Links to the Present: April 19, 2012

“Kyrie Irving is still new to this. The Cavaliers rookie desperately wanted to return before the end of the season when it was probably in his best interest—and the Cavs—for him to sit out the final games of this season. But Irving is so competitive, he could not sit by and watch his team struggle night after night while resting his sore right shoulder.” [Mary Schmitt Boyer]

“Byron Scott hasn’t been overly upset with the Cavs’ performances, simply because he knows what type of hand he’s been dealt lately. It’s not that he thinks his players are bad. But he also understands it’s tough to expect them to be real cohesive. As he said after Wednesday’s game, he’s looking for effort, and ‘I think the guys are trying.’ So what else is left? ‘The first order of business is to compete,’ Scott said. ‘The second order of business is to see what we have (for next year).'” [Sam Amico]

“Despite taking two teams from the cellar to championship contention and currently in the midst of rebuilding a 19-win franchise in Cleveland, nine percent of NBA players surveyed by Sports Illustrated list Byron Scott as the coach they would least like to play for.” [Scott Sargent]

And Tom Reed talks about the remainder of the Cavs season.