If Kyrie Irving were a normal person he would've still been exhausted on Wednesday after competing for three-straight days at All-Star Weekend.

Fortunately for Cavaliers fans, however, dude is anything but normal. 

Below is a picture from our friends at RareInk.com that speaks to Irving's out-of-this-world-ness better than I can this morning.

Thought it was appropriate to include after what the Eastern Conference's best point guard did last night to the New Orleans Hornets.   

Scoring 35 points on 59 percent shooting to go along with seven assists and five rebounds is a totally ridiculous stat line in itself. Those numbers are only made to read more ridiculously when you watched the way Irving went about posting them.

The fourth quarter is when your leader and go-to guy steps up. We just try to space out the floor and let Kyrie do his thing. We know he's going to make the right plays for his teammates and himself."  - Tristan Thompson

With just under seven minutes remaining, trailing the Hornets by four, Irving rattled off 18 of the Cavaliers next 20 points to put Cleveland ahead for good.  All tolled, he finished with 20 of his 35 coming in the final seven minutes of the game.

This after not scoring his first basket of the game until the three minute mark in the first quarter.

But while the national television audience was able to witness Irving's brilliance last night for the first time, we've always known he's a special kind of superstar. One who seems to get better every time he steps onto the floor.

Thoughts on today's trade deadline: 

I haven't written much about the Cavaliers at the trade deadline because I haven't expected them to make a move. I discussed the 25 trades I thought most likely to happen for Bleacher Report on Tuesday and didn't include any Cavaliers on the list. 

Specifically, I didn't include Mo Speights. He had a rough game last night -- four points in 18 minutes -- and I have no idea what implication that could have -- if any -- on today's deadline. But if I was Speights, I'd pick up my player option for $4.5 million next season and then see how much I could earn from there. 

From the mustache to the swag, I have an infinite amount of respect for Matt Bonner aka the Red Rocket.

But like I predicted on Cleveland.com's Sports Insider show with Glenn Moore on Wednesday, Kyrie Irving was just too much for Bonner in the three-point shootout. 

The YouTube video—that will one day be what the '94 Mark Price shootout is for me to some kid in Cleveland who fell in love with the Cavaliers last night watching Irving do what he did—is below.
 

"This kid is trying take over the league." - Reggie Miller

It's easy to dismiss these type of All-Star weekend events as being meaningless when your guy loses.

But regardless of how hypocritical it might sound, they truly do become special nights when that same guy comes out on top.

Just like the NBA's fastest-rising superstar did last night for Clevelanders a world over.

Nice work down in Houston, Mr. Irving. The takeover continues.

You guys really need to watch Tristan Thompson dance.

He can break it down better than anybody in the NBA and had those moves of full display Friday during Rising Stars practice in Houston for All-Star weekend.

Here is that video below.
 

Okay Tristan, I see you. Keep doing your thing my man. 

Before we get into this yearʼs trade deadline debate letʼs take a trip back to January 22nd, roughly a month before Chris Grant usually does his damage.

When you can pull off a heist like this why wait?

So how exactly did this happen? Of course we all know Memphis was desperately trying to shed salary. But still, how could the Cavs turn Jon Leuer into Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington, and a favorably protected future first round pick?

What was Chris Grantʼs starting point in negotiations if this is what Memphis ended up looking at as a good deal?

Itʼs my guess that the reason for this is because there were no negotiations at all. Chris Grant—and the relative patience of Cavs fans everywhere—had the team in a position as one of only three teams in the NBA with the ability to take on the salary needed to complete the deal.

Another team with enough cap space was Houston who needs all the space they can muster to try to sign a big name this offseason before their own cap nightmare begins in 2014 when the “toxic” years of Jeremy Linʼs and Omer Asikʼs contracts kick in.

The third team was the Phoenix Suns. The Suns seem to be waffling in how theyʼre trying to move on from the Steve Nash years. Are they gutting it or trying to sign high price talent?

It seems plausible that Phoenix, at that stage in the game with the deadline still a month away, just simply wouldnʼt commit to taking on the extra salary. It seems even more plausible looking back on it that Grant basically said, “Yeah Iʼll take a 25-year-old big man and a 25-year-old shooting guard whose shooting 40% from 3 point range.

