Debating With Friend: What Do You View Kyrie Irving As In The NBA?

[Moranis]

Superstar or not, you have to admit, Kyrie's resume is pretty impressive.

NBA champion (2016)
4× NBA All-Star (2013–2015, 2017)
NBA All-Star Game MVP (2014)
All-NBA Third Team (2015)
NBA Rookie of the Year (2012)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (2012)
NBA Rising Stars Challenge MVP (2012)
NBA Three-Point Shootout champion (2013)
USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year (2014)
FIBA World Cup MVP (2014)
2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics (Gold Medal Winner)
2014 FIBA World Champion (Spain)
2010 FIBA Americas U18 Champion (Gold Medal Winner)
2010 McDonald's All-American
2010 Nike Hoop Summit All-American
2010 Jordan Brand High School All-American
2010 First-team Parade All-American

CAREER: 21.6 PPG, 5.5 APG, 3.5 RPG in 46% shooting, 38% 3 pt. shooting (6 seasons)

And of course, the game-winning shot over Steph Curry in NBA Finals, Game 7, on the road that gave Cleveland it's first title in FRANCHISE HISTORY (and first title in Cleveland after 52 years, breaking the Cleveland Sports Curse).

I'm not really sure that is all that impressive when you are talking about top level players.  Just 1 All NBA Team and it was the 3rd team.  The championships and things like that he was never his teams best player.

That feels like throwing shade. For a 25 year old, that is an impressive basketball resume.

It isn't the resume of a top 15 player though, which is sort of the point.

Resumes get built over time. Great players do enter the NBA with a strong resume, they more often than not need to build one through their prime, and beyond.

Please take a look at your top-15 NBA players and try to see what their resume looked like when they were 25, chances are they weren’t as good as Kyrie’s. And they were probably too-15 players at that age anyway.

we are talking about right now, but for the record, most of the current top 15 players had far better resumes at 25 than Irving does.  That is what sets those guys apart from the all star level players (which Irving is).

Far better? That’s simply not true. I’d love to see your top 15 players

ESPN's top 10 at the beginning of the season were Green, Giannis, Harden, Paul, Davis, Westbrook, Curry, Leonard, Durant, James.  Now you tell me, aside from Green (who was mich older as a rookie) which of those guys resumes are worse than Irving at 25 or the year he turned 26 (year 7 also)

Westbrook and Curry quite easily. Giannis and AD it's hard to tell, because, despite the likelihood (or lack thereof) they could win a ring this season - but Kyrie still has a better resume than both of them. LeBron, KD, Kawhi, Harden and CP3 are the only ones who are comfortably above him on that list resume wise (when they were 25)

Winning a ring when you aren't your team's best player isn't exactly a notch in the belt.  It is nice, but if you can award that ring to one player it would go to Lebron. 

Giannis is 23 and already has a 2nd Team All NBA and a 2nd Team All Defensive NBA.  He also has a top 10 finish in MVP voting.  It can be argued he already has a better resume and he still has 2+ years to go.

Westbrook before he turned 25 already had 3 All NBA 2nd Team appearances as well as MVP votes in two seasons (including a top 10).  Thus he had far more recognition as a top 15 player than Irving did at a similar age. 

Curry, like Green, was a much older rookie though he did have an All NBA 2nd Team and a 6th place finish in MVP voting (as well as an 11th place finish) when he was 25 or younger.  He won his first MVP at 26 in his 6th year and was the best player on a title team that year as well (so less overall experience than Irving).

Davis isn't yet 25 and in year 6.  He has a 5th and 9th place finish in MVP voting, two 1st Team All NBA and two 2nd Team All Defense, and like Irving also has an All Star Game MVP.

[Moranis]

Superstar or not, you have to admit, Kyrie's resume is pretty impressive.

