Kyrie Irving or Damian Lillard?

Considering how the NBA seems to be setting up Portland to be the new feel good story.

I'd say Lillard based on the fact he's going to benefit a lot more then Irving will from outside help.

 

Kyrie has all the talent in the world, but he has to hone it. His team has enough to compete in the East, but htye keep sucking. I'll go with Liliard for now.

 

Irving is way more talented. If injuries don't slow him down (yes, a big if), he will easily have a more dominant career than Lillard.

Lillard is in such a better situation it isn't funny. This playoff series is giving him the same bump over Kyrie that D-Will got over CP3 early in their careers. Eventually, the clear consensus is CP3 >>>> D-Will.

Those who watch Lilllard on a regular basis realize he has serious flaws.

 

Oops.. I meant to vote:

Damian Lillard is currently better, and will have better career

Not Damian Lillard is currently better, but Irving will have better career.


Lillard is just so good.

 

Irving also has serious flaws. Having more talent doesn't mean you're the better player, if you don't hone that talent. I know, I loved McGrady, who had top 5 all time type of talent. And injuries play a huge factor too.

Both guys are very bad defensively though.

 

lillard. mature and plays team ball. irving is still a bit young to run a team. talent is there though. but will he ever succeed. lillard will have a better career too bettert alent around him

 

I think both teams would be better if they switched places, if that makes sense.

To me, Irving is a better playmaker than Dame, but a slightly worse shooter. The penetration of Irving / the PnR of Irving and LMA would be so good.

With that said, If Lillard and Waiters was the backcourt in Cleveland, they could give Curry/Thompson a run for their money, as the best shooting backcourt in the NBA.

 

This. Lillard plays like you'd want a point guard to play. He reminds of Chauncey Billups with a little more athleticism. I've never found Kyrie's style of play to be that fun to watch. Watching a point guard go 8-25 every night isn't something that's fun to watch in my opinion. I like that Lillard can play off the ball as well as he does.

 

Are the refs/NBA are part of this conversation? Because both are trying to make Lillard into the next superstar with all the attention and calls he gets. Truly unstoppable when you have higher powers on your side.

Joking, maybe, aside. I would still take Lillard. Kyrie hasn't shown anything since his amazing rookie year some can argue that he has regressed. Neither play much defense. But Lillard has more success with more wins in a harder conference. Lillard carries himself very well as well.

 

Lillard and it's not even close. Lillard helped turn that franchise around in 1 year, and Kyrie seems to always be injured

 

kyrie has more talent but he has to leave cleveland to have a better career. the cavs is a joke of a franchise. lillard is in the perfect situation for him and he's cold blooded which means he has the better career as of now

 

Kyrie is better. This series has made Lillard look a LOT better than he is. LaMarcus looking like Jesus out there along with our poor PG defensive play, and our high up tempo offense?

I mean Lillard has hit some ridiculous shots, but is that sustainable? What happens to Lillard when his shots aren't falling? He becomes a no-show. Kyrie is an all purpose point guard who can still net you assists and steals if his offense takes a drop.

Its close, but I still think Kyrie is the better overall point guard.

 

How often do you watch Lillard play? There are times when you want to kick him because he does very stupid, selfish things on the court as bad as anyone I've ever seen. I've questioned his attitude quite a bit.

This playoff series is pumping him up vs Kyrie. Lillard is destroying the Rockets PGs at will and his head has been screwed on right the entire series. Believe me, this definitely isn't always the case.

This is a very bad time to create a thread comparing the two because Lillard has taken his game to a level it's never been. He is NOT a 26/8/6, 48% 3-point MVP-caliber player.

I'm a part-time Blazers fan and I'm proud of what he's done in the first 4 games of his playoff career. (Very disappointed it's against the Rockets). But don't be fooled. He doesn't shoot this well and his decision-making isn't normally this good. It's like he's a different player. The transformation is stunning. It's like all of his strengths are being magnified and none of his flaws are showing.

A guy that works for me is a hard core Blazers guy. Lillard is blowing his mind in these playoffs. So is LMA.

 

Seriously. I've never seen those two play at this level ever. I knew Lillard was good, but I always thought of him as a glorified volume chucker that had long bouts of streakiness both hot and cold.

And LMA wtf man. He literally doesn't miss mid-range jumpers.

The basketball gods have doomed us.

 

It's his 2nd year in the league. What do you expect? Ups and downs. Peaks and valleys. I usually give players 3 years before forming some type of opinion on how their careers will shape.

Nobody is judging Liliard as a player entirely on this series, although it this experience will definitely make him a better. He's a terrible defender. He takes ridiculously poor shots at times (still does in this series, but they go in). And he still has a lot of room to improve as a playmaker. But you can see the heart, the killer instinct, the inclination to take over a game, and the poise/composure you only expect in a veteran. Those attributes are rarely seen in someone in his 2nd year.

So for a second year player, he's pretty damn good. He doesn't have the ceiling of like a Rose or a WB or a Irving, but games like these playoffs will help him grow as a player, and only in the positive trend.

I expected a jump from Kyrie's game this year. But he didn't just stagnated, he regressed. That was very disappointing. There was ZERO excuse for him to flop like that, and his team not making the playoffs. ZERO.

Liliard definitely has the upper hand right now at this stage in their careers.

 

this is a good debate, kyrie has more skill/talent...but lillard is exceptionally durable....BMW vs Acura