Kyrie May Not Fit Well With Spurs

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3) Spurs System:

• Kyrie Irving would be walking into a situation where he would not be the focal point of the offense. He would be in fact walking into a system where no one is truly the focal point of the offense. The Spurs pride themselves on making the extra pass, looking for great not good shots. Irving has been known for his selfishness with the basketball, he loves to dribble and go one on one--the Spurs don’t do that very often. If anything once Irving would penetrate in the paint the Spurs would prefer him to pass to the open shooter, penetration/dish basketball has been the staple of their success. Irving could look at a decreased number of shots and minutes per game.

2) The Popovich Way:

• Coach Popovich has been known to ruffle player’s feathers, to play for him you have to be thick-skinned. Irving hasn’t shown that he can even take the tongue lashings of mild LeBron James, what happens when Popovich dedicates an entire timeout to get on him about a missed play? Irving also will be expected to play defense, missed defensive rotations (which he is known for) will likely get him sent to the bench in a hurry. Also Popovich does not hesitate to rest players and this could hurt Irving’s numbers. Popovich’s way is completely about winning so ego, numbers, and bad defensive habits go completely out the window or else…

1)Kawhi Leonard:

• Kyrie Irving is a dazzling offensive player and talent but he is no Kawhi Leonard. So if he is trying to escape Cleveland to get from under LeBron’s shadow then going to San Antonio with Kawhi isn’t much different. The Spurs are Kawhi Leonard’s team. Leonard has become arguably the best perimeter player in the game today, so you can expect the offense to run through him before Irving. So he would be right back to playing second fiddle to a bigger star. If the Spurs get a shot at him they have to pursue it , but it would be wise for the coaching staff to pick his brain and see if his mentality is on par with what the Spurs goals are--team success over individual success.

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