NBA champion (2016)
4× NBA All-Star (2013–2015, 2017)
NBA All-Star Game MVP (2014)
All-NBA Third Team (2015)
NBA Rookie of the Year (2012)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (2012)
NBA Rising Stars Challenge MVP (2012)
NBA Three-Point Shootout champion (2013)
USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year (2014)
FIBA World Cup MVP (2014)
2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics (Gold Medal Winner)
2014 FIBA World Champion (Spain)
2010 FIBA Americas U18 Champion (Gold Medal Winner)
2010 McDonald's All-American
2010 Nike Hoop Summit All-American
2010 Jordan Brand High School All-American
2010 First-team Parade All-American

CAREER: 21.6 PPG, 5.5 APG, 3.5 RPG in 46% shooting, 38% 3 pt. shooting (6 seasons)

And of course, the game-winning shot over Steph Curry in NBA Finals, Game 7, on the road that gave Cleveland it's first title in FRANCHISE HISTORY (and first title in Cleveland after 52 years, breaking the Cleveland Sports Curse).

I'm not really sure that is all that impressive when you are talking about top level players.  Just 1 All NBA Team and it was the 3rd team.  The championships and things like that he was never his teams best player.

That feels like throwing shade. For a 25 year old, that is an impressive basketball resume.

It isn't the resume of a top 15 player though, which is sort of the point.

Resumes get built over time. Great players do enter the NBA with a strong resume, they more often than not need to build one through their prime, and beyond.

Please take a look at your top-15 NBA players and try to see what their resume looked like when they were 25, chances are they weren’t as good as Kyrie’s. And they were probably too-15 players at that age anyway.

we are talking about right now, but for the record, most of the current top 15 players had far better resumes at 25 than Irving does.  That is what sets those guys apart from the all star level players (which Irving is).

Far better? That’s simply not true. I’d love to see your top 15 players

ESPN's top 10 at the beginning of the season were Green, Giannis, Harden, Paul, Davis, Westbrook, Curry, Leonard, Durant, James.  Now you tell me, aside from Green (who was mich older as a rookie) which of those guys resumes are worse than Irving at 25 or the year he turned 26 (year 7 also)

what were the other 5 in the espn top 15



Curry wasn't "top of the nba" relevant  until he was 26

As I said in my other post, Curry had twice received MVP votes (including a 6th place finish) at or before 25.  He also had a 2nd Team All NBA.  Those are things Irving has yet to achieve.

11 - 15 were Butler, Towns, George, Gobert, Wall.   Butler was an old rookie at 22 but did at least have two 2nd Team All Defense.  George had 3 3rd Team All NBA, a 1st and two 2nd Team All Defense and a top ten MVP finish.  Gobert is 25 this year and coming off a 2nd Team All NBA and a 1st Team All Defense season.  Towns is just 22 and only in year 3.  Not much of a resume yet.  Wall had a worse resume than Irving at age 25.

So all in all, as I said, Irving's resume is worse than most of the top 15 players at age 25.

[Androslav]

Superstar or not, you have to admit, Kyrie's resume is pretty impressive.

NBA champion (2016)
4× NBA All-Star (2013–2015, 2017)
NBA All-Star Game MVP (2014)
All-NBA Third Team (2015)
NBA Rookie of the Year (2012)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (2012)
NBA Rising Stars Challenge MVP (2012)
NBA Three-Point Shootout champion (2013)
USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year (2014)
FIBA World Cup MVP (2014)
2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics (Gold Medal Winner)
2014 FIBA World Champion (Spain)
2010 FIBA Americas U18 Champion (Gold Medal Winner)
2010 McDonald's All-American
2010 Nike Hoop Summit All-American
2010 Jordan Brand High School All-American
2010 First-team Parade All-American

CAREER: 21.6 PPG, 5.5 APG, 3.5 RPG in 46% shooting, 38% 3 pt. shooting (6 seasons)

And of course, the game-winning shot over Steph Curry in NBA Finals, Game 7, on the road that gave Cleveland it's first title in FRANCHISE HISTORY (and first title in Cleveland after 52 years, breaking the Cleveland Sports Curse).

