I literally just finished writing an article somehow advocating Kyrie Irving going to the Lakers. From a purely fan standpoint, that's the trade that most of us wanted to see. But right after posting that shit I visited the NY Post website and discovered that he's just been traded, to the Mavericks, to play alongside Luka, the future of the NBA. So now, if Lebron and Kyrie do want to reunite, it's like a better luck next year.
Usually when an interesting trade happens, I write a "Trade Talk" article to analyze it. But with this one I'm taking a winner and losers approach, because I want to be more specific. So without further ado:
WINNER - KYRIE IRVING
I'm not calling Kyrie a winner because I think that he can Luka will actually contend with the current Mavs' roster. I'm calling him one because he demanded a trade and actually got one, in a matter of days. They may be more due to the Nets now reviling him than them doing so out of respect. But still this time around he got what he wanted, fast.
LOSERS - DALLAS MAVERICKS
I really don't know what the Mavs expect Kyrie Irving to do this year that Jalen Brunson didn't do last season (besides sell more tickets). Kyrie is expected to be a scoring guard alongside Luka, which Brunson did. Kyrie will be expected to lead to the Mavs to victory when Doncic is hurt, which Brunson did. Of course Kyrie can put up more points more consistently(?) and more spectacularly than Brunson. So for the Mavericks this will basically be like Jalen 2.0. And then, what if Irving also bounces at the end of the season, as did Brunson?
LOSER - LUKA DONCIC
I've long aruged that what Luka need is a superstar sidekick, i.e. someone who is younger or would understand that he's the team's undisputed alpha, and Irving isn't particularly known for humbling himself. Also, throughout most of Luka's tenure the Mavs have been deep at guard, and that strategy hasn't worked. So if they were going to make a major trade, it should have been in the name of strengthening the frontline, i.e. at a position that wouldn't butt heads with Luka. Doncic isn't the most outspoken player in the NBA, but I can tell that he doesn't particularly favor conflict.
WINNER - SPENCER DINWIDDIE
IMO, the Nets should have rode that team out led by D'Angelo Russell instead of going superstar chasing. If KD also decides to once again demand a trade, then they're really going to look stupid for breaking that overachieving roster up. But at least now they got Dinwiddie back, another player who should have never left to begin with.
LOSER - KEVIN DURANT
I believe Kevin Durant is a NBA diva. What that means to me is that no matter how much money you pay him, if he's on a team devoid of superstars that doesn't look like it's going to instantly win a championship, he's gonna wanna bounce. I wouldn't be totally surprised if he also came forward in the next few days and demanded a trade. The only reason he probably wouldn't is because right now it wouldn't be a good look.
WINNERS - BROOKLYN NETS
If the NBA created a resiliency award, the winners would have to the Nets role players. In the last couple of years dudes have dealt with Kyrie, the Beard and Durant, three superstars who demanded trades, which is another way of saying that they don't think the team is good enough to win. KD even called dudes out by name, and now that the team is slumping Kyrie has decided to quit. Yet, they continue to battle on.
LOSER - LEBRON JAMES
It isn't so much about Lebron publicizing his desire to play with Kyrie. The real issue is that in doing so he basically sh*tted on Westbrook, again. So now you further fracture your relationship with a teammate, for another you didn't even get. There's a possibility that Westbrook will still get traded this season. But if not, LBJ's actions have further contributed to the awkwardness of the Lakers.
LOSER - RUSSELL WESTBROOK
You have to believe by this point though, the ScapeGOAT has become accustomed to being devalued. So the real reason I'm designating him a loser is because no matter what he does on the court, still it's like no one appreciates him, outside of the fact of course that he's making a shitload of money.
CONCLUSION
One good thing the Nets can say is that at least this trade puts them on a path to establishing a stable team into the future. No more trading away draft picks for over-the-hill superstars and no more chasing incompatible and disloyal players just because they're superstars, hopefully.
The Mavs also made good in that they finally got another superstar next to Doncic, so now people can't say they're not trying anymore. Being that they already have so many guards, including the all-around best in the NBA, it would be wiser if they had chased a big man. But oh well, they probably weren't really intent or keeping Finney-Smith and Dinwiddie anyway.
No comments:
Post a Comment