Possible Kyrie Irving landing spots

Hi!

This has been a long time coming. Last post was 2014? Wow that long!

You might have heard of the ongoing debacle regarding Kyrie Irving's trade demand from the Cavaliers. It seems the LeBron James rumors are true and nobody wants to get stuck on Cleveland nowadays. Carmelo reportedly doesn't want the Cavs as well as per report.

I tried my hand being a GM for a while with the ESPN Trade Machine and being a Bulls fan I loved this scenario.

In this scenario, Bulls get Irving while staying true for their rebuild effort. Bulls get a cornerstone to go along with budding star Zach LaVine in a faster pace that Hoiberg would love to play. It'll be a quick rebuild if this happens as Kyrie has some interest in the Bulls before the usual suspects GarPax fumbled it. It also establishes Kyrie as the focal point of the team like he wished.

Cleveland gets Banana Boat Avenger Wade in return and gets a PG in return.

For all their troubles Phoenix adds veterans that has been part of their recent success. While strengthening their defense while continuing to develop their young core. I think its a win-win for all teams.

As for the teams Kyrie asked to be traded to.

New York Knicks

This is rather a straight up trade. Carmelo for Kyrie but because of salary discrepancy Cavs need to include Shumpert in this scenario.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Kyrie gets his wish to play along Jimmy, and gets coached by a national assistant coach in Thibs. But for this to work, and with the recent additions the Timberwolves made they have to give up talent as well but in this scenario it worth the trouble having another all-star to add to your roster. Cleveland get Andrew Wiggins the first pick they gave away to accommodate James comeback. And they get Gorgui Dieng another project but with high ceiling.

San Antonio Spurs

This is as straight up as it can be. LaMarcus Aldridge ends his Spurs stint unceremoniously. But they get a PG that can replace Tony Parker long term. At age 25 it suits well playing with Kawhi and that makes the Spurs competitive for another decade. Cavs get talent, but LaMarcus has been underwhelming as a Spur. Ditching Kyrie does not improve the Cavs proposition as well to compete with the highly talented Warriors.

As you can see the only trade scenario where the Cavs does improve is when he is traded to the Bulls. Kyrie is a Black Mamba in the making he just need to work on his defense more. But he still has room to improve and could be a catch for any team that could have him.

So what do you think of this piece? Do you agree or disagree? Hit the comments below and let me know what you think.

NBA team previews Central Division

The NBA season is nearing and for me I get to try my crummy analysis on how teams will eventually pan out with their new addition against their losses in the off-season and I'd like to start out with the division closest to my heart since it has my favorite team the Chicago Bulls, the Central Division.

The Chicago Bulls

2012-13 Record: 45-37
Key Additions: Mike Dunleav, Tony Snell, Erik Murphy
Key Losses: Marco Belinelli, Richard Hamilton and Nate Robinson

Bulls didn't exactly do a lot in the off-season, after getting Mike Dunleavy and adding a couple of rookies in the draft the Bulls have become dormant.

Except for the drama on the downfall of contract negotiations with soon to be free agent Luol Deng there wasn't any news about Chicago. Or is there? Wait Derrick Rose is back! And because he is the Bulls jump back into championship contention. With the core of Noah, Boozer, Deng, Butler, Hinrich and Rose the Bulls are set to contend.

The Bulls lost good players in the off-season but they got back their MVP who has shown in the pre-season he still got it. My concern for Rose though is he seem too eager to slug it out when it's only the preseason where games don't really matter. Whoah, settle down boy it's a long season and you'll get your chance.

The Cleveland Cavaliers

2012-13 Record: 24-58
Key Additions: Anthony Bennett, Andrew Bynum, Earl Clark, Jarrett Jack and Sergey Karasev
Key Losses: Marreese Speights

With Kyrie emerging as one of the best PG's in the league the Cavs are knocking on the door for a return to the play-offs since LeBron James left Ohio.

Dan Gilbert did a lot of spending in the off-season building around it's talented young point guard, and with a stroke of luck managed to get another #1 overall pick and used it for... Anthony Bennett? While the guy has his qualifications as number 1 many questions were raised after he was taken. He's still recuperating from a previous injury sustained in college and is having a slow transition in the pro's. While he may take time to recuperate one intriguing addition is Andrew Bynum.

Bynum before the injury filled year in Philadelphia was regarded the most polished offensive center in the league. Because of his body and great footwork Bynum was an All-Star before he got traded to the 76ers in an uneventful year where the public saw him sit out the whole season. A healthy Andrew Bynum elevates these Cavs to serious play-off contention, make no mistake about it. While Kyrie Irving is the star of this Cavs, Bynum could be make or brake for them, he's just a big part of the puzzle for the Cavs right now.

PS. They got Mike Brown back as their coach.

The Detroit Pistons

2012-13 Record: 29-53
Key Additions: Chauncey Billups, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith
Key Losses: Jose Calderon and Brandon Knight

The Pistons brought back a piece of nostalgia when they got Chauncey back at the helm, as for the other additions? Well let's say I just can't figure out what Joe Dumars wants to do with his team.

