If the Cavaliers make a strong playoff push and challenge the Western Conference champs for the title this season it’ll be because of Kyrie Irving.
Last year LeBron had to will his team to the NBA Finals and lost Kyrie in Game 1 vs Golden State. Kyrie had to see his team collapse under the pressure. This time around it’ll be up to him to hold things together.
Kobe Bryant suggested that someone on the Cavs had to be the leader that would create conflict or be the bad guy.
“You have to have that inner conflict,” Bryant said. “You have to have that person that’s really driving these things. From the Cavs’ perspective, it’s hard for me to tell from afar who should be that person. LeBron is not that person. LeBron, he’s a … he brings people together. That’s what he does naturally. He’s phenomenal at it. But you have to have somebody else who’s going to create that tension. Maybe it’s Kyrie.” – Dave McMenamin of ESPN
Kyrie heard those statements and responded.
“It’s in my personality, I would agree with that,” Irving said on Saturday. “I think if one of the greatest players to play our game and has had championship runs and has been on teams where he’s either been that or he’s been the guy that has been the emotional voice of the team and holding guys accountable, I think he said it best. I think that in order for our team to be where we want to go, I have to step up and be that other leader on our team other than LeBron. So, I would agree with that. It’s definitely in my personality. It’s taken me a few years to kind of grow into that and kind of earn my teammates’ respect and also hold myself accountable when I’m out there.”
LeBron’s message and tactics seem to be wearing thin on the team. Kyrie has to be that leader that the Cavs follow in hard times.