Rich Paul: Kyrie Irving’s talent was ‘huge’ reason why LeBron returned to Cleveland in 2014

Rich Paul gave some insight into what went into LeBron James’ decision to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers after winning two titles with the Miami Heat and the important role that Kyrie Irving played in the decision.

“Now, Kyrie’s in the Finals, so I’m not going to touch on him, because I don’t want to distract him,” Paul said. “I will say, his talent was a huge reason why the return (James coming back to Cleveland) was there. Right? The belief to know you can win.”

James returned to Cleveland – the franchise that drafted him – ahead of the 2014-15 season to team up with Irving and Kevin Love, who was acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Irving, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, had earned the Rookie of the Year award in his first season and back-to-back All-Star game selections in the next two seasons before James joined the roster.

It seems like the trajectory that Irving was on as a star in the NBA made it easier for James to return to his hometown team.

After making the NBA Finals in four straight seasons in Miami, James went on to do the same in Cleveland, winning a title with Irving in the 2015-16 season.

Irving hit one of the most important shots in NBA Finals history, a 3-pointer over Stephen Curry, to help the Cavs win Game 7 of the Finals over the Golden State Warriors that season.

In the series, Irving ended up averaging 27.1 points per game while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from beyond the arc. He was a perfect running mate for James, who earned his third title (he now has four) of his NBA career in 2016.

Unfortunately, Irving didn’t stick in Cleveland for the rest of James’ tenure, as he was traded to Boston ahead of the 2017-18 season. The star guard did not make it back to an NBA Finals until this season with the Dallas Mavericks.

The time that Irving and James spent together in Cleveland was certainly worth it for both players and the franchise, as it snapped a long title drought in Cleveland, but it didn’t end in the way many fans would have hoped.

Still, it’s cool to see how Irving played a role in getting James back to Cleveland, and it’s possible that had the star guard not been there, that the NBA’s all-time leading scorer may have gone a different path.