Official Welcome Home Kyrie Thread

[MrDollarBills]

The media always vilifies players who refuse to give them their soundbytes. Before Marshawn Lynch was a media darling they used to raise a stink about his silence as well.

Kyrie draws attention no matter what he does. If he talks, quotes will be taken out of context and used to slander him (see last year when he said that the Nets "need a few more pieces"). If he shuts up, they will complain about him not speaking. He's in a no win situation. If i were him, I would just give deadpan answers like Bill Bellichek because those fines will add up quickly.

Either way, it just goes to show you how the media is in general, they have an agenda and they need narratives to talk about on the morning shows and radio programs. We literally watched ESPN make up stuff about Kyrie last October that were blatantly untrue, but it doesn't matter, once they put it out there the public consumes it as truth regardless of context.

Guys that cheat on their wives or beating the hell out of women aren't interesting enough and aren't going to give good soundbytes to talk about over and over on ESPN. Targeting Irving is a lot more juicier than having difficult conversations about domestic violence or someone getting caught speeding with high off weed and with an assault rifle in the backseat.

You know what will make all of it stop? Winning games.

[Paradise]

Not really a fan of him using the word 'pawns'. I don't like the way Kyrie is portrayed in the media or all the hate that's thrown his way - but I would say ALL of that comes from the national media. Our local media has treated him very well. I haven't seen any instance of our guys twisting his words or writing sensational articles for clickbait. Everything becomes a problem when ESPN or other outlets pick it up.

Just think it's disrespectful to guys like Kristian Winfield, Brian Lewis, Greg Logan, even ND. Those guys haven't done anything wrong. It's cool to not want to talk to them but don't publicly bash them like that.

How is he bashing them specifically, though? Yes, that are absolutely good and hardworking reporters in NY but I think we all know who he’s actually talking about here and it’s not local media and it’s not local journalists. He’s referring to the outlets. The outsiders.

So, if he was asked about ESPN ranking him 25th but Zion 12th and he decided not to respond, is he still a problem?

If he was asked about other media folk who want to see him dealt for Harden...and he chooses not to respond, is he still a problem?

We all know any way those questions get answered result into some more narratives, more words out of context for the clickbait, views and ratings.

[MGrand15]

Not really a fan of him using the word 'pawns'. I don't like the way Kyrie is portrayed in the media or all the hate that's thrown his way - but I would say ALL of that comes from the national media. Our local media has treated him very well. I haven't seen any instance of our guys twisting his words or writing sensational articles for clickbait. Everything becomes a problem when ESPN or other outlets pick it up.

Just think it's disrespectful to guys like Kristian Winfield, Brian Lewis, Greg Logan, even ND. Those guys haven't done anything wrong. It's cool to not want to talk to them but don't publicly bash them like that.

How is he bashing them specifically, though? Yes, that are absolutely good and hardworking reporters in NY but I think we all know who he’s actually talking about here and it’s not local media and it’s not local journalists. He’s referring to the outlets. The outsiders.

So, if he was asked about ESPN ranking him 25th but Zion 12th and he decided not to respond, is he still a problem?

If he was asked about other media folk who want to see him dealt for Harden...and he chooses not to respond, is he still a problem?

We all know any way those questions get answered result into some more narratives, more words out of context for the clickbait, views and ratings.

He said I don't speak to pawns and he's refusing to meet with the local media. I don't think it's a leap to think he was calling them pawns.

The overall message is fine. He just really didn't have to include that part which could easily be taken as a direct shot to them as people. Especially since all of the people he's refusing to meet have been extra fair to him - including Malika Andrews from ESPN. It's not like he's refusing to meet with Kendrick Perkins, Stephen A Smith, or guys like that who kill him regularly.

[therealbig3]

I think he’s being an idiot personally.

And honestly, portraying Kyrie as a victim to the insane and unfair media is a little nauseating. Is nowhere close to the first athlete that gets unfair scrutiny from the media, and he has honestly brought a lot of this heat on himself, he’s not blameless in all of this. And he’s really not getting it that bad compared to other athletes, past and present, can we all relax a little?

I don’t remember Vince being this antagonistic to the media, and he honestly had it way worse. Sure, you can pick up sound bytes from him here and there I’m sure, but I don’t remember him skirting media obligations and making pseudo-intellectual comments like this every chance he got.

