he says, “I just
have to continue to be myself and do whatever is best for the team.”
The
Cavs open the 2014-2015 season on Oct. 30, against the New York Knicks. As
mentioned earlier, they are predicted to be a top competitor for the Eastern Conference
title, with their biggest competition in Chicago with the return of Derrick
Rose and the Bulls.
“There
have obviously been a lot of changes, so the expectations for everyone are
higher,” says Irving, “The talent is there. The only thing that is going to
matter is how well we come together as a team and how well we gel. It’s going
to be an important season.”
