Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving. (Photo : Getty Images)
All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving is reportedly "unhappy" with his current role in the Eastern Conference powerhouse Cleveland Cavaliers and could request a release or trade in the near future.
The New York Post reported that the 23-year-old former Duke standout "may want out of Cavs' mounting drama", citing ESPN's Stephen A. Smith as the source of the rumors that Irving prefers "to go somewhere else".
"Dating back to last year, I've been told that Kyrie Irving ain't too happy being in Cleveland," Smith said in his show First Take. "The situation is not ideal for him. I don't know the particulars, I haven't spoken to him personally. It's something that I've been hearing for months; that under ideal circumstances he would prefer to be someplace other than Cleveland."
With that, Fansided's John Buhler predicted that the New York Knicks, who are still looking for their ideal starting point guard at the moment, could possibly make a run at the 2014 FIBA World Cup and NBA All-Star Game MVP as early as this offseason.
The report, first of all, noted that Irving may be pulled by the "allure" of "playing 41 games a year at the basketball Mecca that is Madison Square Garden".
The three-time NBA All-Star could definitely be the third piece of a potential Knicks Big Three that would also include team leader Carmelo Anthony and young gun Kristaps Porzingis.
One concern for Phil Jackson and company, though, is if Irving would complement with the games of Anthony and Porzingis, who are by this time have already found a nice chemistry in between them?
Buhler said that Irving seems "like the type of ball handler that could thrive running the Triangle Offense" and that he does "play with a flash at the point that seems reminiscent to that of other Knicks' greats".
The real question, however, is if he will bring that same unhappiness from Cleveland because he will be playing with the same ball-dominant player in Anthony just like his current situation with the Cavs in LeBron James.
Notwithstanding that risk, the Knicks do need a dominating and efficient point guard as soon as possible if they want to be a perennial playoff contender and Irving may be the floor general they had been waiting for all these time.
