Byerie Irving? Do you want Kyrie back?

What are your thoughts on Kyrie?

  • I want him back on max deal no matter what

    Votes: 60 19.5%
  • I want him back on max deal ONLY if AD is also coming

    Votes: 85 27.6%
  • I’m done with him and don’t want him back under any circumstances

    Votes: 109 35.4%
  • Not sure - I want to see how the playoffs go first

    Votes: 54 17.5%

  • Total voters
    308
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lovegtm

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This is baseless on both fronts.

The more obvious answer for Irving's performance in the playoffs is pretty simple. He was Boston's only true, consistent scoring threat. He was also Boston's only player who could also consistently generate his own looks. As such, opposing teams schemed to stop him and let the rest of the Celtics beat them, knowing full well that if they were successful, it would take an outlier performance by any of those players to make them pay.

We can debate where Irving ranks versus the different tiers of players but the other teams that went deep in the playoffs had multiple scoring threats without exception. Boston did not. As such, I don't think criticizing him for not carrying a flawed Boston team deeper is entirely fair.
As luckiestman mentioned, the stuff he was doing on D was really bizarre, and went beyond execution. It doesn’t mean that Kyrie Irving was solely responsible for the problems, or that things will be perfect now that he’s gone.

But the dude was doing weird shit, especially for someone with his BBIQ.
 

HowBoutDemSox

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I Don’t Recall Saying Good Luck - So Long, Kyrie

Fell Off the Edge of the Earth - The Kyrie Irving Thread
 
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chilidawg

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This is baseless on both fronts.

The more obvious answer for Irving's performance in the playoffs is pretty simple. He was Boston's only true, consistent scoring threat. He was also Boston's only player who could also consistently generate his own looks. As such, opposing teams schemed to stop him and let the rest of the Celtics beat them, knowing full well that if they were successful, it would take an outlier performance by any of those players to make them pay.

We can debate where Irving ranks versus the different tiers of players but the other teams that went deep in the playoffs had multiple scoring threats without exception. Boston did not. As such, I don't think criticizing him for not carrying a flawed Boston team deeper is entirely fair.
I'd disagree, especially in light of Toronto winning an NBA championship with only one true elite offensive threat. They played better defense, and KL could actually "get his shots", where KI showed he really couldn't. Their other guys had good looks throughout the playoffs as a result, and they made enough of those to win.
 

DJnVa

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We likely won't even need the thread much longer. Let the Kyrie stuff slide into the general NBA season thread we usually have.
 

The Social Chair

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Spencer Dinwiddie was on podcast with Shams and said Kyrie called him in December and was saying things about how “NY might be really fun next year.” So, just 2-3 months after telling Boston he was going to stay.
The Durant and Draymond on court fight happened in November so this timeline makes sense.
 

DeJesus Built My Hotrod

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I'd disagree, especially in light of Toronto winning an NBA championship with only one true elite offensive threat. They played better defense, and KL could actually "get his shots", where KI showed he really couldn't. Their other guys had good looks throughout the playoffs as a result, and they made enough of those to win.
We don't need to get into the data but no matter how you slice it, Toronto had more than one good scoring threat who could get looks and they had the diversity of two to three players who could carry the team when Leonard was sitting, tired or being slowed (Siakam, Lowry and Green with Gasol, Van Vleet and Ibaka all able to grab buckets as well). Boston had Irving and Horford with Tatum and Brown occasionally chipping in (though not from deep).

However to clarify, my point wasn't about elite scoring - its secondary scoring and the Raptors had that both during the regular and post-season.
 

Reverend

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Recalling Jaylen’s initial thoughts on the trade–interesting to revisit now:

It changes the whole dynamic, the whole culture. We’ll see if it’s for good or bad, time will tell. But it’s still a little weird to me, to be honest, because when I came in everything they stressed was culture, environment, Celtic basketball. Now, it’s like what is the environment, the culture, what is Celtic basketball?
https://www.complex.com/sports/2017/10/jaylen-bronw-meeting-heroes
 

HomeRunBaker

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Jan 15, 2004
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Kyrie expressed to him around March that he wanted to go home. Ainge said Kyrie was always professional when they talked about it.
Since the Melbourne Tigers of the NBL didn't have the cap space maybe Kyrie was being nice to try and convince Danny to do a sign-n-trade for Josh Boone.
 

