Tristan Thompson Thinks The Cavaliers Will Retire Kyrie Irving’s Jersey, Many Cavs Fans STRONGLY Disagree

On Monday at the Cleveland’s shootaround before their game versus the Brooklyn Nets, Tristan Thompson told the media that he believes Kyrie Irving’s jersey will one day be retired by the Cavaliers.

“See that banner right there? That’s what he means to the franchise, you know, be number one pick, a lot expectations and he surpassed them all,” said Thompson. “Being an All-Star, All-Star Game MVP, world championship, gold medalist, Olympic gold medalist, made a crucial step back from the right wing in Game 7, Rookie of the Year… it’s a lot. His jersey will be retired here. He’s a part of history. And he’ll always have a place in the Cavaliers’ franchise.”

“He’s my brother,” Thompson added. “At the end of the day if I need a dog, I need a MF that can go and hoop, I’m definitely going to put him on my team.”

That’s all fine and good, and accurate, except for maybe the part about Irving having his jersey retired in Cleveland.

Let’s go to the tale of the tape…

• Six seasons with the team
• 21.6 points per game
• 5.5 assists per game
• Four All-Star teams
• Three NBA Finals
• One NBA championship
• Demanded a trade
• Cleveland made the NBA Finals without him the year after he left

Do those things add up to the Cavaliers, and more specifically ultra-petty team owner Dan Gilbert, retiring his jersey?

Many Cavaliers fans don’t believe that he should. Some more strongly than others.

https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/1199295530163159042 https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/1199325525019385856 https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/1199149897456476161 https://twitter.com/jetpack/status/1199136085412122624

Allllrighty then.