I'm not really sure that is all that impressive when you are talking about top level players.  Just 1 All NBA Team and it was the 3rd team.  The championships and things like that he was never his teams best player.

That feels like throwing shade. For a 25 year old, that is an impressive basketball resume.

It isn't the resume of a top 15 player though, which is sort of the point.

Resumes get built over time. Great players do enter the NBA with a strong resume, they more often than not need to build one through their prime, and beyond.

Please take a look at your top-15 NBA players and try to see what their resume looked like when they were 25, chances are they weren’t as good as Kyrie’s. And they were probably too-15 players at that age anyway.

we are talking about right now, but for the record, most of the current top 15 players had far better resumes at 25 than Irving does.  That is what sets those guys apart from the all star level players (which Irving is).

Far better? That’s simply not true. I’d love to see your top 15 players

ESPN's top 10 at the beginning of the season were Green, Giannis, Harden, Paul, Davis, Westbrook, Curry, Leonard, Durant, James.  Now you tell me, aside from Green (who was mich older as a rookie) which of those guys resumes are worse than Irving at 25 or the year he turned 26 (year 7 also)

what were the other 5 in the espn top 15



Curry wasn't "top of the nba" relevant  until he was 26

As I said in my other post, Curry had twice received MVP votes (including a 6th place finish) at or before 25.  He also had a 2nd Team All NBA.  Those are things Irving has yet to achieve.

11 - 15 were Butler, Towns, George, Gobert, Wall.   Butler was an old rookie at 22 but did at least have two 2nd Team All Defense.  George had 3 3rd Team All NBA, a 1st and two 2nd Team All Defense and a top ten MVP finish.  Gobert is 25 this year and coming off a 2nd Team All NBA and a 1st Team All Defense season.  Towns is just 22 and only in year 3.  Not much of a resume yet.  Wall had a worse resume than Irving at age 25.

So all in all, as I said, Irving's resume is worse than most of the top 15 players at age 25.

I guess the most important thing in a career, winning a title as a teams best closer, isn't appreciated these days. If it was, it surely wouldn't be valued as a lesser achievement than an all-defense team.
I have heard enough, after being 3 weeks away from the blog. I feel the shift from Kyrie doubters already shifting.
Only half a year before all of them sprinkle themselves with the ashes.

[Granath]

Superstar or not, you have to admit, Kyrie's resume is pretty impressive.

NBA champion (2016)
4× NBA All-Star (2013–2015, 2017)
NBA All-Star Game MVP (2014)
All-NBA Third Team (2015)
NBA Rookie of the Year (2012)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (2012)
NBA Rising Stars Challenge MVP (2012)
NBA Three-Point Shootout champion (2013)
USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year (2014)
FIBA World Cup MVP (2014)
2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics (Gold Medal Winner)
2014 FIBA World Champion (Spain)
2010 FIBA Americas U18 Champion (Gold Medal Winner)
2010 McDonald's All-American
2010 Nike Hoop Summit All-American
2010 Jordan Brand High School All-American
2010 First-team Parade All-American

CAREER: 21.6 PPG, 5.5 APG, 3.5 RPG in 46% shooting, 38% 3 pt. shooting (6 seasons)

And of course, the game-winning shot over Steph Curry in NBA Finals, Game 7, on the road that gave Cleveland it's first title in FRANCHISE HISTORY (and first title in Cleveland after 52 years, breaking the Cleveland Sports Curse).

I'm not really sure that is all that impressive when you are talking about top level players.  Just 1 All NBA Team and it was the 3rd team.  The championships and things like that he was never his teams best player.

That feels like throwing shade. For a 25 year old, that is an impressive basketball resume.

It isn't the resume of a top 15 player though, which is sort of the point.

Resumes get built over time. Great players do enter the NBA with a strong resume, they more often than not need to build one through their prime, and beyond.

