Two-way street: Cavs haven’t been happy with Kyrie either

As the words of Chad Ford and Kyrie Irving will be parsed and analyzed for the next six months, ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst reports that while the player may have the leverage (as they usually do), the Cleveland Cavaliers have not exactly been thrilled with their All-Star point guard who may or may not have privately told people close to him that he’s unhappy with his current situation.

With that contract decision coming up, there is reason to believe that Irving may try to force changes. The rules favor the Cavs in keeping him, but he is in position to dictate some of the terms. That makes it hard to predict which way this will go.

This of course cuts both ways, the Cavs haven’t exactly been thrilled with everything they have seen from Irving in recent months. He has acted very much like a 21-year-old at times. And while he may not be thrilled with Brown, the Cavs coach has to have been taken aback by Irving going through periods of ball hogging and the absence of interest in giving defensive effort at times. That sort of play from your best player can undercut any team.

Irving, as fans may recall, was the focal point of a team meeting in which he was accused of playing “buddy ball” with power forward Tristan Thompson. Irving, who is well on his way to another 20-point season, has stayed relatively healthy this season, but has taken a substantial step backward during a time when most star players make their biggest leap forward. Heading into the 2013-14 season, NBA.com surveyed the league’s general managers and asked which player they would want to start a franchise with. Three players got votes: LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. But despite his All-World, future Olympian talent, the Cavaliers sit with a record of 16-30 during a season where the playoffs were not only attainable, but all but demanded from the team’s majority owner Dan Gilbert.

Two seasons ago, Gilbert said that he would no longer play games and be held hostage by a player. “The big lesson was if a player is not willing to extend, no matter who they are, no matter where they are playing, no matter what kind of season you had, you cannot risk going into a summer and having them leave,” Gilbert said.

For the next six months, as the team cannot offer Irving a contract until July 1, the rumors will undoubtedly swirl. Reports will be made, and the player will continue to refute in the loosest of terms. In a day in age were camaraderie and mutual goals are of the utmost importance, it appears that these two parties—the Cavaliers and Kyrie Irving—are locked into a tug of war.

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(Image via Scott Sargent/WFNY)