Kyrie!
I love reading these DBR battles on strategy/players/coaches/games. They are everything the internet is not: civilized, analytical, and profanity-free.
I think we can establish the following:
-CDu loves Derrick Rose. Makes sense. He lives in Chi-Town, and D Rose is basically the equivalent of Paul Pierce here in Boston. CDu hasn't given up on Derrick Rose, whereas many of us don't think he'll ever be the same player again (myself included). CDu is incredibly level-headed about Derrick Rose's state right now; he understands there is a lot of rusk (junk-yard 1950s Cadillac rust), Rose hasn't played well, and Rose has never been nor will ever be a distributor first, scorer second.
-We all support Kyrie and want him to do well. Kyrie has the opportunity to go down as the best Duke NBA player ever. That's something to root for. And anything negative about Duke players does not sit well here at DBR.
Kyrie Irving is phenomenal player. There haven't been that many players like him: insane handle, great at getting to the rim, excellent shooting off the dribble, quick hands (on O and D), ankle breaker, etc etc etc. He has the opportunity to be the best PG scorer in the NBA in a few years. That's saying something. But he's not the best passer. That isn't saying he is a ball hog or turnover prone; it's that he doesn't pass much. Kyrie Irving has averaged 5.8 assists per game for the Cavs. Yes, yes, he has had terrible teammates. You know you else had terrible teammates? Chris Paul with the Hornets, and he averaged ~10-11 assists per game. Jason Kidd had terrible teammates with Phoenix and the Nets, and he averaged 8-10 assists per game. Terrible teammates helps, but having a true pass-first PG helps even more.
But I don't think its a terrible thing. 1) Kyrie has never been asked to pass. 2) He is only 22 years old. Let me repeat that. He's only 22 years old. 3) He has been a very poor leader, and great leadership will maximize his value. If this means passing more, so be it. If it means shooting more, so be it. After all, Tony Parker, one of the best PGs in the last 10 years, has only averaged 6.0 assists for this career. And this is when he's feeding the ball to Timmy D and Manu (amongst others).
For Team USA, Kyrie may not be the best candidate (I personally love Chris Paul, but that's because Chris Paul is a top 5 PG in nearly everything a PG is supposed to do). But Kyrie is providing value, and making Duke fans happy that he's looking really good on D.
Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfils the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things. - Winston Churchill
President of the "Nolan Smith Should Have His Jersey in The Rafters" Club