Jimbodandy

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Good question Jaylen. That'll be a big part of this year for Stevens and Ainge.
Yeah. This is a big year for both Stevens and Ainge. I don't think either is on the hot seat, but we will soon find out whether the org is back on the right path and whether CBS can drive the bus or not.
 

lovegtm

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I know many here aren’t fans of Kyrie’s but I’m still of the belief that he wasn’t the only problem or even the initial problem in last years locker room. Plus, he’s fun....

View: https://youtu.be/_HBEhFEVy3s
He's really, really freaking fun to watch--one of my favorites ever. I don't think it's worth trying to put blame as to who started the problems: at the end of the day, he didn't want to be here, and the mixture of him with some of the other guys wasn't great. It's life; shit happens.
 

reggiecleveland

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I think all three. #1 is first in your mind. I remember J. P. Ricciardi bolting from a spring training interview with Don and Jerry because BJ Ryan (who he just given 35 million) winced and took himself out of the game. Luckily for JP, BJ didn't blow his arm out until the next year.
But yeah, "Didn't go with me to see the trainer" seems like a complaint Kyrie's agent would leak to the press when the Nets are 15-35 and Kyrie gets booed.

Guys see through phoniness most of the time. When a guys gets hurt, in your mind you move on down the depth chart, and many coaches make the mistake of forgetting the relationship with the injured guys. I know one coach wrote in his notes 'talk to injured players" because he didn't want to have guys think they were left out. You want the injured guy connected, to know the plays, to feel part of the team, because the mental side of injuries, even out for a few days is hard on competitive athletes.
 

HomeRunBaker

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As a coach I will take this one.

You are worried about the health of your star. You have human concern for him, or want him to believe you have concern.
Yeah, it's what every coach at every level should do and generally does do. It must be the slow season where this is actually being discussed.
 

Light-Tower-Power

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If Kyrie opened up and said this during the season I think the fans would have been understanding and encouraging. I know everyone handles grief in their own way and it isn't right to judge him for being cold and closed off if that was the cause, but it's too bad it played out that way.

That said, if I grab tickets for the Thanksgiving Eve game I will still boo him with zeal.
 

wade boggs chicken dinner

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The guy is saying that someone close to him passing away sent him into a depression; he didn't get the help he probably needed; and this affected him and the way he interacted with teammates and the public - I'm going to give him the benefit on the doubt on this one.

It's too bad it happened to him and hopefully he learned from it. And maybe I'll root for him a little bit when he plays most of the rest of the NBA (other than the Cs).
 

fairlee76

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He's a bullshit artist. He wants Boston fans to feel bad about him now that he's gone. I say this as a Duke grad.
An exhausting bullshit artist. I only have the bandwidth to deal with the one we have in the White House.

Using the death of a loved one to excuse/rationalize behavior that seems consistent with who he is, and is consistent with prior behavior, is a stretch. It seemed clear that he resented the success the kids had in the 2018 playoffs and his attempt to re-assert himself as the team's leader (mostly by telling everyone he was a leader, versus acting the part) blew up in his, and the team's, face. I have no idea how much of a role grief played in that. I do know that this type of behavior has been a pattern for him for the better part of his career. He's an uber-talented, uber-temperamental dude. Hopefully he finds an even keel in NJ.
 

ggreene

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I listened to a 4 min meandering ramble by him in which he brought up his grandfather along with his other usual platitudes. At this point I think he will always be an enigma and I wouldn't put much confidence in knowing what he means no matter what he says.
 

Light-Tower-Power

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I listened to a 4 min meandering ramble by him in which he brought up his grandfather along with his other usual platitudes. At this point I think he will always be an enigma and I wouldn't put much confidence in knowing what he means no matter what he says.
I think this is giving him too much credit. I think he's more of a BS-spewing jackass than an eccentric.
 
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