Bill Simmons Loves Kyrie

[slower]

Go to question #7.

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/...estions-part-1

[Turk]

Nah, must be a bogus link, or someone else wrote that paragraph. Everyone knows Simmons hates Duke, just like Duke gets all the calls from the refs... Check out question #3, where he makes fun of Carlos Boozer's hairline!!

[RoyalBlue08]

I remember Simmons trash talking Kyrie at the time of the draft, and was looking forward to this. To his credit, at least he admits he is way wrong.

[mkline09]

I still don't like Bill Simmons.

[subzero02]

I cringe when I think about Kyrie playing an entire season at Duke... He is going to be an all star in the not too distant future.

[UrinalCake]

He gave JJ props after the excellent series he played against the Celtics a few years ago, defending Ray Allen particularly well. Redick even came on Simmons's podcast and Simmons was mostly complimentary and respectful. At other times I've heard him say good things about Luol Deng and Boozer, and he's always respected Coach K. I think he likes to play the hating Duke card because it's fun and it goes over well with his fan base, but at heart he can be objective and give credit where it's due when it comes to Duke players.

Also, interesting comparison to Kevin Johnson. I've never heard that one before, but it makes sense.

[roywhite]

Kyrie at Duke:
27.5 mpg 17.5 ppg 52.9% FG 4.3 asst 3.4 reb 46.2% 3-pt

Kyrie with Cavs (19 games)
28.4 mpg 17.9 ppg 51.6% FG 4.8 asst 3.5 reb 40.7% 3-pt

[NSDukeFan]

I liked this tweet from Greg Anthony:

GregAnthony50 Greg Anthony
Love John Wall but i'd take Kyrie only on the days that end in Y! EverydayRT @realchriswebber: @GregAnthony50 Kyrie or John wall?

[RoyalBlue08]

I think one of the reasons so many of the national guys were wrong about Kyrie, and why we knew they were going to be wrong, is that unlike John Wall you don't get a sense of Kyrie's greatness from watching a single highlight. He doesn't have that out of this world athleticism, but he is obviously a remarkably skilled basketball player if you watch him play a whole game. As an aside, I couldn't be happier for the kid. Seems like such a nice young man, and I think he has a chance at being one of the faces of the league later in his career.

[jipops]

Kyrie at Duke:
27.5 mpg 17.5 ppg 52.9% FG 4.3 asst 3.4 reb 46.2% 3-pt

Kyrie with Cavs (19 games)
28.4 mpg 17.9 ppg 51.6% FG 4.8 asst 3.5 reb 40.7% 3-pt

For an NBA rookie, a point guard no less, to be shooting over 50% after almost 20 games is just astounding.

[COYS]

For an NBA rookie, a point guard no less, to be shooting over 50% after almost 20 games is just astounding.

This +1.

His fg% is out of this world and bodes well for his future. It's amazing how he has avoided any rust from his layoff due to injury. His production is almost identical to his production in college. If I had to nitpick, I'd like to see his assist rate rise, but if he's able to increase it, he won't just be the undisputed best rookie, he'll be challenging Rose and Paul for the title of best point guard in the game. I knew Kyrie would be good, but to be honest, I've been astounded at his production on offense in the NBA.

His left handed layups are a thing of beauty. It makes him so difficult to guard. He can go right and left and take it all the way to the rim. He can hit jumpers with consistency. He can pull up for three. And he can pass (and this is probably his biggest weakness right now). He's the total package. I really hope the Cavs can surround him with the right talent.

[_Gary]

This +1.

His fg% is out of this world and bodes well for his future. It's amazing how he has avoided any rust from his layoff due to injury. His production is almost identical to his production in college. If I had to nitpick, I'd like to see his assist rate rise, but if he's able to increase it, he won't just be the undisputed best rookie, he'll be challenging Rose and Paul for the title of best point guard in the game. I knew Kyrie would be good, but to be honest, I've been astounded at his production on offense in the NBA.

His left handed layups are a thing of beauty. It makes him so difficult to guard. He can go right and left and take it all the way to the rim. He can hit jumpers with consistency. He can pull up for three. And he can pass (and this is probably his biggest weakness right now). He's the total package. I really hope the Cavs can surround him with the right talent.

In watching him play several times this year, I also +1 everything you and the previous poster wrote. Kyrie really is phenomenal and there's no doubt in my mind his fg percentage, for a rookie (and a PG), is off the charts. For any guard to be shooting anywhere close to 50% from the field is tremendous.

I too would, if I could pick one thing, like to see Kyrie's assist total per game increase. But having said that, after watching him on multiple occasions this year it isn't like he doesn't find the open man a good number of the times. He does. He actually drops some beautiful passes off, but too many of them are misses by his teammates. It's always wise to consider that factor as well when looking at assists. I think if he had better shooters around him you'd see those numbers up by at least a couple per game.

Kyrie Irving, at this point, looks to be the best rookie out there (even though Rubio gets all the pub).

[subzero02]

I forgot that Rubio is considered a rookie... My bet of Kyrie Irving for rookie of the year at 4.5 to 1 seems significantly less certain... Stay healthy KYRIE!!!!!!!

[Bluedog]

Speaking of Kyrie, Duke Blue Planet just put up a video of him with some highlights and his thoughts on his season at Duke:

[Ichabod Drain]

One thing about Kyrie is that right now he is only playing 29 minutes a game which is considerably low for a star player (most likely because he is still a rookie and still trying to improve his D). If you look at all the players who are ahead of him in ppg and apg almost everyone of them is playing more minutes. As an example Kyrie is 17th in scoring in the league at 18.1 ppg, but if you look at his scoring per 48 minutes he is 6th in the league at 30.1 points. I'm sure it would work out similarly with assist considering most star players are playing 35-38 minutes a game for their team.

[mkline09]

Well I am tremendously happy for Kyrie Irving's success at the NBA level. He is the closest thing we've seen in a while to a straight out of high school kid thanks to his injury. Would have loved to see him have a full season and would have loved to have seen him with this team, I think he could have brought that leadership piece they seem to be missing. But we can play the what if game all day long so I wish him well and continued successs and I'm glad Mr. Simmons came to his senses. He has a blatant anti-Duke slant and makes absolutely no effort to hide it. So I'm shocked he would be complementary of a former Duke player but he's a smart guy so he can't really deny Irving's immense talent.

[gep]

Well I am tremendously happy for Kyrie Irving's success at the NBA level. He is the closest thing we've seen in a while to a straight out of high school kid thanks to his injury. Would have loved to see him have a full season and would have loved to have seen him with this team, I think he could have brought that leadership piece they seem to be missing. But we can play the what if game all day long so I wish him well and continued successs and I'm glad Mr. Simmons came to his senses. He has a blatant anti-Duke slant and makes absolutely no effort to hide it. So I'm shocked he would be complementary of a former Duke player but he's a smart guy so he can't really deny Irving's immense talent.

I agree... on the court... out of this world. But I think all of the video shots of Kyrie on the bench cheering his Duke team, and the DukeBluePlanet video... is really *priceless*, and what makes me a Kyrie fan forever

[slower]

In light of the home page reference, bumping this.