CLEVELAND, Ohio – There is an argument that the Cleveland Cavaliers should never have exchanged Kyrie Irving, who sent a reminder of his brilliance this week with 75 points from two combined games against his former team on Wednesday and Friday.
The Cavs should have called his bluff, let him go through knee surgery and accept the uncomfortable headaches and potential chemistry problems that often come with a disgruntled star who was not just mentally checked, but didn’t want to play anymore a second with LeBron James. The renewed reception could have bet on victory as a remedy for the fuel configuration. He could have kept the hope that the temperamental Irving had come out of his fear in time for the Cavs to pursue the final championship. The last alive.
Can anyone make that argument.
The Cavs – who changed their record to 8-7 on Friday after beating Irving’s Brooklyn Nets for the second time in three nights – are not where they are today without the brave agreement that was once considered a crooked laugh. It turns out it was crooked. Is still. Just not in the way that most originally believed.
The showcase of that 2017 summer blockbuster that sent Irving to Boston – and gave him a chance to be the “focal point” – was Collin Sexton. Well, technically the “Brooklyn pick” that the Celtics were holding tightly. Many in the league did not think the Cavs could pull it out. It was expected to be a gold ticket to one of the top spots in the 2018 NBA Draft before the Nets entered a wave led by Spencer Dinwiddie at the end of the season, causing the Cavs to fall to eighth place. Not Luka Doncic. Without Trae Young. Without Deandre Ayton. Not even Jaren Jackson Jr.
The Cavs ended Sexton, now the cultural backbone and cornerstone of this reconstruction. Sexton, alone, helps to distort the perception of Irving’s evil trade.
A game after the night of Sexton’s career – making everyone in the league notice a 42-point masterpiece, beating Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden – the 22-year-old guard scored 25 points and nine assists to win by 125-113.
It is the 14th game followed by Sexton with at least 20 points – a streak that goes back to the 2019-20 season. He became the first player in Cavs history to open a season with more than 20 points in his first 10 games. He continues to reach franchise brands that put him in the company of James and Irving.
This is becoming an occurrence every night, with flashes of the potential of stars dating back to last December, when Sexton began its launch as one of the best in the Eastern Conference.
His teammate, Darius Garland, who returned from an eight-game absence due to a sprain in his right shoulder on Friday, voted in advance for his teammate to gain some All-Star recognition.
“He deserves it,” said Garland as he shook his head. “He comes every night with the idea that you can’t stop him. And that’s what he shows the championship, he shows the world and everyone watching this basketball game. He’s getting where he wants. Involving teammates. I mean, a lot of people don’t do that. When you come out of a 42-point game, you expect them to probably try another 40-ball. He’s still getting his buckets, but he’s making everyone better around him. That’s what I love about Bull now. He’s just stuck. He wants to win. We all want to win. We’re all after him. “
In his third season, usually when youngsters make the leap, Sexton averages 26.8 points out of 52.3% on the pitch and 46.8% out of the 3 point range to go with 4.2 assists, 2 , 4 rebounds and 1.3 steals. His average score would be in 10th place, tied with MVP candidate Doncic, if Sexton had enough games to qualify.
A low-maintenance player who embodies the Cavaliers’ creed is a great starting point when reevaluating Irving’s trade.
The Cavs also hosted Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and Isaiah Thomas. It’s not great – until you start tracking more.
Without Thomas, there is no Larry Nance Jr. The Cavs acquired Nance from the Los Angeles Lakers along with Jordan Clarkson in the middle of the 2017-18 season. It cost Thomas, Channing Frye and a choice in the first round. Thomas’s salary number allowed the Lakers to dismiss Clarkson – an obstacle for them to give up on Nance.
Now in his third full season with Cavs – and sixth overall – Nance is a key part of that core. He is the striker who does everything in the middle of a year of career, averaging 11.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.4 steals.
An analytical darling, some of Cleveland’s tracking metrics point to him being one of the most impactful players on the team. Nance, who is under contract during the 2022-23 season, has a 3-point shot in development, reaching 42.9% beyond the arc this season. He also looks more comfortable as an ace, a role he was never granted in Los Angeles. But the flip side is where he shines, proud of his on-off assessment and always looking for more-less. An integral part of the team’s defensive turnaround, Nance is leading the league in steals and is sixth in defensive wins.
“There is no one who embodies the kind of people we want in this organization more than Larry,” said Cavs coach JB Bickerstaff. “It remains the engine that helps this thing to keep spinning on both ends of the ball.”
