Dion's in a Good Place

[triplethrea]

Anybody catch any OKC games lately? Durant and Westbrook have completely taken him under his wing and his last 3 games are 21, 16, and 15 points. Click here http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/203079/gamelogs/ and look at his field goals in tonight's game against Golden State.

After every basket Durant and Westbrook are showing him love. It just goes to show that Cleveland has no idea how to nurture talent, and what happens when a guy goes from a toxic environment to a solid team-first environment with supportive leaders. Also shows that for everything great that Lebron is, leader and mentor is not one of those things.

 

[kjb120]

I couldn't agree with you more. The main thing with Cleveland was that he needed to know his role, but it seems like the team had no idea how to actually utilize him or really care to figure it out. Like you said, in OKC it seems like they have a plan for him which also includes him playing D against the other teams best guard and honestly he's looking pretty damn good in doing so. The fact that the rest of the team is nurturing him is exactly what Dion seems to need and so far he's buying in and has looked good, which i'm happy to see.

 

[SoBeCuse]

Anybody catch any OKC games lately? Durant and Westbrook have completely taken him under his wing and his last 3 games are 21, 16, and 15 points. Click here http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/203079/gamelogs/ and look at his field goals in tonight's game against Golden State.

After every basket Durant and Westbrook are showing him love. It just goes to show that Cleveland has no idea how to nurture talent, and what happens when a guy goes from a toxic environment to a solid team-first environment with supportive leaders. Also shows that for everything great that Lebron is, leader and mentor is not one of those things.

I mean there is some truth to what you say but it seems like you are placing zero blame on Dion which is asinine. Byron Scott freaking loved Dion and was the main advocate for Dion to get picked 4th. Wrong fit? Probably yes because Kyrie and Dion both dominate the ball. LeBron showed Dion plenty of love but I just don't think there were enough balls to go around. Blatt, who could be in over his head, came in and didn't care about Dion's accolades and formed his own opinion of him based on day to day observations of course. Playing zero defense, poor shot selection, and constant pouting never helped Dion's cause obviously. It is nice to see him get a fresh start in OKC for sure but to say he never was supported in CLE is a fallacy. If he constantly needs to be coddled and shown positive reinforcement then maybe he isn't quite the alpha dog.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I mean there is some truth to what you say but it seems like you are placing zero blame on Dion which is asinine. Byron Scott freaking loved Dion and was the main advocate for Dion to get picked 4th. Wrong fit? Probably yes because Kyrie and Dion both dominate the ball. LeBron showed Dion plenty of love but I just don't think there were enough balls to go around. Playing zero defense, poor shot selection, and constant pouting never helped Dion's cause obviously. It is nice to see him get a fresh start in OKC for sure but to say he never was supported in CLE is a fallacy.

He is a ball handler that can create his own shot. All of us on this board should be proud and excited the way he is playing.

 

[SoBeCuse]

He is a ball handler that can create his own shot. All of us on this board should be proud and excited the way he is playing.[/QUOTE

I'm aware of his talent. Proud? I don't know the guy. Happy he has a fresh start for sure.

 

[Cusefan0307]

I mean there is some truth to what you say but it seems like you are placing zero blame on Dion which is asinine. Byron Scott freaking loved Dion and was the main advocate for Dion to get picked 4th. Wrong fit? Probably yes because Kyrie and Dion both dominate the ball. LeBron showed Dion plenty of love but I just don't think there were enough balls to go around. Playing zero defense, poor shot selection, and constant pouting never helped Dion's cause obviously. It is nice to see him get a fresh start in OKC for sure but to say he never was supported in CLE is a fallacy. If he constantly needs to be coddled and shown positive reinforcement then maybe he isn't quite the alpha dog.

I 100 percent agree with your post. Dion needs lots of attention to make him happy, but it definitely is exciting to watch him play in meaningful games regardless who is is the leader of the team he belongs to. I will continue to believe he should average 15-20 a game as long as he continues to get big minutes against our ACC rivals.

 

[orangehomer]

sometimes in the short run, you can make a person into something they aren't. in the long run, they will usually become what they were. in dion's case, that is a chucker that dribbles alot and plays no defense.

 

[TheOkieOrangeman]

I Live just outside OKC and an SU grad. I was at the game tonight and Dion was excellent on D also. I crowd overwhelmingly loved him. Dion played within the team game and not selfish at all. He may be a good deal of the answer for OKC. Dion has landed in the right place. This team is personally very close. If he plays with the team game, he will be the starting SG within the next 5 games. Their current starting SG is terrible to say the least-get this 42% from the field, 13% from 3 point range, and 47% FT's.

The coach I believe needs to be replaced because the team is loaded-and refuses to try any new combinations-sound familiar. Yes they miss Harden but they could afford what Houston gave him. I don't think Dion will become a Harden but if he plays his cards right he will continue to develop and get better-who know?

A game is more fun for me is an SU player is in it and I wear my SU stuff.

So good luck Dion!

