The Cleveland Cavaliers signed Derrick Rose on Monday, a move that loads up the point-guard position with the team for the time being. According to Spotrac, the deal for Rose is worth just $2.1M and it's just a one-year deal. One motive that the Cavs could have in going out and getting Rose is that Kyrie Irving, the current point guard for the Cavaliers, has stated that he wants out of Cleveland. That's a desire that former Detroit Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups is having trouble making sense of.
According to Billups, Kyrie Irving is in a situation in Cleveland that most point guards would be happy with.
"You're getting everything you want," Billups claimed regarding Irving playing with the Cavaliers. "You get all the shots you want, you're playing for a great coach who's letting you go to work...you're playing on TV every week. To me, I don't get it" (Billups qtd. by ESPN's Brian Windhorst). Irving has claimed that he wants to get away from Lebron James. But as Billups sees it, playing alongside one of the game's most prolific talents helps Irving. It made Billups wonder if Irving wants to be the next Russell Westbrook.
Westbrook won the MVP
"Maybe he wants to be Russell Westbrook and go try to win the MVP and get all the shots. That's the only sense I can make of it, and to me, that doesn't make sense," Billups added.
Westbrook is the reigning MVP of the National Basketball Association. He had a non-stop green light for shooting in Oklahoma City last year following the departure of Kevin Durant. Westbrook also brought a lot to the table in terms of rebounding and assists. What transpired was a situation where he was relied on extensively.
That circumstance combined with his exceptional talent helped pad his stats immensely. He was announced as the association's MVP for the 2016/17 regular season just over a month ago. In suggesting that Irving might want to be like Westbrook, Billups is suggesting that the Cleveland guard might want to play for a team that has little depth.
Irving currently a longshot for next year's MVP
According to betting odds, Kevin Durant, who plays for Golden State, is the opening favorite to win the NBA MVP next season. He is priced at +350 with SunBets. Westbrook is the 2nd favorite and Lebron James the third. Irving is nowhere near the top favorites as the sportsbook price him long at +5000 (50 to 1). However, if he ends up on a team where he is the only bright light then he might stand a better chance in the 2017/18 season.