Please take a look at your top-15 NBA players and try to see what their resume looked like when they were 25, chances are they weren’t as good as Kyrie’s. And they were probably too-15 players at that age anyway.

we are talking about right now, but for the record, most of the current top 15 players had far better resumes at 25 than Irving does.  That is what sets those guys apart from the all star level players (which Irving is).

Far better? That’s simply not true. I’d love to see your top 15 players

ESPN's top 10 at the beginning of the season were Green, Giannis, Harden, Paul, Davis, Westbrook, Curry, Leonard, Durant, James.  Now you tell me, aside from Green (who was mich older as a rookie) which of those guys resumes are worse than Irving at 25 or the year he turned 26 (year 7 also)

what were the other 5 in the espn top 15



Curry wasn't "top of the nba" relevant  until he was 26

As I said in my other post, Curry had twice received MVP votes (including a 6th place finish) at or before 25.  He also had a 2nd Team All NBA.  Those are things Irving has yet to achieve.

11 - 15 were Butler, Towns, George, Gobert, Wall.   Butler was an old rookie at 22 but did at least have two 2nd Team All Defense.  George had 3 3rd Team All NBA, a 1st and two 2nd Team All Defense and a top ten MVP finish.  Gobert is 25 this year and coming off a 2nd Team All NBA and a 1st Team All Defense season.  Towns is just 22 and only in year 3.  Not much of a resume yet.  Wall had a worse resume than Irving at age 25.

So all in all, as I said, Irving's resume is worse than most of the top 15 players at age 25.

I guess the most important thing in a career, winning a title as a teams best closer, isn't appreciated these days. If it was, it surely wouldn't be valued as a lesser achievement than an all-defense team.
I have heard enough, after being 3 weeks away from the blog. I feel the shift from Kyrie doubters already shifting.
Only half a year before all of them sprinkle themselves with the ashes.

Wrong. That's Lebron. Irving hit one shot. Lebron carried the team and closed out most of the playoff games. Stop trying to basis Kyrie's "greatness" on one 3 point shot with 53 seconds left in the game. That's not even Big Shot Rob level of importance and it's only one shot.

If you want to argue Irving's record do it on the body of work.

[Androslav]

Superstar or not, you have to admit, Kyrie's resume is pretty impressive.

NBA champion (2016)
4× NBA All-Star (2013–2015, 2017)
NBA All-Star Game MVP (2014)
All-NBA Third Team (2015)
NBA Rookie of the Year (2012)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (2012)
NBA Rising Stars Challenge MVP (2012)
NBA Three-Point Shootout champion (2013)
USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year (2014)
FIBA World Cup MVP (2014)
2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics (Gold Medal Winner)
2014 FIBA World Champion (Spain)
2010 FIBA Americas U18 Champion (Gold Medal Winner)
2010 McDonald's All-American
2010 Nike Hoop Summit All-American
2010 Jordan Brand High School All-American
2010 First-team Parade All-American

CAREER: 21.6 PPG, 5.5 APG, 3.5 RPG in 46% shooting, 38% 3 pt. shooting (6 seasons)

And of course, the game-winning shot over Steph Curry in NBA Finals, Game 7, on the road that gave Cleveland it's first title in FRANCHISE HISTORY (and first title in Cleveland after 52 years, breaking the Cleveland Sports Curse).

I'm not really sure that is all that impressive when you are talking about top level players.  Just 1 All NBA Team and it was the 3rd team.  The championships and things like that he was never his teams best player.

That feels like throwing shade. For a 25 year old, that is an impressive basketball resume.

It isn't the resume of a top 15 player though, which is sort of the point.

Resumes get built over time. Great players do enter the NBA with a strong resume, they more often than not need to build one through their prime, and beyond.

Please take a look at your top-15 NBA players and try to see what their resume looked like when they were 25, chances are they weren’t as good as Kyrie’s. And they were probably too-15 players at that age anyway.

we are talking about right now, but for the record, most of the current top 15 players had far better resumes at 25 than Irving does.  That is what sets those guys apart from the all star level players (which Irving is).

