Kyrie Irving Acknowledges He Has Not Shown Leadership

Sometimes it is unfair for the public to automatically pass the mantle of leadership to the best player in a team. This is what happened to Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving. The former rookie of the year and 2014 All-Star game Most Valuable Player comes clean with the admission that has not been a leader for his club the past years.

While the media has been critical of the young talented star's evolution there are some things to consider. This is just his third season in the league. He is only 22 years old. He was surrounded with fellow mercurial young rookies who had lots to prove for themselves. Putting all those ingredients together, you got a dysfunctional Cavaliers team year in and out that was not able to qualify for the playoffs since LeBron James' departure in 2010.

Irving bared his tell-all to RealGM's Shams Charania when he said "I haven't been a leader-not at all."

"I've just been a kid trying to figure it out. There's no perfect way to be a leader, and coming in as a 19-year-old kid and having everything bearing on your shoulders, there are a lot of ups and downs. Now it's about being the best every single day and not being afraid," Irving said.

This great news for Cleveland fans as pundits have been questioning whether the ball-dominant guard will be ready to defer to the veterans in the current team none other than LeBron James and Kevin Love. The owning up to his mistakes and deficiencies only goes to show that Irving is ready to learn from the best player of the game and that just bodes well for the possible chemistry of the team.

That is not say that the team will gel immediately but guided by LeBron who went through all media scrutiny after his Decision, Irving is in good hands to learn from the best about basketball and then some. The future bodes well for Irving and the Cavaliers.