[MrDollarBills]

Not really a fan of him using the word 'pawns'. I don't like the way Kyrie is portrayed in the media or all the hate that's thrown his way - but I would say ALL of that comes from the national media. Our local media has treated him very well. I haven't seen any instance of our guys twisting his words or writing sensational articles for clickbait. Everything becomes a problem when ESPN or other outlets pick it up.

Just think it's disrespectful to guys like Kristian Winfield, Brian Lewis, Greg Logan, even ND. Those guys haven't done anything wrong. It's cool to not want to talk to them but don't publicly bash them like that.

How is he bashing them specifically, though? Yes, that are absolutely good and hardworking reporters in NY but I think we all know who he’s actually talking about here and it’s not local media and it’s not local journalists. He’s referring to the outlets. The outsiders.

So, if he was asked about ESPN ranking him 25th but Zion 12th and he decided not to respond, is he still a problem?

If he was asked about other media folk who want to see him dealt for Harden...and he chooses not to respond, is he still a problem?

We all know any way those questions get answered result into some more narratives, more words out of context for the clickbait, views and ratings.

KD literally told these guys the other day that they make up bull **** and he's right.

[MrDollarBills]

I think he’s being an idiot personally.

And honestly, portraying Kyrie as a victim to the insane and unfair media is a little nauseating. Is nowhere close to the first athlete that gets unfair scrutiny from the media, and he has honestly brought a lot of this heat on himself, he’s not blameless in all of this. And he’s really not getting it that bad compared to other athletes, past and present, can we all relax a little?

I don’t remember Vince being this antagonistic to the media, and he honestly had it way worse. Sure, you can pick up sound bytes from him here and there I’m sure, but I don’t remember him skirting media obligations and making pseudo-intellectual comments like this every chance he got.

Where were you last year when ESPN took this quote:

"And the fourth quarter, certain shots I usually make at the rim, they were just a little short tonight. You have to live with those results. And a lot of my teammates picked me up. Spence did a good job continuing to attack. [Jarrett Allen] played well. I felt like we could've got some more swing-swing action or some second-side action. They did a great job loading up, so you got to give them credit, but I feel like my teammates had my back as well."

"I mean, it's transparent. It's out there. It's glaring, in terms of the pieces that we need in order to be at that next level," Irving said after finishing with 14 points on 6-for-21 shooting in Brooklyn's 117-106 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday at Wells Fargo Center.

"I'm going to continue to reiterate it. We're going to do the best with the guys that we have in our locker room now, and we'll worry about all the other stuff, in terms of moving pieces and everything else, as an organization down the line in the summer.

"It's just something that we signed up for. We knew what we were coming into at the beginning of this season. Guys were going down left and right for us. [Garrett Temple] is out, [DeAndre Jordan] just got hurt tonight, Wilson [Chandler] is just coming back. We have complementary young guys as well that have done a great job the last three years.

"Collectively, I feel like we have great pieces, but it's pretty glaring we need one more piece or two more pieces that will complement myself, [Kevin Durant], DJ, GT, Spence [Dinwiddie], Caris [LeVert], and we'll see how that evolves."

and turned it into a manufactured controversy by solely focusing on the sentence above that is highlighted, disregarding the complete context of his comments:

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

You don't like the guy for whatever reason, fine, but don't sit here and act like he doesn't have a reason for why doesn't want to talk.

[therealbig3]

Spoiler:

I think he’s being an idiot personally.

And honestly, portraying Kyrie as a victim to the insane and unfair media is a little nauseating. Is nowhere close to the first athlete that gets unfair scrutiny from the media, and he has honestly brought a lot of this heat on himself, he’s not blameless in all of this. And he’s really not getting it that bad compared to other athletes, past and present, can we all relax a little?

I don’t remember Vince being this antagonistic to the media, and he honestly had it way worse. Sure, you can pick up sound bytes from him here and there I’m sure, but I don’t remember him skirting media obligations and making pseudo-intellectual comments like this every chance he got.

Where were you last year when ESPN took this quote:

"And the fourth quarter, certain shots I usually make at the rim, they were just a little short tonight. You have to live with those results. And a lot of my teammates picked me up. Spence did a good job continuing to attack. [Jarrett Allen] played well. I felt like we could've got some more swing-swing action or some second-side action. They did a great job loading up, so you got to give them credit, but I feel like my teammates had my back as well."