Understand that OKC was a college town forever and understand that the people that go to the games make it like a loud college game. The arena is great for a game. Dion will do great here.

 

[cuseattle]

I feel great for Dion. Screw OKC because Bennett stole our Sonics. Screw them. Screw them. May they never win.
Also, screw them.

 

[cuseattle]

Oh yeah, screw them.

 

[CusefanATL]

i love dion and hope the best for him.

But this is easy to say when things are going right for him.

Let's see what happens when when he or the team hits a hiccup

 

[osullfam]

Anybody catch any OKC games lately? Durant and Westbrook have completely taken him under his wing and his last 3 games are 21, 16, and 15 points. Click here http://stats.nba.com/player/#!/203079/gamelogs/ and look at his field goals in tonight's game against Golden State.

After every basket Durant and Westbrook are showing him love. It just goes to show that Cleveland has no idea how to nurture talent, and what happens when a guy goes from a toxic environment to a solid team-first environment with supportive leaders. Also shows that for everything great that Lebron is, leader and mentor is not one of those things.

The internet seems to be the home of opinions magnified by 10.
Cleveland has NO idea how to nurture talent? (none at all? Maybe not as much as other teams?)
Cleveland is a TOXIC environment? (TOXIC? How about young and trying to find their way? They have only 4 players from last year and one is out for the season)
LeBron is NOT a leader and mentor? (The Cleveland beat writers would disagree, but they don't spend much time around the team).

And, for the record, I think Dion has the talent to be an elite guard in the league and expect he will be some day.

 

[SoBeCuse]

i love dion and hope the best for him.

But this is easy to say when things are going right for him.

Let's see what happens when when he or the team hits a hiccup

Precisely.

 

[HOFCeluck]

This small sample size includes aa game where he shot 38% from the floor.

It's been obvious that he can put up numbers. That's not the issue...imo.

 

[44cuse]

I mean there is some truth to what you say but it seems like you are placing zero blame on Dion which is asinine. Byron Scott freaking loved Dion and was the main advocate for Dion to get picked 4th. Wrong fit? Probably yes because Kyrie and Dion both dominate the ball. LeBron showed Dion plenty of love but I just don't think there were enough balls to go around. Blatt, who could be in over his head, came in and didn't care about Dion's accolades and formed his own opinion of him based on day to day observations of course. Playing zero defense, poor shot selection, and constant pouting never helped Dion's cause obviously. It is nice to see him get a fresh start in OKC for sure but to say he never was supported in CLE is a fallacy. If he constantly needs to be coddled and shown positive reinforcement then maybe he isn't quite the alpha dog.

Stop with your logic. None of that around here.

44cuse

 

[baggerbob]

The problem with Cleveland still remains, Irving will continue to be a problem. When you have great players like LeBron, Kobe, Michael, you don't need a point guard who dominates the basketball, and shoots a lot. They should have traded Irving, when Lebron came back, the ball needs to be in Lebron's hands to make decisions, not Irving.

 

[triplethrea]

The internet seems to be the home of opinions magnified by 10.
Cleveland has NO idea how to nurture talent? (none at all? Maybe not as much as other teams?)
Cleveland is a TOXIC environment? (TOXIC? How about young and trying to find their way? They have only 4 players from last year and one is out for the season)
LeBron is NOT a leader and mentor? (The Cleveland beat writers would disagree, but they don't spend much time around the team).

And, for the record, I think Dion has the talent to be an elite guard in the league and expect he will be some day.

No need to pigeon hole me. You can just ask me to elaborate.

I'm of the opinion that Cleveland has put Kyrie's marketing dollars ahead of the team. He's better looking, has a cool looking handle, and casual fans love him, thus he gets a max contract despite being a selfish player who doesn't like to pass the ball. Dion is the same way and is treated different. They played favorites instead of nurturing everyone to play a team game. There was a clash of personalities because of it. It was an absolute disaster.

Remember the bruhaha where a GM called Luol Deng "too African"? Well if you read that scouting report you'll see what Deng had to say about the locker room situation when he was in Cleveland. If that's not a toxic environment, I don't know what is. And that was unfilitered insider opinion.

And Lebron is not a leader, and never was. That's not a serious knock on him, you can't be perfect. He's already looking to bail Cleveland.

 

[HOFCeluck]

No need to pigeon hole me. You can just ask me to elaborate.

I'm of the opinion that Cleveland has put Kyrie's marketing dollars ahead of the team. He's better looking, has a cool looking handle, and casual fans love him, thus he gets a max contract despite being a selfish player who doesn't like to pass the ball. Dion is the same way and is treated different. They played favorites instead of nurturing everyone to play a team game. There was a clash of personalities because of it. It was an absolute disaster.

Remember the bruhaha where a GM called Luol Deng "too African"? Well if you read that scouting report you'll see what Deng had to say about the locker room situation when he was in Cleveland. If that's not a toxic environment, I don't know what is. And that was unfilitered insider opinion.

