Rose is averaging 12 FGAs and fewer than 3 assists per game this pre-season. If you're going to knock Irving for being a ball hog, I think you have to look at Rose with more scrutiny than you are.
It's hard to knock Kyrie this pre-season. He's averaged 20.8 points (third in the NBA this preseason), on 55% shooting and 41% 3PT%. He's averaging 5.0 assists, which isn't amazing, but it's a heck of a lot better than Rose has shown.
If I'm DRose, I'm taking lots of shots because I'm the #1 option. Kyrie is option #3 and should not be hogging it, I fully expect it to take him some time to adjust though.
Kyrie is the best scoring PG in the NBA. He should not be giving up shot attempts.
I still think it's LeBron that should be the one that gives up some of his scoring in order to allow his teammates to prosper. LeBron is the only one of the three who can dominate a game without scoring. He is playing with the best scoring PG in the league + 2nd best offensive PF in the league. LeBron should adapt his game to them rather than them adapting their weaker less well-rounded games to him. LeBron has the talent to do so and still be thoroughly dominant. The other two do not.
Love was wide open. You got to make the extra pass. But i guess Love also didnt have to freak out.
That's probably technically correct.
But, if you're on fire, is it the proper decision to pass to a guy who is ice cold, even if he is more open?
I don't think there's an easy answer to that question. Look at the criticism Lebron got for deferring to his teammates rather than taking over down the stretch previously. I think there's something to be said for having the mindset to want to take over games.
Again, Kyrie has still been averaging 5.0 assists per game, playing next to Lebron. He also had an amazing pre-season, following winning MVP of the FIBA world championships.
I just think it's holding Kyrie to an impossible standard. I mean, didn't his team win that game? The Cavs were a +16 with Kyrie in the game versus the Bulls. He had 7 assists, along with 28 points.
It doesn't make sense to me to take a game that the Cavs won, where Kyrie out-assisted Rose by 7 to 3, and say that the Bulls look great and that Kyrie is holding the team back by being a ball hog, you know?