Cleveland Cavaliers: 4 Reasons Kyrie Irving Is Already Rookie of the Year

When Dan Gilbert made the pledge to win an NBA title "before the self-titled 'King' wins one," there was a universal laughter.

While keeping one-half of that promise looks impossible, point guard Kyrie Irving has Cleveland Cavaliers fans believing in a future without LeBron James.

When the Cavs won the NBA Draft Lottery back in May of last year, there was enthusiasm from their fans. Not too many things go right for Cleveland sports fans in general, so every little victory is savored.

But in typical Cleveland fashion, the enjoyment was only fleeting.

Many experts believed the 2011 draft class was one of the weakest in years, lacking the kind of star power of previous drafts.

There certainly wasn't a LeBron James who was going to come in and put the team on his back and almost immediately make the Cavaliers a winner.

Almost throughout the entirety of the drafting process, Cleveland appeared to be a lock to draft Irving.  Sure, they worked out other players like Derrick Williams and Kemba Walker, but Irving appeared to be their man.

But his future success was anything but guaranteed.

In his only year at Duke, Irving tore a ligament in his toe that kept him out for most of the season. He played in only 11 games before making himself eligible for the draft.

Despite the injury, the Cavaliers picked him first overall. And they have been thankful ever since.

Irving has outperformed almost all expectations.

Even though a concussion has currently ruled him out indefinitely, Irving has played so well that he has to be a lock right now to win Rookie of the Year.

The Numbers Alone

Kyrie Irving leads all rookies in scoring at 18 points and is second in assists with 5.1.

While Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio has played well this season, he only leads Irving in assists and steals per game. Irving has the better scoring numbers, shooting percentage and three-point percentage.

Irving offers the kind of all-around game that no other rookie can.

If he keeps his shooting percentages where they are, Irving will make history. No rookie has ever shot 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range and 80 percent from the free-throw line.

To put things in perspective, according to NBA.com, the last time a player averaged 18 points and 5 assists per game and did not win Rookie of the Year was in 1980, when Magic Johnson finished second to Larry Bird.

He's a Team Leader

When you watch Kyrie Irving play, you can't help but think the Cavs have drafted a player that can lead the team for the next decade.

He may only be a rookie, but Irving is one of the team leaders for Cleveland. Watching him play, you would never guess that Irving is only 19 years old.

By virtue of being a starting point guard, he's going to impact the game more so than he would at other position as rookie.

While he's far from being a Chris Paul or Derrick Rose, he has that swagger that both of them possess.

He wants the ball when the game is on the line, as evidenced by when he hit the game-winner against the Boston Celtics on January 29.

Irving was the third youngest player since 2002-03 to hit a game-winning shot.

If the Cavs do pull the trigger on any rumored trade involving Ramon Sessions, it will just mean a few more minutes and more of a leadership role for Irving.

The Cavaliers' Improvement

Let's not forget that the Cavaliers are just one season removed from going 19-63. That of course includes an NBA record 26-game losing streak.

While the team was never "as bad" as that losing streak might have indicated, they were still a bad team.  Granted Cleveland was without Anderson Varejao for most of the year, but he is not a guy that is going to add a ton of wins to a team.

The rosters from last year's team and this year's are not drastically different. The biggest differences are rookies Irving and Tristan Thompson.

At 10-14, the Cavaliers sit fourth in the Central Division, and, as crazy as it may sound, they are only half a game behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

A lot of the turnaround can be chalked up to Irving.

Big Fish in a Small Pond

As a  whole, this rookie class is very weak.

That's not to say that there aren't any potential All-Stars in there, but it seems like the 2011 draft lacked any transcendent players like a Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose or a Blake Griffin.

Ricky Rubio looks like he has the potential to become a great point guard, but he still has a lot of things to work on.

Kemba Walker and Brandon Knight have had solid seasons, but nothing to set the world on fire.

No one else has really asserted himself as a viable option for Rookie of the Year.

At least in previous seasons, there was a debate among three or four guys.

In 2009, you had the aforementioned Rose, O.J. Mayo, Brook Lopez and Russell Westbrook.

There was Tyreke Evans, Stephen Curry and Brandon Jennings in 2010.

Last year was almost a runaway for Blake Griffin to win the award, but John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins both played very well.

Through about 25 games this year, the current rookie crop just lacks the immediate impact players that NBA fans have seen in seasons prior.

Kyrie Irving has outplayed almost every other rookie. He looks to be in a class by himself.