And Lebron is not a leader, and never was. That's not a serious knock on him, you can't be perfect. He's already looking to bail Cleveland.

Kyrie is treated different than waiters because he's better.

 

[osullfam]

Kyrie is treated different than waiters because he's better.

Last year you could have a debate on who was better. Kyrie has elevated his game so much in the last year, that is no longer the case.

 

[osullfam]

No need to pigeon hole me. You can just ask me to elaborate.

I'm of the opinion that Cleveland has put Kyrie's marketing dollars ahead of the team. He's better looking, has a cool looking handle, and casual fans love him, thus he gets a max contract despite being a selfish player who doesn't like to pass the ball. Dion is the same way and is treated different. They played favorites instead of nurturing everyone to play a team game. There was a clash of personalities because of it. It was an absolute disaster.

Remember the bruhaha where a GM called Luol Deng "too African"? Well if you read that scouting report you'll see what Deng had to say about the locker room situation when he was in Cleveland. If that's not a toxic environment, I don't know what is. And that was unfilitered insider opinion.

And Lebron is not a leader, and never was. That's not a serious knock on him, you can't be perfect. He's already looking to bail Cleveland.

Every team in the League would give Kyrie a max contract if they were in a position to do so. Not sure where you're going with marketing dollars. If you're saying that Blatt is favoring Kyrie on orders from the front office, I don't buy that.
I beleive Deng was somewhat accurate in his assessment; but, he was referring to last year's locker room, where Dion was right in the middle of the alleged toxicity. There are only 4 players back: Kyrie, Andy Varejao, Tristan Thompson and Matthew Dellavedova. The latter 3 wouldn't talk spit if they had a mouthful. They have been replaced by seasoned pros.
We can agree to disagree on LeBron's leadership.

 

[Flintstones]

No need to pigeon hole me. You can just ask me to elaborate.

I'm of the opinion that Cleveland has put Kyrie's marketing dollars ahead of the team. He's better looking, has a cool looking handle, and casual fans love him, thus he gets a max contract despite being a selfish player who doesn't like to pass the ball. Dion is the same way and is treated different. They played favorites instead of nurturing everyone to play a team game. There was a clash of personalities because of it. It was an absolute disaster.

Remember the bruhaha where a GM called Luol Deng "too African"? Well if you read that scouting report you'll see what Deng had to say about the locker room situation when he was in Cleveland. If that's not a toxic environment, I don't know what is. And that was unfilitered insider opinion.

And Lebron is not a leader, and never was. That's not a serious knock on him, you can't be perfect. He's already looking to bail Cleveland.

Maybe he appeals to a more suburbia crowd because he's not from the inner city and he went to Duke, but you make it sound like Kyrie has model type looks...for the second time now.

 

[jncuse]

I feel great for Dion. Screw OKC because Bennett stole our Sonics. Screw them. Screw them. May they never win.
Also, screw them.

IIRC, Seattle was unwilling to build a new arena. Unfortunately that is pro sports, and I am not faulting Seattle deciding what is best for the city.

But if you insist on pointing your fingers at somebody for your team leaving maybe it should not be Bennett.

 

[jncuse]

He's still shooting only 40% while at OKC. I hope he pulls it off and it works out for him. He needed a new start.

Many excuses get made for him. I lived in Toronto, and Andrea Bargnani was known to have a book of about 1000 excuses from his admirers. We saw what happened when he went to a new market in New York. Dion has time to change his bad habits, but he has to do it soon.

 

[triplethrea]

Maybe he appeals to a more suburbia crowd because he's not from the inner city and he went to Duke, but you make it sound like Kyrie has model type looks...for the second time now.

Everything about his game is visually pleasing. The way he dribbles and the way he finishes. He doesn't have model type looks, but he is more "appealing" because as you alluded to, he doesn't give off the street vibe. He's more clean cut.

 

[triplethrea]

Every team in the League would give Kyrie a max contract if they were in a position to do so. Not sure where you're going with marketing dollars. If you're saying that Blatt is favoring Kyrie on orders from the front office, I don't buy that.
I beleive Deng was somewhat accurate in his assessment; but, he was referring to last year's locker room, where Dion was right in the middle of the alleged toxicity. There are only 4 players back: Kyrie, Andy Varejao, Tristan Thompson and Matthew Dellavedova. The latter 3 wouldn't talk spit if they had a mouthful. They have been replaced by seasoned pros.
We can agree to disagree on LeBron's leadership.

You can argue that Irving has improved and Waiters hasn't because Kyrie was given the playing time and starter minutes that Waiters wasn't. Irving had been appointed the star the moment Waiters arrived, and Dion was never given a fair shake. Kyrie was allowed to play selfish and make more mistakes without getting benched. Dion never was. That's what led to the inevitable animosity.

Dion has been told to be a 3 and D guy from the first game this year. Kyrie was told to be a top 3 star. How in the world can you say Irving took it the next level and Waiters didn't, when Waiters wasn't even given a chance to?