Far better? That’s simply not true. I’d love to see your top 15 players

ESPN's top 10 at the beginning of the season were Green, Giannis, Harden, Paul, Davis, Westbrook, Curry, Leonard, Durant, James.  Now you tell me, aside from Green (who was mich older as a rookie) which of those guys resumes are worse than Irving at 25 or the year he turned 26 (year 7 also)

what were the other 5 in the espn top 15



Curry wasn't "top of the nba" relevant  until he was 26

As I said in my other post, Curry had twice received MVP votes (including a 6th place finish) at or before 25.  He also had a 2nd Team All NBA.  Those are things Irving has yet to achieve.

11 - 15 were Butler, Towns, George, Gobert, Wall.   Butler was an old rookie at 22 but did at least have two 2nd Team All Defense.  George had 3 3rd Team All NBA, a 1st and two 2nd Team All Defense and a top ten MVP finish.  Gobert is 25 this year and coming off a 2nd Team All NBA and a 1st Team All Defense season.  Towns is just 22 and only in year 3.  Not much of a resume yet.  Wall had a worse resume than Irving at age 25.

So all in all, as I said, Irving's resume is worse than most of the top 15 players at age 25.

I guess the most important thing in a career, winning a title as a teams best closer, isn't appreciated these days. If it was, it surely wouldn't be valued as a lesser achievement than an all-defense team.
I have heard enough, after being 3 weeks away from the blog. I feel the shift from Kyrie doubters already shifting.
Only half a year before all of them sprinkle themselves with the ashes.

Wrong. That's Lebron. Irving hit one shot. Lebron carried the team and closed out most of the playoff games. Stop trying to basis Kyrie's "greatness" on one 3 point shot with 53 seconds left in the game. That's not even Big Shot Rob level of importance and it's only one shot.

If you want to argue Irving's record do it on the body of work.

Kyrie is the best closer since Mike. LBJ came to him as he needed a closer of Kyries stature/greatness. LBJ was right. Watch some Cleveland games past few playoffs, and don't just write I watched them, as you won't learn anything from that. Lebron literary couldn't buy a shot from the outside 2/3 years ago and closers - make shots.

[Phantom255x]

Superstar or not, you have to admit, Kyrie's resume is pretty impressive.

NBA champion (2016)
4× NBA All-Star (2013–2015, 2017)
NBA All-Star Game MVP (2014)
All-NBA Third Team (2015)
NBA Rookie of the Year (2012)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (2012)
NBA Rising Stars Challenge MVP (2012)
NBA Three-Point Shootout champion (2013)
USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year (2014)
FIBA World Cup MVP (2014)
2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics (Gold Medal Winner)
2014 FIBA World Champion (Spain)
2010 FIBA Americas U18 Champion (Gold Medal Winner)
2010 McDonald's All-American
2010 Nike Hoop Summit All-American
2010 Jordan Brand High School All-American
2010 First-team Parade All-American

CAREER: 21.6 PPG, 5.5 APG, 3.5 RPG in 46% shooting, 38% 3 pt. shooting (6 seasons)

And of course, the game-winning shot over Steph Curry in NBA Finals, Game 7, on the road that gave Cleveland it's first title in FRANCHISE HISTORY (and first title in Cleveland after 52 years, breaking the Cleveland Sports Curse).

I'm not really sure that is all that impressive when you are talking about top level players.  Just 1 All NBA Team and it was the 3rd team.  The championships and things like that he was never his teams best player.

That feels like throwing shade. For a 25 year old, that is an impressive basketball resume.

It isn't the resume of a top 15 player though, which is sort of the point.

Resumes get built over time. Great players do enter the NBA with a strong resume, they more often than not need to build one through their prime, and beyond.

