All signs point toward the Cleveland Cavaliers selecting former Duke Point Guard Kyrie Irving. With only limited playing time in college due to coming out after his Freshmen season, and only playing 11 games during that season due to injury, Irving according to multiple sources and analysts is the clear cut favorite to be selected number one.
However in these final few days leading up to the draft, I have been thinking more and more about the style of play in today's NBA and how games are won. This is not to take anything away from Kyrie Irving, I believe he will be a fine player, but more to do with the position he plays at point guard.
You hear a lot about today's game being a point guard driven league, and you could start to see where people could make their case with Derrick Rose winning the league MVP and Rajon Rondo developing into an All Star caliber player all the way to players like Russel Westbrook who is a rising star in the league. But when I really look at it, the key to success in the NBA is not the point guard position. It is clearly a "wing mans" league.
Now before explaining why I feel this way, let me start by saying I do believe the point guard position is important, you need a point guard who is a leader and understands his role, however that last word is key, ROLE, the point guard position is just a role on a team that can be filled by someone with a high basketball IQ and can lead his team on the court and does not turn the ball over. However if you want to be successful and win a championship in today's NBA you need above average production out of you wing men (Shooting Guards or Small Forwards).
When you look at just the playoffs from this season the only teams that made the playoffs where the best player on their team was the point guard were the New Orleans Hornets (Chris Paul) and Chicago Bulls (Derrick Rose). Literally every other "contender" the best player on their team was a wing player. Lakers=Kobe Bryant, Thunder=Kevin Durant, Heat=James/Wade, even the aging Boston Celtics best player is Paul Pierce, and the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks who have Dirk Nowitzki whose style of play is like a shooting guard and he plays on the wing mostly, he just happens to be 7 foot tall.
My point is if indeed the Cavs select Irving with their first pick in the draft he could be a nice complimentary piece to a puzzle that is not close to being finished yet. Ultimately to compete in today's NBA they will need to find him a running mate at a wing position to once again find themselves in contention, whether it be through a trade, the draft, or the unlikely scenario of a key free agent wing player landing in Cleveland. So as long as the Cavaliers organization and fans keep Irvings role on the team exactly that, as a role and a piece, there will be no scenario which they set themselves up for another disappointment, or have a waste in this years NBA draft.
Richard Rodawalt
AB3 Sports
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