News, information and tickets for the Cleveland Cavaliers
Kyrie Irving must have too much time on his hands.
However, rather than partying hard or getting into trouble with the law, the Cleveland Cavaliers star has been busy showing off his hilarious acting skills.
In this commercial from Pepsi MAX, Irving shows up to a basketball court in New Jersey cleverly disguised as “Uncle Drew.” Well, the 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year definitely plays up his character’s old age, before blowing everyone away with his ridiculous skills.
If you haven’t heard of Lester Hudson yet, that’s probably because you don’t live in Cleveland.
Hudson, currently playing in his second 10-day contract with the Cavaliers, has become a bit of cult hero over the last couple of weeks for a basketball team that has had very little to rally around since its King departed. And while Hudson is no Anthony Lin (Hudson isn’t playing in New York, he isn’t Asian, he didn’t go to an Ivy League school and ESPN doesn’t have an obsession with him), he is quietly writing his own underdog story.
As of last night, most teams have played between 47 and 51 games, putting the league at about 75% completion in this lockout-shortened season. With that said, here’s a look at the candidates for end of the season awards.
Rookie of the Year:
LEADER: Kyrie Irving (CLE)- 18.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.6 APG, 47% FG, 40% 3FG. Irving has been sensational this season. After only playing 11 collegiate games, Irving has given Cavs fans hope. Throughout the first half of the season, Irving had the Cavs in playoff contention before sliding as of late. Irving should be an All-Star as soon as next year, and will be thrust into the “best point guard in the league” discussion very soon.
Friday night was the Rising Stars Game, which meant a whole lot of alley-ooping and watching Kyrie Irving show us why he is the next great point guard in the game.
Irving was a ridiculous 8 for 8 from beyond the arc and finished with 34 points, leading Team Chuck over Team Shaq 146-133 as the first big event of the NBA’s All-Star weekend in Orlando (yes, nobody cares about the celebrity game).
And while the game is all show with virtually no defense whatsoever, the Cleveland Cavaliers point guard said he couldn’t remember the last time he was that hot from long range.
LeBron James has got to be one of the least wise people in history. You shunned an entire state, and, then, when you return for a game in Cleveland, you answer a question about ever playing for the Cavs again like this:
“I think it would be great, it would be fun to play in front of these fans again.”
“I had a lot of fun times here. You can’t predict the future. Hopefully you continue to stay healthy. I’m here as a Miami player and I’m happy where I am now but I don’t rule that out in any sense. If I decide to come back, hopefully the fans will accept me.”
Sometimes you have to think that LeBron James enjoys being in the news for more issues that take place off the court than…I don’t know…say, making a clutch shot in the fourth quarter a la Jeremy Lin.
Once again, LeBron opened his mouth and stuck his foot in it. With James making his third return Friday to Cleveland since his high-profile free-agency departure, you knew the media was going to bait him into answering seemingly innocuous questions in a way that only LeBron can. But no one could have predicted a response of his that hinted that he could—wait for it…one day return to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
If you stop and watch Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving when he’s out on the court, it’s easy to forget that he’s only 19 years old. That’s why head coach Byron Scott decided to make things easier on himself by just forgetting that Irving is even a teenager.
“He doesn’t act like a 19-year-old,” Scott said. “He doesn’t talk like a 19-year-old. We’re blessed to have him. I don’t look at Kyrie as a 19-year-old. I look at him as a professional basketball player, as a point guard.”
So, I’m reading this story about what the scouts are saying where Marc Stein talks to scouts and gets their feel for certain players. This one scout said he’d take Kyrie Irving over Ricky Rubio (even though Rubio is better at managing the team and is very mature) because:
“… he can shoot, he can drive, he can defend. He values the ball…”
Need to hear anymore? I mean, the original quote is much longer, but let’s be real. That’s the only part you need to hear. He learned all of that at Duke. He went to college. He let someone coach him. He learned. He’s got the training that is required to be a long term success.
Cleveland won the draft lottery. The got back into the top five with a smart trade. They have all the makings of a good rebuilding. But, where is that rebuilding going to get them?
Their roster looks much better than it did when LeBron left.
Baron Davis running plays and mentoring Kyrie Irving. Anderson Varejao down low mentoring Tristan Thompson. Samardo Samuels and Luke Harangody playing forward. I mean, how much better can this get? This is a team that is filled with a near-All-American lineup. Of course, people don’t always translate to the NBA, but there is TALENT on this roster. A year ago, we were all saying there was no talent.
There’s nothing like the Cavs getting the first overall pick and leading the draft. I think it is poetic justice, but I also think it’s a chance for the Cavs to step up in the way that Dan Gilbert wanted them to when LeBron left.
He was, and is, adamant about the Cavs winning a title before the Heat. He’s just the most intense owner outside of Mark Cuban. He’s the kind of owner you want. He’s the kind of guy who does everything he can to get what he wants.
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