Dion and Lebron Gravitating Towards Each Other

[triplethrea]

"Waiters has purposefully attached himself to James from the start of camp, hoping the four-time MVP will rub off on him.

"We're just working together," Waiters said. "Just building that chemistry. At the end of the day, I want him to take me under his wing. He's been here. He's won championships. He's a proven player, the best player in the world and why not learn from a guy like that? I think I benefit from it. I'm like a sponge out there soaking everything up."

And James is happy to have Waiters as a pupil.

"I am noticing that with Dion and I will continue to stay on him," James said. "I want him to continue to learn the game mentally. I think physically, he could be a very good player if not a great player in our league. But our game is more mental than anything and when he can start thinking the game before he actually physically plays the game, I think he will be even more dynamic and I stay on him about that."

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/1...avaliers-says-kyrie-irving-nba-best-backcourt

 

[Brooky03]

This is great to hear and I'm not surprised they're both getting along well. Competitors gravitate to other competitors and I think Lebron can sense the 'winner mentality' in Dion.

 

[jr4750]

I watched a Dion press conference the other day and he must have said, " at the end of the day," 50 times. Dude needs to get himself a publicist to work on his interview demeanor. All the other guys seem refined, and Dion is hard to listen too.

 

[osullfam]

Jason Lloyd‏@JasonLloydABJ 1h1 hour ago
Shots fired! "@Abdu11ah: Wall on Waiters' "nonsense": "You gotta win a playoff game first before you can talk. you gotta be a starter first"

 

[osullfam]

Jason Lloyd‏@JasonLloydABJ 50m50 minutes ago
Meanwhile, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are somewhere shaking their heads and laughing

 

[RF2044]

Jason Lloyd‏@JasonLloydABJ 50m50 minutes ago
Meanwhile, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are somewhere shaking their heads and laughing

Why is Dion such a lightning rod for negativity? What he said wasn't that far fetched. You could certainly make the case that Kyrie / Dion are as talented as Wall / Beal. Curry / Thompson obviously have had a lot more playoff experience. I'm not saying that the Cavs duo has accomplished more, but it isn't that off the wall. So he said they were the best young backcourt--BFD. He's confident, and players say shi- like that all the time.

I'm betting that after this season, the claim won't seem that far fetched.

 

[osullfam]

I think all the new adult supervision (Blatt, LeBron, Marion, et al) is the best thing that could have happened to Dion for his development.
The man has all world talent.

 

[cuseincincy]

He should be confident. And there is no reason that he should think those other back courts would be clearly better than theirs. On stats Dion is very comparable to Beal and Thompson for their career. And last I checked it was Irving who was the Team USA PG not Wall.

 

[Digger]

sidenote: Dave McMenamin, the author of that piece, is an SU class of '05 graduate

 

[Fireball Jr.]

The planets could not be lining up any better for Dion. Having LeBron as his big bro and big backer, as well as big teammate, is good, very good. Good, too, to have other "elder statesmen" who have reps as positive locker room guys -- Matrix and LeBron's boys, James Jones and Mike Miller.

I have a very good feeling, too, about the coach, David Blatt, he may be the right guy for the situation. As a LeBron, Dion, ergo, Cavs fan, I'm thrilled Calipari turned down down the job.

A key, of course, is that Dion stay healthy ... and stay in Cleveland. I think he woulda been gone by now if one of his biggest and most-important fans, LeBron, hadn't come home. And Dion's name is in the middle of more trade talk today, that the Cavs and Pacers supposedly have had talks about Hibbert, and that Larry Bird's team would like Dion to be part of any deal. Hope that doesn't happen, don't think LBJ would sign off on that.

I think Dion, Kyrie, et al., get it. I'm jacked for opening night, a month from today, Carmelo and the Knicks in Cleveland. Heart be still!

 

[realorange]

I think all the new adult supervision (Blatt, LeBron, Marion, et al) is the best thing that could have happened to Dion for his development.
The man has all world talent.

Dion has talent that has yet to be fully realized. But all world is a little over the top.

 

[VaBeachOrFan]

What a perfect storm for Dion. Drafted No. 4 by a team in the pits (i.e., positively Minnesota-esque), he was deemed "unfortunate." Teamed with a legitimate All Star with whom he didn't get along, he was deemed "unlucky." Listed repeatedly as the first name on the trade block to bring in better talent, he was deemed "unwanted." Then along comes King James and, when the dust settles, there is Dion, now elevated to Prince on a team that is playoff-relevant, and all the "uns" have fallen away. Good luck, Dion. You stuck with SU after your freshman year and good things happened. You stuck with Cleveland and survived the turmoil, and now good things will happen. Looking forward to seeing you play.-VBOF

 

[triplethrea]

Also interesting, Dion is starting to become a name casual sports fans are going to hear a lot of. I'm in Buffalo and the Dion story is #1 on the news feed. The title is "Dion Waiters".