Iʼll give you a D-League prospect named Jon Leuer; google him heʼs from Wisconsin. Yeah he had a buzzcut. Well, yeah they all had buzzcuts. Also throw in a first round draft pick, and letʼs try to make sure itʼs a lottery pick.”

Would he have had this deal if there were ANY other suitors?

So fast forward back to present day. 

Yesterday afternoon I caught up with our old friend and former co-host of the Wine and Gold Podcast Glenn Moore from Cleveland.com.

Mr. Moore and I discussed the chances of Kyrie Irving winning the 3-point shoot-out, an article  I wrote comparing Irving to Mark Price last week and the trade possibilities surrounding Big Mo Speights.

The link to that episode of Cleveland.com's Sports Insider is here if you want to check it out.

Later on in the day, I checked out the Cavs most recent on-court battle with the San Antonio Spurs from the Cavaliers Social Media Suite. The Cavs were nice enough to give my girlfriend Courtney the tickets and it was cool watching the game in the suite sponsored by Giorgio's Pizza.

If I bored you by typing out those last two sentences I apologize. I was trying to transition away from talking with Glenn yesterday afternoon to the final series of the Cavs / Spurs game last night.

Mentioning my girlfriend, Giorgio's Pizza and the Cavaliers Social Suite was the best I could do, I guess.

Regardless, as I posted on Twitter last night following the game, I am choosing to focus on Dion Waiters' ability to step up and hit a monster shot to take the lead against the NBA's best team with eight seconds left as opposed to spending time being frustrated or concerned by the event[s] that followed.

Fast forward to next year and nights like Monday, hopefully, will be unacceptable.

As for right now, a loss to a hobbled and reeling Minnesota Timberwolves is one that can be taken, reluctantly, with a grain of salt. Chalk it up to the growing pains of a young and inexperienced basketball team.

It's hard to tell if that eases the pain or enhances it--that the Cavs have seemingly turned a corner in 2013 and have mixed in some pretty exciting nights amongst some puzzling efforts--much like last nightʼs loss to Minnesota.

Over the last 24 games, the Cavs have put together a respectable, while not earth shattering, 11-13 record. The best thing along the way is that itʼs been the young core doing a lot of the heavy lifting.

Kyrie Irving has been incredible.

Frankly, its to a point where he has to play pretty unbelievably for the Cavs to win games and that he has. For those concerned about a sophomore slump you can breathe easy.

All Irving has done is exceed expectations for his 2nd year while catapulting himself into some pretty impressive debates regarding where he stands among the current rank and file of superstars in the NBA.

With Kyrie having proven himself to be a more known commodity, the real story is the development of his fellow rising stars.

The first being fellow sophomore Tristan Thompson.

Thompson's meteoric rise in approval rating is soaring as he continues to demonstrate a legit NBA offensive game. Heʼs facing people up and beating defenders off the dribble from time-to-time. Heʼs playing tougher. Heʼs rebounding. He also has 12 more assists over this 24-game stretch than he had in ALL 60 games last season. 

Ryan Kern is an NCAA Basketball analyst who will be providing weekly updates on the nation's top college prospects here at StepienRules.com, starting today with Anthony Bennett from UNLV.

Anthony Bennett.

Remember the name, remember the number, and recognize game.

While the vast majority of the Nation is going to sleep, Anthony Bennett is going to work. The McDonald’s All-American from Brampton, Ontario hits the scales at 6-8, 230 and is turning heads of NBA scouts on his time—Mountain West time.

UNLV fans are quick to pull comparisons to Larry Johnson, but this talent doesn’t end with “Grandmama” commercials and Converse. Perhaps “Uncle Drew” commercials with Kyrie Irving are more appropriate, after this Freshman standout declares to become a lottery pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. 
 

On a typical night, Bennett plugs 18.3 PPG with 8.5 REB in for a team lacking a true PG and quite honestly an identity. Secretly loaded with star power, UNLV runs a high octane offense that features anyone open to shotgun and shoot. 

Bennett only takes an average of 11-13 shots per game as his teammates embrace their inner-Allen Iverson, hoisting callous shot selections. However, the one constant remains that when “Big Anthony” has the ball, no one can guard him.

