Originally posted by SteveWallacesHelmet:
Originally posted by Ninerjohn:
But you think the two are a wash and that "point guard for point guard its a lateral move". OK.. there is no NBA exec alive that would ever say that. Better?
No it isnt better. Because you are speaking for people that you have no idea what they are thinking.
IT outperformed Kyrie in almost every measurable way, and did so without the luxury of playing with one of the best players in NBA history. Kyrie and IT are built from the same mold: outstanding scorers, mediocre distributors, and horrible defenders. THAT is why I said its a lateral move. Because what they bring to the table is the exact same thing.
Kyrie was the better defender by far in 2016-2017 and plenty of stats back that to (DPM, defensive rating with and without them on the floor, etc.). As others have said, Kyrie also has the ability to play defense when he wants to. IT is probably the worst defensive PG in the league and is only going to get worse as he gets older. If I'm the Cavs, I'm letting him walk rather than offering him a max deal next season.
And playing with Lebron did not help Kyrie Irving at all statistically. He had the share the ball with a ball dominant point forward who isn't a great player off ball on offense (because he isn't a good spot up shooter and doesn't slash like he used to). Kyrie got a few open shots from Lebron but he also was given the ball late in possessions and forced to take difficult shots because Lebron dribbled the clock out (how Lebron gets a lot of his assists). Without Lebron, Irving would have had a lot more points and assists.
Thomas's usage and stats are going to take a nosedive this year and eventually he won't be effective enough on the offensive end to offset being a historically bad defender. I can't even imagine how bad he'll be on defense at 33 which is why giving him a long term deal is so scary.
Isaiah Thomas is an afterthought in this trade. The Nets pick is the centerpiece and Crowder has a nice contract for a solid two way wing in his prime. Thomas has an outside shot at being a top 10 PG this season (he was probably the 9th best this year after Paul, Westbrook, Curry, Wall, Lillard, Irving, Conley, and Lowry) and then he could be playing for another team in 2018. He had a great offensive season and a very high usage rate which inflated his PER, but he may have been the worst defensive player at any position in the NBA (Doug McDermott finished last in DRPM among qualitied players but IT was neck and neck with him at -3.89).
In total RPM, Thomas finished 13th among PGs at 1.83 behind Irving at 2.05. And he's just going to get worse.