If Dion is making waves before he's hit the big time, he's going to be a VERY well known player in the NBA if the Cavs make a run and Dion is a big part of it. Over the next two years he'll reach Lance Stephenson levels, and then hopefully much higher (and more mature).

On another note, Wall and MCW have a little rivalry going on if you watched 76ers and Wizards games closely last year. Wall looks like an entitled a**hole to me so I'll be glad if both Dion and MCW put him in his place.

 

[SoBeCuse]

Better to not talk like that. The thing is that Wall/Beal, and Curry/Thompson have proven they can play together and succeed. Irving/Waiters not so much due to chemistry and injuries.

 

[osullfam]

Dion has talent that has yet to be fully realized. But all world is a little over the top.

yes, agree. He is one of the best at going strong to the rim.

 

[longislandcuse]

I've said ever since the Lebron back to Cleveland thing happened that Dion will become a less volatile Lance Stephenson. He's already blowing up in name recognition, I've seen this story in about 5 different places today.

 

[SUintheVille]

I think that at the end of the day, Dion should just play his heart out and learn from LeBron so that at the end of the day, we will all know who is part of one of the best backcourts in the league.

 

[tee1222]

Dion has talent that has yet to be fully realized. But all world is a little over the top.

I don't know. This back and forth between Dion and Hardway Jr. is clearly all world talent. It's straight nutty.

 

[realorange]

I've said ever since the Lebron back to Cleveland thing happened that Dion will become a less volatile Lance Stephenson. He's already blowing up in name recognition, I've seen this story in about 5 different places today.

Let's face it folks. Anyone playing with LBJ is going to have the opportunity for magnified recognition if they play well. They have to produce to be on the positive side of that recognition.

 

[MCC]

Better to not talk like that. The thing is that Wall/Beal, and Curry/Thompson have proven they can play together and succeed. Irving/Waiters not so much due to chemistry and injuries.

[Chemistry reference incorporated]

Talk about setting the bar low, except... you don't do that: set the bar... low.

 

[SmilinBob]

So this is the reason why LeBron's picture was on the football team sign chart.

 

[cuseincincy]

Better to not talk like that. The thing is that Wall/Beal, and Curry/Thompson have proven they can play together and succeed. Irving/Waiters not so much due to chemistry and injuries.

In fairness the Cavs supporting cast of Deng, Hawes, Thompson and Jack do not compare with David Lee, Andre Iguadola and Harrison Barnes (say nothing of Bogut, Crawford and O'Neal) OR Ariza, Nene, Gortat (also Gooden and Harrington). Individual stat wise Irving and Dion are right there except for Curry. And don't forget Kyrie & Dion are each only 22. James, Love, Marion and Miller sounds a lot better as team mates. T^he Cavs are going to be good, fun to watch, and Dion will be a big part of it as the clear #4 option.

 

[SoBeCuse]

In fairness the Cavs supporting cast of Deng, Hawes, Thompson and Jack do not compare with David Lee, Andre Iguadola and Harrison Barnes (say nothing of Bogut, Crawford and O'Neal) OR Ariza, Nene, Gortat (also Gooden and Harrington). Individual stat wise Irving and Dion are right there except for Curry. And don't forget Kyrie & Dion are each only 22. James, Love, Marion and Miller sounds a lot better as team mates. T^he Cavs are going to be good, fun to watch, and Dion will be a big part of it as the clear #4 option.

Oh I get that. I talking mano e mano. Backcourt vs backcourt production together. Lets not even get started about defense. Stats are one thing but they don't fit well together. I like them both and Dion especially but the jury is still out if they can still play together. Dion plays better and his stats go up when Kyrie is injured so he can have the ball in his hands more. As a Clevelander, I'm obviously excited for the season and follow the Cavs very closely.

 

[Brooky03]

Who is John Wall to talk? Seriously.

Irving > Wall
Waiters > Beal
and Wall has very limited playoff experience to lean on. It's probably a good idea for him to .

 

[Melancer46]

Jason Lloyd‏@JasonLloydABJ 50m50 minutes ago
Meanwhile, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are somewhere shaking their heads and laughing

Yeah, this is what I was thinking the whole time with the Wizards-Cavs debate. I think Curry and Klay are a level above both.