Irving’s trade was put on the agenda, but this kind of big trade is obviously not sothing that can be accomplished imdiately.
Before this, Irving also returned to the Cavaliers.
The other players didn’t know what was happening, just considering it as one of Irving’s usual "little tantrums."
At this ti, the 2017 All-Star voting had already begun.
The results of the first round ca out, and Hansen and Irving were still leading the Eastern backcourt.
By mid-January, Deron suffered a knee injury and needed to rest for about two weeks.
At this ti, Malone did not choose to rotate the position to rookie Dejounte Murray, but rather to give it to second-year Norman Powell.
This was an unconventional choice, but it brought a surprise to Cavaliers fans.
In the next half month, Powell, in an average of 18 minutes of playing ti, managed to contribute 8.7 points per ga, with a three-point shooting percentage of 40%.
During the draft, he was compared to Tony Allen. Although his height was only 1.93 ters without shoes, his wingspan reached 2.11 ters, and his performance on the defensive end was comndable.
Moreover, part of that ti he was on the court with Hansen and Jokic, which gave the Cavaliers an insight: The Cavaliers seed not to necessarily need a real point guard.
Because when the ball was in Hansen’s and Jokic’s hands, the Cavaliers’ offense was at its smoothest.
During this period, the truth could no longer be hidden, and news of the Cavaliers shopping Irving began to be exposed by the dia.
The Cavaliers had inquired about the Grizzlies’ Conley, who this season averaged 20.5 points and 6.3 assists per ga with a 40.5% three-point shooting percentage, having the peak performance of his career.
Although this statistic contains so water since he signed a history-breaking five-year, $153 million renewal contract with the Grizzlies in the sumr, which made his ball-handling rate and average shots per ga career highs, the Cavaliers still sought to bring Hansen’s forr partner to Cleveland.
However, the Grizzlies regarded Conley as not for sale, believing that the leadership role he brought to the Grizzlies was irreplaceable by Irving.
The Cavaliers also communicated with the Pelicans, who were very interested in the negotiation to exchange Jrue Holiday for Irving, but they expressed concerns about Irving’s professionalism and were unwilling to include a first-round draft pick in the trade.
The Celtics and the Cavaliers actively negotiated, willing to offer a trade package centered on Little Thomas and Crowder to get Irving, but the Cavaliers were not inclined to do so.
From these trade rumors, it can be felt that, like Bird’s previous attitude, Irving’s frequent off-court incidents this season have significantly lowered his trade value.
Ti ca to late January, and the result of the 2017 NBA All-Star voting was released.
Hansen and Irving were both selected as Eastern starters for the second consecutive year.
This was expected, as Irving’s stats had not declined this season, along with his playing style and Nike’s promotion, his popularity remained high.
What was unexpected was that Jokic was selected as a substitute for the Eastern team!
Hansen did not expect this either.
Because purely from the data perspective, Jokic’s season performance so far, averaging 16.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 5.2 assists, was clearly not quite enough.
However, All-Star substitutes are different from starters, as substitutes are chosen by league coaches.
It can only be said that the way coaches view players differs from the fans’ perspective.
Nontheless, Jokic’s selection was also greatly influenced by the circumstances.
Currently, the Cavaliers, with their record surpassing the Celtics, were at the top of the Eastern Conference. Similarly, like last year’s selection of Green, whose stats were even inferior to Jokic.
Moreover, in recent years, the Eastern Conference has originally been relatively dim in stardom.
So, although Jokic’s selection was sowhat surprising, it was not incomprehensible.
Of course, his selection was still t with great skepticism from the outside world.
After all, being selected as an All-Star in just your second year undoubtedly marks you as a potential superstar, and as an international player, Jokic’s popularity in the United States was significantly lower.
After the results were announced, reporters also interviewed Jokic during a Cavaliers’ open training session, asking how he viewed the external evaluations.
Jokic’s response was quite baffling:
"I wouldn’t choose myself either, I’m not fit for the All-Star ga."
Hansen was right next to him at the ti, watching this guy with a worried frown, presumably guessing he had so All-Star vacation plans before this.
This is resentnt from a worker whose holiday had been disrupted.
It’s known that when Silva first took office in 2014, so players led by Jas complained about the insufficient length of the All-Star Weekend break.
Silva eventually agreed to the demands and extended the All-Star Weekend to seven days.
This ant that Jokic lost a season’s largest break equivalent to the East University’s eleven-day holiday, so it’s no wonder he wasn’t happy.
Once Jokic’s response was reported by the dia, the questioning voices quickly disappeared.
It’s not that they stopped questioning, but they completely lost the angle to do so.
Soon after the All-Star voting ended, Griffin approached Hansen.
He showed Hansen so of the current plans on the negotiation table.
The first offer ca from the Bucks: Jabari Parker, Greg Monroe, and Matthew Delavadova.
Parker, standing 2.03 ters tall, is a swingman on the wings, as the #2 pick in the 2014 draft, contributing 20 points per ga this season and having also developed a three-pointer, attempting 3.5 tis per ga with a success rate of 36.5% this season.
Monroe is a 2.11-ter interior swingman, and his arrival can greatly enhance the Cavaliers’ interior substitute depth.
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