Pistons are a young team and yes they want to be fast, but giving the ball to Jennings to do the job? Doesn't cut it. Brandon is a shot jocker in the very sense of the word, he is looking for his shot and although Dumars might be hoping Chauncey might share some valuable knowledge for Brandon I think what's natural would still come out. And that's not  even talking about Josh Smith who'd rather chuck his shots from the outside than use his amazing athleticism to squeeze into the hoop for easy hoops.

Drummond and Greg Monroe still needs polishing but if they figure each other out and things pan out well for the Pistons this is a dangerous team no doubt about it.

PS. Mo Cheeks is now running the show in Detroit

 The Indiana Pacers

2012-13 Record: 49-32
Key Additions: Chris Copeland, Solomon Hill, Luis Scola and C.J. Watson
Key Losses: Tyler Hansbrough and D.J. Augustin

Fresh from being a win away from getting bcak into the NBA Finals, the Pacers barge into the season full of hope and expectations.

Larry Bird returned as President of basketball operations and his first order of business is finalize an agreement with Paul George as the new face of the franchise handing him with a multi-year contract extension and almost handing him the key to the Pacers franchise.

Indiana revamped it's roster in the off-season. If the question for Indiana is continuation as soon as they get to the bench, the Pacers management responded by seeking trusted veterans throughout the league who can sustain their momentum as games progressed. The casualties include my personal favorite Tyler Hansbrough who was shifted to Toronto, a move that devastated him personally, The Pacers got better though on paper.

Indiana needs to work on its chemistry now because it's evident in the off-season that they were on and off and weren't that aware of each other in the early goings. Especially against Chicago where Derrick Rose blitzed them out in a lot of play, rusty and all.

The Milwaukee Bucks

Key Additions: Caron Butler, Carlos Delfino, Brandon Knight, O.J. Mayo, Zaza Pachulia and Luke Ridnour, Gary Neal
Key Losses: Samuel Dalembert, Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings and J.J. Redick

I have actually read a lot of blogs questioning what the Bucks were doing with their roster. Me personally, liked who they were bringing against who they lost? Bucks got more talented, got better and more consistent that what they had last year.

Ridnour is a consistent PG and could mesh well with Mayo or anybody in the backcourt because he's unselfish, and if I am not mistaken this is his second tour of duty in Milwaukee and that could bolster support from thei home crown since Luke was a fan favorite when they marched in the play-offs in 2010.

Plus they got even more scorers than last year limited to the shot jocking of Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings team. They got Mayo now and Caron Butler and the sweet shooting Gary Neal fresh from the NBA finals this year. Bucks got better I don't know what the other bloggers are looking at.

PS. Former Atlanta coach Larry Drew packed his bags and relocated to Wisconsin state, home of the Bucks.

That's all for now, still have 5 more divisions to review, 'til then keep on reading guys.

Winners rise, Losers fall (NBA Finals Game 7)

Heat are champions!

But not without a gallant stand from the Spurs who traded leads with the eventual champion Heat.

"They pushed us to the limit"

James would eventually admit after the game. He knew, and it made this championship even sweeter, coming off with a monster performance from him (a masterful punctuation mark to the transformation he had to do in order to win the series) where he scored 37 giant points, coming off baskets when they needed him to produce. It took all this effort from him to score their first back to back titles. The Spurs wouldn't give it to him that easily he had to earn everything and last night was a validation of a star. A kind of passing of torch, Them Spurs beating James and company 6 years ago and here right now on the same stage James has taken what he rightfully earned.
 

In defeat, Tim Duncan and the Spurs command respect. Nobody can ever question their desire to win it, only they fell short. The Spurs battled the whole game even cutting the lead to just two on a Kawhi Leonard 3-pointer.

The Spurs fell short, as Tim Duncan missed 2 shots that was his staple shots and Manu Ginobili making errors in the end game.

''For me, Game 7 is always going to haunt me,'' Duncan said.

 The Spurs have nothing to be shamed about, but as they lose comes a summer of reflections, what could have been, what could have been done, to come that close only to fall short. Nothing breaks a players heart much more a competitor's heart more than that. As the Heat savor their victory cigars, Tim Duncan walks down the tunnel head low, for the first time he lost a NBA Finals and it could be his last. The memory will haunt him he says, never has been those words so true.

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• Next week the NBA brings hope as the draft approaches, For Cleveland it'll be huge, another piece to build on and hopefully one that can get them back to play-off contention, one that will surely take LeBron's notice when the free agency of 2014 nears.
• The Clippers and the Celtics have yet to reach an agreement, the first of what could be a promising off-season we better watch this one as it unfolds or fold itself out of discussion.
• Jerry Sloan is back as Jazz Consultant! That's great news for me having been a fan of Coach Sloan's work, he's finally home.
• There are still plenty more coaching vacancies to fill this should keep NBA addicts occupied as we enter the off season, the free agency could also be a good one to watch out for.

There are plenty more of good reads to come, keep on reading 'til next time.