Kyrie Irving Rookie of the Year 2012: Award Will Put More Pressure on Cavs Star

Kyrie Irving had a tremendous first season with the Cleveland Cavaliers that will ultimately earn him Rookie of the Year honors. While it's a perfect way to begin his career, it also puts even more pressure on his shoulders as the Cavs attempt to rebuild in the post-LeBron James era.

Irving will officially receive the award on Tuesday, according to Marc Stein of ESPN, but anybody who watched the NBA throughout the season already knew he was a lock. He averaged 19 points, five assists and four rebounds despite a lack of production from his supporting cast.

It's hard to believe now that there was actually a debate as to whether the Cavaliers should select Irving or Derrick Williams with the first-overall pick last summer. Williams struggled throughout the season, chipping in just nine points per game for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Even though Irving was limited by injuries in his only season at Duke, his potential was obvious. He does everything a team could hope for from a point guard. Whether it's creating his own offense, finding a teammate for an open look or playing defense, he illustrated his enormous upside right away.

Now that the rookie hype will fade away, Irving will be expected to become the cornerstone player that turns the Cavaliers back into title contenders.

Teams will now game plan specifically to stop him, which means he'll need to become a lot more patient on offense. They will also attack him on the defensive end in an attempt to wear him down. In other words, it only gets tougher from here for the rising star.

While an argument will be made that he can only do so much until the front office provides him with more reliable players, James found out during his time leading the Cavaliers that case doesn't hold much weight with fans.

That's especially true for a point guard like Irving, who's expected to make the players around him better. So he can fully expect the spotlight to shine brightly on him heading into next season and beyond. Handling that added pressure will be key.

If there's anybody who can do it, however, it's Irving. He carries himself with a high level of confidence that should have a positive impact on his teammates. That's a rare trait for a 20-year-old player only a few years removed from high school.

The Cavaliers have a couple young pieces, most notably last year's No. 4 overall pick, Tristan Thompson, but there's a lot of work left to do before they get back into playoff contention. Unfortunately for Irving, that won't lessen the sky-high individual expectations on him.

Winning Rookie of the Year is nice, but unless he parlays it into future success, it won't mean anything in the grand scheme of his career.