Please take a look at your top-15 NBA players and try to see what their resume looked like when they were 25, chances are they weren’t as good as Kyrie’s. And they were probably too-15 players at that age anyway.

we are talking about right now, but for the record, most of the current top 15 players had far better resumes at 25 than Irving does.  That is what sets those guys apart from the all star level players (which Irving is).

Far better? That’s simply not true. I’d love to see your top 15 players

ESPN's top 10 at the beginning of the season were Green, Giannis, Harden, Paul, Davis, Westbrook, Curry, Leonard, Durant, James.  Now you tell me, aside from Green (who was mich older as a rookie) which of those guys resumes are worse than Irving at 25 or the year he turned 26 (year 7 also)

what were the other 5 in the espn top 15



Curry wasn't "top of the nba" relevant  until he was 26

As I said in my other post, Curry had twice received MVP votes (including a 6th place finish) at or before 25.  He also had a 2nd Team All NBA.  Those are things Irving has yet to achieve.

11 - 15 were Butler, Towns, George, Gobert, Wall.   Butler was an old rookie at 22 but did at least have two 2nd Team All Defense.  George had 3 3rd Team All NBA, a 1st and two 2nd Team All Defense and a top ten MVP finish.  Gobert is 25 this year and coming off a 2nd Team All NBA and a 1st Team All Defense season.  Towns is just 22 and only in year 3.  Not much of a resume yet.  Wall had a worse resume than Irving at age 25.

So all in all, as I said, Irving's resume is worse than most of the top 15 players at age 25.

I guess the most important thing in a career, winning a title as a teams best closer, isn't appreciated these days. If it was, it surely wouldn't be valued as a lesser achievement than an all-defense team.
I have heard enough, after being 3 weeks away from the blog. I feel the shift from Kyrie doubters already shifting.
Only half a year before all of them sprinkle themselves with the ashes.

Wrong. That's Lebron. Irving hit one shot. Lebron carried the team and closed out most of the playoff games. Stop trying to basis Kyrie's "greatness" on one 3 point shot with 53 seconds left in the game. That's not even Big Shot Rob level of importance and it's only one shot.

If you want to argue Irving's record do it on the body of work.

Not saying that's wrong, but Lebron DID have help from Kyrie in a lot of those games too.

Like, even with Lebron doing his thing, if his "sidekick Kyrie" didn't help along the way, it may not have mattered some of the games (ex. Game 4 last year vs. Boston, with Lebron in foul trouble and then helping at the end, but Kyrie was the BIG reason we lost that game).

Lebron was clearly the alpha, but he didn't do it entirely alone (including closing out "most" playoff games).

[cman88]

Just a question, if Kyrie irving is not a top 15 player or a superstar....what do you guys view Isaiah Thomas as? He really only had one MVP type season...

because we all know what the rediculous takes are about. its fans who cant get over Isaiah Thomas.

[Phantom255x]

Just a question, if Kyrie irving is not a top 15 player or a superstar....what do you guys view Isaiah Thomas as? He really only had one MVP type season...

because we all know what the rediculous takes are about. its fans who cant get over Isaiah Thomas.

That's the thing.

Isaiah last year had a better season than Kyrie (and was a Top-5 MVP candidate). No one viewed him as a superstar, or even a Top-15 player. Hence, the "debate".

[green_bballers13]

Just a question, if Kyrie irving is not a top 15 player or a superstar....what do you guys view Isaiah Thomas as? He really only had one MVP type season...

because we all know what the rediculous takes are about. its fans who cant get over Isaiah Thomas.

Not many people, especially around here, think that Kyrie isn't a top 15 player. It's a subjective list, but I think most agree that he should land around 15-20. I think the rare Kyrie haters are vastly outweighed by grateful Celtics fans. This team is a lot of fun to watch and he's our best player.

[nickagneta]

Before this season, Kyrie was just a star. A great resume but not a superstar. But looking at what he is done this year, through 24 games he is playing like a superstar.

He is putting up the best per 36 numbers of his career. His offensive and defensive ratings are amazing(+14 differential). His PER and TS% are at career bests. And he is easily the leader of the best team in the league and the number one reason for the Celtics record.