Crowder did not go well in Cleveland. He was signed by three teams with Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings. The Cavs hosted George Hill and Rodney Hood.
About a year later, with Cleveland changing his priorities, Hill was sent to the Milwaukee Bucks for John Henson, Matthew Dellavedova and a future choice in the first round. Without Crowder and his valuable contract – a secondary reason for the Cavs to target him in the Irving deal – they don’t get Hill. Without Hill, Cavs don’t have Andre Drummond and Jarrett Allen.
Last February, the Cavs used Henson’s expired contract with Brandon Knight to obtain Drummond, giving the Detroit Pistons the salary relief they needed to readjust the lineup. Back to last season, Cavs is 11-11 with Drummond in the lineup, much more competitive than when he arrived.
Drummond can get out of control from time to time. Bickerstaff took a different direction to close Wednesday’s game. But Drummond recovered on Friday, recording another double-double with 19 points and 16 bags. The two-time All-Star has been a force at both ends, intimidating opponents around the edge and anchoring the team’s defense in the way it promised.
“The potential of this team is infinite,” said Drummond. “We have all the tools to form a great team. There is no reason why we cannot defeat the best teams in the NBA. We have the heart, we have the impulse.
“When I got here, my message to these guys was, we should never be afraid of anyone, we don’t care who is on the court. It could be Kevin Durant and LeBron James. Does not matter. We will play them in the same way every night, we will follow our scheme and what works for us. We don’t want cute games. He wants to make it as ugly as possible and to win the best team. Night after night, we ended up being us. “
That first round of the Bucks was the basis for Allen’s theft last week. The Nets did not want to part with the emerging center. Instead, they bought sniper Landry Shamet, in the hope that he could pursue the final first-round choice that the Nets needed to land Harden. When these attempts failed, they sought out the Cavs, who were delighted with the deal.
Cleveland also won the Taurean Prince, which appears to be much more than a replacement part. While the Cavs must pay Allen, a restricted free agent this summer, they believe he is the long-term answer – a 22-year-old putt-and-block pick-and-roll partner from Sexton and Garland.
Back to Clarkson for a minute. He was sent to Utah last December for Dante Exum and two choices in the second round. The Cavs also had an exchange exception. Not only did Clarkson’s departure coincide with Sexton’s rise, but he brought Exum, which was used in Harden’s blockbuster – the salary needed to match Prince. The commercial exception allowed the Cavs to absorb Allen’s contract.
Hood was thrown to Portland almost two years ago in a package that included Nik Stauskas, Wade Baldwin and two future choices for the second round.
Trading is a long and complex chess game. It is not just a movement, but a series of them that requires short and long term thinking.
Cleveland’s reconstruction plan – driven by Irving’s commercial demand – has begun to come into focus. Because of this movement, and a number of others that have emerged from it, the Cavs now have Sexton, Nance, Drummond, Allen, Prince and more drawing capital to use in future business.
Checkmate.
Meanwhile, Irving spent two frustrating years in Boston and ran away in bad shape. He’s in Brooklyn now, hoping that the addition of Harden will allow Nets to reach the top of the league. Irving’s greatness cannot be contested. The Cavs paid tribute to him in the first quarter of Wednesday’s game, when Irving saluted the crowd and pointed at his ring finger – an acknowledgment of the role this organization played in making him a champion.
Hatred was suppressed. The Cavs moved on. They are in a good place, one of the NBA’s surprise teams in the first month, with a bright future and a young and exciting core. There is hope again. It wouldn’t have been possible without the Irving trade more than three years ago.
Really unbalanced. In favor of Cleveland.
–
New Cavs face masks for sale: This is where you can buy Cleveland Cavaliers themed facial covers for coronavirus protection, including a single mask ($ 14.99) and a pack of 3 ($ 24.99). All NBA proceeds donated to charities.
More Cavaliers coverage
Incredible night by Collin Sexton, Cavaliers leave Kevin Porter Jr. and welcome Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince: Wine and Gold Talk Podcast
Where Collin Sexton’s 42-point game against Nets ranks on the Cavaliers’ all-time scoring list
Collin Sexton drops the biggest mark of his career by 42 points against the Nets: see how social media reacted to Sexton’s big night
Collin Sexton changing the narrative, becoming the cornerstone of the Cleveland Cavaliers reconstruction: “He’s not a regular NBA player”
Cavaliers’ past meets present and future when Collin Sexton defeats Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets 147-135 in 2OT