Nobody brings up pace of play in are supposed "worse offense with Kyrie" arguments? Just for info it's 24th and I'm pretty sure we were playing at a much faster pace last year.
The offense is worse on a per-possession basis. We’re also 24th in both eFG% and TS%.
Our offense is ranked 19th, at 106.0 points per 100 possessions.
Last year it was 8th, at 111.2 points per 100 possessions.
Our pace is almost identical to last year, but the pace overall in the NBA is up this year, while we’ve slowed down a very small amount.
How do those numbers change with the games Irving and Horford missed?
Have you looked, or are you genuinely asking? I'm also not sure how relevant that is, given Kyrie left at halftime with what was likely minimal-to-no injury. Isn't that the only game he missed? If so, aren't we then talking about Horford's influence on the team?
Regardless, I'm really impressed with the data and information Roy has provided to support his (objective) position on Kyrie thus far. I should be striving to do the same.
Genuinely asking. He didn't leave at halftime, fyi. He left about 2 minutes into the game and your "minimal-to-no-injury" remark is just looking for attention. He also missed the following game, so that's about 2 full games where data would not be accurate.
I read halftime, but I guess it doesn't matter. I don't want attention - people literally reply to my posts wishing me physical pain. A "mild facial fracture" is not an injury I've ever heard of. Sounds like he left prematurely because he a) doesn't play through injuries, b) didn't want to play without his 2 running mates, c) both. Regardless, I can't prove it was a legitimate injury in the same way you can't prove the opposite. Hopefully he decides to play relatively soon. But it honestly doesn't even seem like we're giving up much with our backup PG play.
That's just non-sense. Unless you're going to use that same flawed argument on Thomas because a) he didn't play through his injury during the playoffs b) didn't want to play because Kyrie and the Cavs were exposing him c) both.
You should watch more games. Just pretend Irving is Isaiah and then you can enjoy the games and be in awe at how much "the little guy" has grown and improved.
I have argued repeatedly that we have no idea how serious IT's injury is. Are you seriously questioning whether or not IT chose to play through pain in the playoffs? That ends our conversation, unfortunatley.
I watch a lot of games. Kyrie is a cupcake. Sorry you a) do not care about that nearly as much as I do, b) see that differently, perhaps because of how marketable he is, or c) both.
I'll take the "cupcake" over Isaiah any day and 99.9% of unbiased (key word) observers would too.
I've repeatedly said that the trade was an overpay that will be better for the franchise long-term.
I've also clearly stated that:
-I am biased because I strongly dislike Kyrie. There are few athletes on the planet I like less for a host of reasons. Despite that, I've shared a lot of objective (and even favorable) impressions; and better posters than I, like Roy, have provided statistical evidence.
-That doesn't change the fact that he hasn't been objectively better than IT yet. I suspect he will be.
-I believe Horford looks better this year in part because of Kyrie. Their PnR looks superior to last year's.
-Kyrie is showing better effort on defense. He's a good ball-hawker, like a cornerback. His lateral movement sucks, and he's easily bullied in the paint.
-Kyrie is better than I thought he is at penetrating, using it to create for others, and finishing at the rim. He's clearly elite at all three.
-He's a cupcake that I strongly dislike.
Fair enough?