Blessed with the ability to make you pay behind the arch, Bennett has a pure jump shot and is absolutely ferocious on the glass. Lose sight of him for a second and he’s flexing at your crowd.

This is the rare breed of “All-Dimension Game.”

This is who you want to watch in the NCAA Tournament. This is who you want to Draft with the 1st Pick.

This is NOT a bold statement.
 

Follow Ryan Kern on Twitter: @sharpncaa

The one aspect of rebuilding an NBA team that is most overlooked these days is the importance of surrounding the young core you're trying to develop with actual NBA players. 

Like, guys who can play for not only the Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Bobcats but also actually crack the rotation on any other team in the Association. 

Marreese Speights, for example, is a big man who would earn minutes on any team in the league.

He might not be a starter for some teams, like he could be here next to Tristan Thompson moving forward, but he's going to be your third or fourth big man at worst. 

He earned minutes already behind the best tandem in the league with Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph in Memphis, and I think now we are seeing what Speights is capable of in an expanded role.

Hopefully that expanded role continues to be here in Cleveland heading into next season.

Following the Cavaliers' win over the Orlando Magic last night I caught up with Big Mo to talk about all that. 

I believe Speights is happy here being part of what the Cavaliers are building. I'm glad that all he's thinking and talking about right now is helping this team win and I hope he's afforded the opportunity to keep doing specifically that. 

It goes without saying, or typing, but the opportunity Speights gives this team to actually win an NBA game is so much more real then when the twin towers of Ryan Hollins and Semih Erden were trotted out there last season. 

The most important thing he's bringing right now, though—besides being a dude who's mad cool on Twitter with Cavs fans while averaging 15 points and seven rebounds in only 24 (!!!) minutes—is that he's helping Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters win basketball games.

At the end of the day, after all the cap space is counted, draft picks are stockpiled and advanced scouting metrics are calculated, these are the type of players who need to share a locker room with Kyrie Irving.

The ones who help Irving lead this Cavs team to wins.

The Cavaliers have won seven of their last 10 games for the first time since Byron Scott has arrived in Cleveland as of Saturday morning.

Drama continues tonight as the red-hot Denver Nuggets attempt to walk through the collective buzzsaw emerging from Quicken Loans Arena these days. 

On Wednesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers destroyed the Charlotte Bobcats.

More important than simply beating the NBA's worst team, Dion Waiters, Tristan Thompson and Kyrie Irving combined  to score 58 points in the process.

Forty-nine games into the season, the Cavaliers' "Rising Stars" have now led Cleveland to a 6-4 record (!!!) over the last ten.

Following the most recent win, I caught up with Waiters to talk about how things feel for the rookie as the All-Star break approaches. 

Thompson, Waiters and Irving went for 17, 19 and 22 points respectively.

Maybe that's what next season might look like on a more regular basis.  Who knows.

While I don't want to get too carried away with beating the Bobcats, sans our boy Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, six wins in the last ten games is impressive for this group.

Especially when you consider the Cavs' second best player is rehabbing his way through blood clots, injuries and everything else as these youngsters start to find a collective groove.

Maybe the sky is still about to fall in a couple weeks, though, and this ten game run will be a distant memory before not too long.

Or, like Waiters said, maybe these guys are learning how to play collectively at the pace needed to win on the NBA level.

Because that's possible too.

On Saturday night, prior to the Cavaliers triumphant win over the NBA's most explosive offensive, I asked Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks to compare his Thunder team during Kevin Durant's second season to the Cleveland Cavaliers in year two of Kyrie Irving.

Our exchange on that is below.

The 'OKC Model' for rebuilding an NBA team has been mentioned ad nauseam over the last few years—especially here in Cleveland as it relates to the Cavs.

I have never believed this model is something that can be technically duplicated or followed. In my opinion, the OKC model is a rebuilding-through-the-draft-method that's worked for the Thunder specifically as a result of many unique factors.

In saying that, though, generally building through the draft could work for other NBA teams as well. The Thunder are the standard by which those rebuilds are measured, so I was interested to hear what Brooks had to say about Cleveland's progress while I had the chance to ask him.