Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving. (Photo : Getty Images)
There are many teams in the NBA which have "title or bust" labels and the Cleveland Cavaliers are one of them.
The Golden State Warriors and the San Antonio Spurs are at the top tier of teams in the NBA but despite the lofty expectations, these two teams won't fall apart if they don't win the title. The Warriors roster and chemistry is as good as any we've ever seen and the Spurs are just starting the new era of Kawhi Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge.
The teams right below them are not as lucky. The Cleveland Cavaliers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers all have nagging issues that might only be solved by winning a title. The Cavs, for one, are speculated to be blown up if they don't win the title.
The hint of urgency can be seen in their continued attempts to improve their roster and the firing of their coach. They are obviously not satisfied with the status quo.
Just before David Blatt was fired as head coach, there were rumblings of Kevin Love getting traded. Now, there is talk that Kyrie Irving is unhappy and despite his explosive comeback after recovering from injury, there is still that question of being a good "fit."
Kyrie has refuted the "unhappy" rumors via ESPN, "There's nothing to really address," Irving said. "For me, all that other stuff, what everyone is going to say, they're going to pick one player, it's going to change every single week. When they think that we're down and out, they're going to choose one player, so, for me, it has no effect on my life or what's going on. It's all about winning and winning a championship for Cleveland."
The media has heard similar statements before. Kevin Love has said similar statements when he was with Minnesota-not to say that he never meant them, but anything is always possible in the NBA.
Thus, in the scenario where Cleveland fails to win a championship, Irving becomes a very valuable asset.
A rebuilding team would love to have Kyrie Irving's offensive prowess-which has vastly improved since he came into the league. If he were to join the Phoenix Suns, they could unleash him and let him attack at will. This is what Hoops Habit suggested.
"Cleveland's current starting point guard is a better perimeter shooter and ball-handler, and Bledsoe is awfully turnover-prone at times," the article stated. "But he and LeBron James are friends who share the same agent, so if King James pushes for an Irving trade, this is one avenue Cleveland might take that would make some sense."
The Cavs could take Bledsoe and a future first round pick from the Suns. Bledsoe will easily jell with LeBron and won't demand touches as much as Kyrie. All of these are mere speculation if ever the Cavs fall short.