If he keeps up his great two way play and continues his amazing playoffs play(he really has been special in the post season), he'll cement himself as a superstar.

[Phantom255x]

Just a question, if Kyrie irving is not a top 15 player or a superstar....what do you guys view Isaiah Thomas as? He really only had one MVP type season...

because we all know what the rediculous takes are about. its fans who cant get over Isaiah Thomas.

Not many people, especially around here, think that Kyrie isn't a top 15 player. It's a subjective list, but I think most agree that he should land around 15-20. I think the rare Kyrie haters are vastly outweighed by grateful Celtics fans. This team is a lot of fun to watch and he's our best player.

Yep, that's where I have him.

[jambr380]

Just a question, if Kyrie irving is not a top 15 player or a superstar....what do you guys view Isaiah Thomas as? He really only had one MVP type season...

because we all know what the rediculous takes are about. its fans who cant get over Isaiah Thomas.

Not many people, especially around here, think that Kyrie isn't a top 15 player. It's a subjective list, but I think most agree that he should land around 15-20. I think the rare Kyrie haters are vastly outweighed by grateful Celtics fans. This team is a lot of fun to watch and he's our best player.

Yep, that's where I have him.

Can we go through this list of 15-19 players again who are definitely more superstar worthy than Kyrie? Because I am just not seeing it. He's got stats, flashiness, and [most importantly] is a winner. He's the whole package and I am very happy he is a Celtic.

[droopdog7]

Superstar or not, you have to admit, Kyrie's resume is pretty impressive.

NBA champion (2016)
4× NBA All-Star (2013–2015, 2017)
NBA All-Star Game MVP (2014)
All-NBA Third Team (2015)
NBA Rookie of the Year (2012)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (2012)
NBA Rising Stars Challenge MVP (2012)
NBA Three-Point Shootout champion (2013)
USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year (2014)
FIBA World Cup MVP (2014)
2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics (Gold Medal Winner)
2014 FIBA World Champion (Spain)
2010 FIBA Americas U18 Champion (Gold Medal Winner)
2010 McDonald's All-American
2010 Nike Hoop Summit All-American
2010 Jordan Brand High School All-American
2010 First-team Parade All-American

CAREER: 21.6 PPG, 5.5 APG, 3.5 RPG in 46% shooting, 38% 3 pt. shooting (6 seasons)

And of course, the game-winning shot over Steph Curry in NBA Finals, Game 7, on the road that gave Cleveland it's first title in FRANCHISE HISTORY (and first title in Cleveland after 52 years, breaking the Cleveland Sports Curse).

I'm not really sure that is all that impressive when you are talking about top level players.  Just 1 All NBA Team and it was the 3rd team.  The championships and things like that he was never his teams best player.

That feels like throwing shade. For a 25 year old, that is an impressive basketball resume.

It isn't the resume of a top 15 player though, which is sort of the point.

Resumes get built over time. Great players do enter the NBA with a strong resume, they more often than not need to build one through their prime, and beyond.

Please take a look at your top-15 NBA players and try to see what their resume looked like when they were 25, chances are they weren’t as good as Kyrie’s. And they were probably too-15 players at that age anyway.

we are talking about right now, but for the record, most of the current top 15 players had far better resumes at 25 than Irving does.  That is what sets those guys apart from the all star level players (which Irving is).

Far better? That’s simply not true. I’d love to see your top 15 players

ESPN's top 10 at the beginning of the season were Green, Giannis, Harden, Paul, Davis, Westbrook, Curry, Leonard, Durant, James.  Now you tell me, aside from Green (who was mich older as a rookie) which of those guys resumes are worse than Irving at 25 or the year he turned 26 (year 7 also)

what were the other 5 in the espn top 15



Curry wasn't "top of the nba" relevant  until he was 26

As I said in my other post, Curry had twice received MVP votes (including a 6th place finish) at or before 25.  He also had a 2nd Team All NBA.  Those are things Irving has yet to achieve.

