By james art CLEVELAND (NBA/Olympics) – The 2012 Olympics may come too soon for Kyrie Irving, but don’t bet against the Cleveland Cavaliers playmaker making an appearance at the Rio de Janeiro Games in four years.
The Australian-born point guard, who flirted with representing the Boomers in London this summer before deciding to stay with USA Basketball, is expected to be on the Americans’ selected team to face the Olympic team in the build-up to London .
This week, Irving, who played just 11 games for USA coach Mike Krzyzewski at Duke University before turning pro, was named the NBA Rookie of the Year after a stellar rookie season.
The 19-year-old received 592 points and 117 first-place votes from a panel of 120 sports journalists and broadcasters in the United States and Canada.
He was first in scoring (18.5 points per game), field goal shooting (46.9 percent) and free throws (87.2 percent) among first-year players and was second in assists (5.4 points) and plays for three points (39.9%) ).
Due to the NBA lockout and the delayed start to the campaign, Irving discovered the harsh reality of big time basketball very early.
It’s not all fun and games.
Asked at his press conference about his advice to incoming recruits for the 2012-13 campaign, he said: “I would just tell them to be patient.
“They have a great opportunity to be much better prepared than the rookies that came in this season.
“They have summer league.
“We have eight pre-season games, a whole month of training camp, so be patient. It’s going to be a grind.”
Irving will look back on his NBA debut as a huge success, but a year in which he also made some important discoveries.
“This 66-game season has been a learning experience,” he said.
“You have to be ready to work every day.
“You have to get used to it and it becomes a business.
“You have to understand the business part.
“You have to understand the basketball part, but more importantly the business part.
“This is the NBA.”
FIBA