After Finals, Irving gets no rest in quest for Olympic gold

Jul 19, 2016

LAS VEGAS — Kyrie Irving says Mike Krzyzewski calls him “the one that got away” because Irving’s career at Duke lasted just 11 games in his freshman season before he declared for the NBA draft.

This summer, Irving is making up for lost time, committing to play for Krzyzewski and USA Basketball despite coming off an intense calendar year that started with a six-month rehab after knee surgery and ended with the longest NBA season imaginable, helping the Cleveland Cavaliers win the championship in seven games.

“Part of me would have wanted to probably think about rest and think about what’s going on, but I can rest in training camp or getting ready for the season,” Irving told ESPN.com this week at USA training camp in Las Vegas in preparation for next month’s Rio Olympics. “I know the team will understand and I’ll be at my best no matter what. I mean, this is Coach [Krzyzewski’s] last hurrah, so it’s an emotional thing and this will be our cemented championship if we come home with a gold. We got one in the world championship [in 2014], and now I want to win a gold with him, and I’m the one that got away from him. So, I’m glad that we can do this.”

“A lot of people are smart after the game or when the game stops, he’s smart while the game is going on at a high level. And the really good ones are like that.”

Coach K on Kyrie Irving’s basketball IQ

USA Basketball’s fascination with Irving predates his time with the Blue Devils. Assistant coach Jim Boeheim remembers watching Irving play in high school and considering him one of the two best high school guards he’s ever seen, along with Isiah Thomas. “Every time he played,” Boeheim, Syracuse’s head coach, said, “he put on a show.”

Krzyzewski won the recruiting battle for the ball-handling wizard out of New Jersey, edging schools like Texas, Kentucky, Indiana, Georgia Tech and Seton Hall that courted Irving heavily. A right toe injury cut Irving’s lone college season short, but he was drafted No. 1 by the Cavs anyway. Now he’s become the player that Coach K envisioned.

“In high school, I thought he would be great,” Krzyzewski said. “He’s better. And the thing about him is, he’s still getting better. And he’s smart. He’s smart people-wise, and he’s smart game-wise. But he’s smart game-wise not when the game stops. A lot of people are smart after the game or when the game stops, he’s smart while the game is going on at a high level. And the really good ones are like that. And that’s what I’ve learned. LeBron [James] is like that. Kobe [Bryant] is like that. Chris Paul, Carmelo [Anthony] is like that. Steph [Curry] is like …

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