11 - 15 were Butler, Towns, George, Gobert, Wall.   Butler was an old rookie at 22 but did at least have two 2nd Team All Defense.  George had 3 3rd Team All NBA, a 1st and two 2nd Team All Defense and a top ten MVP finish.  Gobert is 25 this year and coming off a 2nd Team All NBA and a 1st Team All Defense season.  Towns is just 22 and only in year 3.  Not much of a resume yet.  Wall had a worse resume than Irving at age 25.

So all in all, as I said, Irving's resume is worse than most of the top 15 players at age 25.

I guess the most important thing in a career, winning a title as a teams best closer, isn't appreciated these days. If it was, it surely wouldn't be valued as a lesser achievement than an all-defense team.
I have heard enough, after being 3 weeks away from the blog. I feel the shift from Kyrie doubters already shifting.
Only half a year before all of them sprinkle themselves with the ashes.

Wrong. That's Lebron. Irving hit one shot. Lebron carried the team and closed out most of the playoff games. Stop trying to basis Kyrie's "greatness" on one 3 point shot with 53 seconds left in the game. That's not even Big Shot Rob level of importance and it's only one shot.

If you want to argue Irving's record do it on the body of work.

Lebron is one of the greatest players of all time; probably top five.  He would dwarf all but a handful of players in history were they on his team.  So how is it fair to judge Kyrie’s resume when he was in the shadow of the best player in the game?  How can Kyrie garner mvp consideration when he’s not the mvp of his own team?  Hell, all those others players would have been dwarfed by lebron too.

If you’re paying attention, this is the exact reason Kyrie wanted to leave Cleveland.  He wanted to see what he could do as the lead dog.  And I think it’s been pretty evident. 

[celticsclay]

Just a question, if Kyrie irving is not a top 15 player or a superstar....what do you guys view Isaiah Thomas as? He really only had one MVP type season...

because we all know what the rediculous takes are about. its fans who cant get over Isaiah Thomas.

Not many people, especially around here, think that Kyrie isn't a top 15 player. It's a subjective list, but I think most agree that he should land around 15-20. I think the rare Kyrie haters are vastly outweighed by grateful Celtics fans. This team is a lot of fun to watch and he's our best player.

Yep, that's where I have him.

Yea same. It also devolved into a weird discussion of resumes at age 25. Who are the 15 players better than him? Do people think he isn't starting in all star game or making an all NBA team this season? That would be surprising to me.

[Moranis]

Just a question, if Kyrie irving is not a top 15 player or a superstar....what do you guys view Isaiah Thomas as? He really only had one MVP type season...

because we all know what the rediculous takes are about. its fans who cant get over Isaiah Thomas.

Not many people, especially around here, think that Kyrie isn't a top 15 player. It's a subjective list, but I think most agree that he should land around 15-20. I think the rare Kyrie haters are vastly outweighed by grateful Celtics fans. This team is a lot of fun to watch and he's our best player.

Yep, that's where I have him.

Yea same. It also devolved into a weird discussion of resumes at age 25. Who are the 15 players better than him? Do people think he isn't starting in all star game or making an all NBA team this season? That would be surprising to me.

He will clearly start the all star game (especially with Wall being hurt), and while I think he will make an All NBA Team, I don't think it is a given.  Only 6 guards make it and I would be incredibly surprised if Westbrook, Curry, and Harden aren't all clearly ahead of him (unless Curry's injury keeps him out for more than a couple of weeks).  Lillard is having a better statistical season right now.  Then you have guys like Booker, Beal, DeRozan, Oladipo, and Walker who all are capable of ending up with better stats and that doesn't even account for Wall and Paul who have both missed time but should have enough games to get considered (unlike a guy like Thomas who will miss too much of the season).  I'd currently have him on the 2nd Team, but a lot can happen over the course of the season.