Sure, Kyrie is a bad defender. That’s not a secret. And CP3 just bagged another All-NBA Defensive 1st team selection. But it’s obvious that Paul has lost a step this season; he’s not even the one guarding his opponent’s best perimeter player. The job relegated to a younger, quicker Austin Rivers. Like Lebron, he is not a premier defender anymore, and we can’t expect him to sustain it for a couple of years. It’s unfair for Chris Paul to give him that much responsibility on defense anymore at his age and injury history. But obviously, a slowed-down CP3 is still better defensively than Kyrie.
But still, a young, motivated Kyrie Irving not yet in his prime is a better prospect than an injury-riddled, aging Chris Paul. If you’re running your own team, would you take 2017 Paul over 2017 Kyrie? If you’re planning on contending now and the next year, you probably take CP3. But with everything put into perspective, Kyrie Irving is the better (and safest) choice.
(Plus, Kyrie is on a much cheaper contract for 2 guaranteed years at 18.8M with a player option on the 3rd, while Chris Paul just opted in on his final year on his contract at $22.87M and will be asking for a larger pay next year, which would be on the $25–$30 million range. You only have to pay Kyrie now and next year at $20M at age 26, while Paul will be getting at least $25M at age 33.)
Are you actually dissing Kyrie’s role as the 2nd star behind the Cavs’ 3 Finals berths? I agree he is a bum on defense, but it’s not like he’s a just role player. Kyrie is a legit star in his own right. Lebron may have been the alpha dog, but Kyrie was the killer on the Cavs the whole 3 years, THE ONE PLAYER WITH BIGGER BALLS THAN “THE KING” ON CRUCIAL AND CLUTCH MOMENTS, AND HE GOT LEBRON AND THE WHOLE TEAM THEIR FIRST RING. If you can’t appreciate Kyrie’s greatness, then something is definitely wrong.
As for the injuries, both have suffered injuries throughout his career. But Kyrie is coming off a relatively healthy season, playing 72 games last season while missing 10 games due to minor issues and rest. Chris Paul, on the other hand, just had another injury that required surgery and missed almost 2 months (only played 61 games). But still, Kyrie is only 25 years old, 7 years younger than CP3. Kyrie is still the safer choice between the 2.
Again, I would take Kyrie Irving now than Chris Paul any day. But if this was 2015, I’d certainly go with CP3.
