Expected to dominate the league from the get-go, the Cleveland Cavaliers suddenly found their selves in sticky situation after losing three of their first four games this season. Sharing the ball is viewed as the biggest drawback so far for this star-studded Cavs, making their point guard Kyrie Irving their fall-out guy for their recent woes.
Irving, who is considered as one of the most offensively talented point guards in the league, has been a disappointment for the Cavs as a playmaker. Through the first four games, the former Duke standout averaged just 3.8 assists for a point guard, while shooting 18.8 shot attempts on 40 percent field goal shooting.
Moreover, his tendency to play one-on-one basketball instead of executing plays for better scoring opportunities has certainly drawn criticism from their team captain LeBron James, who believed Irving has to learn to sacrifice and get rid of his bad habits for him to become a winner.
While it's too early in the season to speculate the current state of affair inside the Cavs locker room, there's definitely a grain of truth that the Irving and LeBron are not on the same page right now. In fact, there were even reports that two All-Star had exchange words after another loss to the Utah Jazz on Wednesday.
Jason Whitney of SportsKing.com believed things could get out of hand in Cleveland if Irving continues to have his way with the ball. To solve this problem, someone has to go in exchange for a player that really fits the mold as a court general. The analyst is pushing for a trade involving Irving and All-Star playmaker Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics.
"Enter Rajon Rondo who is on the last year of his deal with the Boston Celtics and has been the subject of trade rumors the last couple of years. Irving is locked up for the next several years with the recent contract he signed last season which is what Boston would want in return," according to Whitney.
Rondo is in the final year of his contract with the Celtics and he has been a subject of trade rumors for the last two years. Even before the season starts, experts have already predicted Rondo's days in Beantown are numbered thanks to the arrival of point guard Marcus Smart, the sixth overall pick in the draft.
Unlike Irving, Rondo is a pass-first point with an excellent perimeter defense. He also proved that he can make an impact despite sharing the floor with multiple All-star teammates, particularly when he helped the Celtics reach in two finals appearance (winning one in 2008).
On the other hand, Irving might be what Danny Ainge has been looking for to speed up their rebuilding process. Irving and Smart can form a potent backcourt duo that resembles the slash brother tandem of Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe with the Phoenix Suns.
Whitney stressed his trade proposal is a win-win deal that would secure the future of both teams. Heck, even retired NBA All-Star Trace McGrady is convinced that the Cavs need to trade Irving for Rondo.
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