"I mean, it's transparent. It's out there. It's glaring, in terms of the pieces that we need in order to be at that next level," Irving said after finishing with 14 points on 6-for-21 shooting in Brooklyn's 117-106 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday at Wells Fargo Center.

"I'm going to continue to reiterate it. We're going to do the best with the guys that we have in our locker room now, and we'll worry about all the other stuff, in terms of moving pieces and everything else, as an organization down the line in the summer.

"It's just something that we signed up for. We knew what we were coming into at the beginning of this season. Guys were going down left and right for us. [Garrett Temple] is out, [DeAndre Jordan] just got hurt tonight, Wilson [Chandler] is just coming back. We have complementary young guys as well that have done a great job the last three years.

"Collectively, I feel like we have great pieces, but it's pretty glaring we need one more piece or two more pieces that will complement myself, [Kevin Durant], DJ, GT, Spence [Dinwiddie], Caris [LeVert], and we'll see how that evolves."

and turned it into a manufactured controversy by solely focusing on the sentence above that is highlighted, disregarding the complete context of his comments:

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

You don't like the guy for whatever reason, fine, but don't sit here and act like he doesn't have a reason for why doesn't want to talk.

But like, so what? That happens all the time, to every high profile athlete, they get their comments twisted into something they're not, or they're taken out of context, or they're over-analyzed to mean something way more than it was actually intended. Comes with the territory, he needs to learn how to deal with it and still maintain his obligations.

And to be fair...why did Kyrie even need to make that statement? Honestly, it IS kind of a weird comment that lends itself to being taken out of context. And then he had the comment about not needing a coach and that Nash shouldn't be coming in trying to change them too much, and that led to a bunch of needless distraction and negative press...that was just a dumb statement honestly.

And I don't dislike Kyrie. I just get the impression that he thinks he's smarter than he actually is, and ends up saying or doing unnecessary things that attracts negative press, and then acts a little too sensitive by trying to play victim about being unfairly targeted by the media...even though he's the one that said something that anyone with a brain could tell was going to be interpreted a certain way.

I get it, the media can suck. There are definitely media personalities that will lie, misrepresent, misconstrue, and over-analyze things just for attention and clicks. That's been there since the invention of the media.

But there are also plenty of media members that are excellent at what they do and perform their jobs with the utmost professionalism and integrity. And the media is our link as fans to the players. The media is what markets the game and popularizes the product. They're a necessary part of the NBA. It just is what it is.

And when Kyrie refuses to talk to the media, the same media that he owes much of his success to (no two ways about this), he's refusing to talk to us as fans. Which is not cool. And yeah, you can say he'll engage in social media or he'll give his own statements...yeah, but that's conveniently ignoring the questions that he may not want to answer that we as fans feel like he should be answering. That's what the media reporters are there for.

Basically, you're a high profile athlete. It's part of the job. Deal with it. It's such a small price to pay, and he can help himself a lot by just not saying weird things.

[MrDollarBills]

Spoiler:

I think he’s being an idiot personally.

And honestly, portraying Kyrie as a victim to the insane and unfair media is a little nauseating. Is nowhere close to the first athlete that gets unfair scrutiny from the media, and he has honestly brought a lot of this heat on himself, he’s not blameless in all of this. And he’s really not getting it that bad compared to other athletes, past and present, can we all relax a little?

I don’t remember Vince being this antagonistic to the media, and he honestly had it way worse. Sure, you can pick up sound bytes from him here and there I’m sure, but I don’t remember him skirting media obligations and making pseudo-intellectual comments like this every chance he got.

Where were you last year when ESPN took this quote:

"And the fourth quarter, certain shots I usually make at the rim, they were just a little short tonight. You have to live with those results. And a lot of my teammates picked me up. Spence did a good job continuing to attack. [Jarrett Allen] played well. I felt like we could've got some more swing-swing action or some second-side action. They did a great job loading up, so you got to give them credit, but I feel like my teammates had my back as well."

"I mean, it's transparent. It's out there. It's glaring, in terms of the pieces that we need in order to be at that next level," Irving said after finishing with 14 points on 6-for-21 shooting in Brooklyn's 117-106 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday at Wells Fargo Center.

"I'm going to continue to reiterate it. We're going to do the best with the guys that we have in our locker room now, and we'll worry about all the other stuff, in terms of moving pieces and everything else, as an organization down the line in the summer.

