Sunday, July 20, 2014
Northeast Ohio Media Group
INDEPENDENCE
It’s been an exciting off-season for Cavaliers fourth-year point guard Kyrie Irving.
New General Manager David Griffin and coach David Blatt drafted Andrew Wiggins No. 1 overall, giving Irving and the Cavs some more firepower for an offense that averaged 98.2 points per game, ranking in the bottom 10 of the league.
Immediately after free agency opened, Irving agreed to a five-year extension worth $90 million, which will keep the 2011 NBA Rookie of the Year in Cleveland through the 2019-20 season. All of this gave fans something to be excited about before the homecoming of LeBron James, who joined the team as a free agent on July 11, which Irving said he learned of with the rest of America after the announcement with Sports Illustrated.
“It’s been a little bit of a whirlwind, but it’s been exciting,” Irving said at the Kyrie Irving Basketball ProCamp, held Saturday at the Independence Fieldhouse. The championships will be played Sunday. “There’s a great feeling about our organization and the direction that we’re headed.”
Irving said he has spoken to James since his decision to return to the Cavaliers, but just a quick congratulations.
“I know right now, he’s focused on his family, just like I would do,” he said.
Despite the work owner Dan Gilbert and Griffin have done solidifying the Cavaliers as an Eastern Conference and NBA Finals contender, rumors are still swirling about a possible trade for Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kevin Love. Irving said he hasn’t even seriously thought about it.
“There are so many guys who have inside sources,” Irving said. “Until it happens and I get the call from our GM, other than that I haven’t really considered anything.”