Links to the Present: January 17, 2012

“If only for a handful of minutes, Cleveland’s sparkling new point guard and power forward were neither ‘one’ nor ‘four.’ Be it out of experiment or necessity, Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott ran select five-man units which featured Kyrie Irving as the off-guard next to Ramon Sessions while the ever-bouncing Tristan Thompson took every inch of his 6-foot-8 frame and played center. The result of the entire contest was a win as the Wine and Gold came back from a double-digit deficit to top the Charlotte Bobcats in their own house. The result of the multi-positional undertaking, at large, remains to be seen; for one afternoon, Scott was pleased with the outcome.” [Scott Sargent]

“With starting guard Anthony Parker out because of a sore lower back after the first quarter, coach Byron Scott turned to Gibson to start the second half and assigned him to defend Augustin. The Bobcats point guard made just 2 of 8 shots for five points in the half and had just two more assists as the Cavs rallied to beat the Bobcats 102-94 in a Martin Luther King Day matinee.” [Mary Schmitt Boyer]

“12 games into the season, Irving leads all rookies at 17 points per game and has become the go-to scorer for the Cavaliers.  He has attacked the basket with reckless abandon, attempting 5.2 shots per game at the rim, 8th among point guards.  Better yet, he is making those shots at a very good 59% clip after a 7-for-9 performance against the Bobcats.  Irving is proving that his ability to get to the basket using more craftiness than raw speed and power can be effective in the NBA, at least against the mediocre teams the Cavs have faced so far.” [Michael Curry]

“When Kyrie Irving actually vocalizes the words, he can’t help but smile. ‘Five years,’ he says with a grin, then pauses. ‘That’s extremely difficult.’ Irving’s plan isn’t about making the All-Star Game. It isn’t about winning NBA championships. It isn’t about landing a massive free-agent contract. And it isn’t about playing in the Olympics, either. It’s about accomplishing something that’s long been part of his life blueprint. He has five years to get his college degree.” [Ryan Fagan]

Steph Curry is likely out for tonight’s game against the Cavaliers, which is a shame since Irving v. Curry would’ve been really entertaining.