David Richard – US Presswire
Not exactly where Dan Gilbert said they would be by now but, Cleveland Cavalier fans have a bright future to look forward to. When Lebron James took his talents to South Beach, it left a gash in the hearts and city of Cleveland. Winning the championship this pass season could have been like pouring salt in the wound but it seems to have had the reverse effect, Cleveland is moving on. Now there is definitely some disdain leftover but more people seem to be concentrating on the team they have on the floor and their new star, Kyrie Irving.
The NBA lottery was kind to the Cavs. A year after James departed they were awarded the first pick in the draft in 2011 and selected Irving with that pick. Irving showed quickly what kind of impact he could make in the NBA and also gave fans still hurting a reason to believe that they wouldn’t be down for long. Having brought in Byron Scott to be the new head coach was like the stars aligning, Scott was the coach who guided a young Chris Paul to the upper echelon of point guards in the league.
This past year, to the surprise of some, the Cavs selected Dion Waiters with the fourth pick in the draft. Waiters had talent but he wasn’t even starting in college. Waiters didn’t even light up the summer league and many started to worry that the Cavs may have struck out on it’s most recent pick before he even played a real NBA minute. Owner Gilbert still believed, and once he rounded into shape Scott believed. Now 2 months into the season, we are seeing the development of a dynamic duo in Cleveland. Waiters and Irving have the ability to play on or off the ball. Both have the ability to beat defenders off the dribble and get to the basket. Irving is far more advanced shooting from the outside but Waiters is still to be respected from distance.
You can feel the energy when both are on the court playing at the top of their games. Waiters and Irving still have a lot of work to do, Waiters more at this point in their respective careers. The Cavs would be wise to continue building around these two and coach Scott for the foreseeable future. The pairing could eventually turn into one of the best back courts in the league with more time and patience. All of Cleveland hopes that is the case.