"It's just something that we signed up for. We knew what we were coming into at the beginning of this season. Guys were going down left and right for us. [Garrett Temple] is out, [DeAndre Jordan] just got hurt tonight, Wilson [Chandler] is just coming back. We have complementary young guys as well that have done a great job the last three years.

"Collectively, I feel like we have great pieces, but it's pretty glaring we need one more piece or two more pieces that will complement myself, [Kevin Durant], DJ, GT, Spence [Dinwiddie], Caris [LeVert], and we'll see how that evolves."

and turned it into a manufactured controversy by solely focusing on the sentence above that is highlighted, disregarding the complete context of his comments:

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

You don't like the guy for whatever reason, fine, but don't sit here and act like he doesn't have a reason for why doesn't want to talk.

But like, so what? That happens all the time, to every high profile athlete, they get their comments twisted into something they're not, or they're taken out of context, or they're over-analyzed to mean something way more than it was actually intended. Comes with the territory, he needs to learn how to deal with it and still maintain his obligations.

And to be fair...why did Kyrie even need to make that statement? Honestly, it IS kind of a weird comment that lends itself to being taken out of context. And then he had the comment about not needing a coach and that Nash shouldn't be coming in trying to change them too much, and that led to a bunch of needless distraction and negative press...that was just a dumb statement honestly.

And I don't dislike Kyrie. I just get the impression that he thinks he's smarter than he actually is, and ends up saying or doing unnecessary things that attracts negative press, and then acts a little too sensitive by trying to play victim about being unfairly targeted by the media...even though he's the one that said something that anyone with a brain could tell was going to be interpreted a certain way.

I get it, the media can suck. There are definitely media personalities that will lie, misrepresent, misconstrue, and over-analyze things just for attention and clicks. That's been there since the invention of the media.

But there are also plenty of media members that are excellent at what they do and perform their jobs with the utmost professionalism and integrity. And the media is our link as fans to the players. The media is what markets the game and popularizes the product. They're a necessary part of the NBA. It just is what it is.

And when Kyrie refuses to talk to the media, the same media that he owes much of his success to (no two ways about this), he's refusing to talk to us as fans. Which is not cool. And yeah, you can say he'll engage in social media or he'll give his own statements...yeah, but that's conveniently ignoring the questions that he may not want to answer that we as fans feel like he should be answering. That's what the media reporters are there for.

Basically, you're a high profile athlete. It's part of the job. Deal with it. It's such a small price to pay, and he can help himself a lot by just not saying weird things.

So basically, you want Kyrie to only say things that you are comfortable with, and to not speak his mind freely. Got it.

and then you're here wondering why he's just choosing to just shut the hell up.

also, last time I checked, Kyrie Irving doesn't owe his success to talking media heads. Were they with him in the gym growing up in New Jersey or something???

[DarkXaero]

I think Kyrie is completely justified in hating sports media, and not wanting to deal with them. I don't think there's a player in the NBA right now who is more unfairly scrutinized by the media than Kyrie. That being said, I don't want Kyrie to make things worse by continuing this beef with media, because I think it'll only make things worse for him and the Nets. There's no real winning for him in this, until he wins on the court.

[therealbig3]

Spoiler:

Where were you last year when ESPN took this quote:





and turned it into a manufactured controversy by solely focusing on the sentence above that is highlighted, disregarding the complete context of his comments:

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

You don't like the guy for whatever reason, fine, but don't sit here and act like he doesn't have a reason for why doesn't want to talk.

But like, so what? That happens all the time, to every high profile athlete, they get their comments twisted into something they're not, or they're taken out of context, or they're over-analyzed to mean something way more than it was actually intended. Comes with the territory, he needs to learn how to deal with it and still maintain his obligations.

And to be fair...why did Kyrie even need to make that statement? Honestly, it IS kind of a weird comment that lends itself to being taken out of context. And then he had the comment about not needing a coach and that Nash shouldn't be coming in trying to change them too much, and that led to a bunch of needless distraction and negative press...that was just a dumb statement honestly.

And I don't dislike Kyrie. I just get the impression that he thinks he's smarter than he actually is, and ends up saying or doing unnecessary things that attracts negative press, and then acts a little too sensitive by trying to play victim about being unfairly targeted by the media...even though he's the one that said something that anyone with a brain could tell was going to be interpreted a certain way.

I get it, the media can suck. There are definitely media personalities that will lie, misrepresent, misconstrue, and over-analyze things just for attention and clicks. That's been there since the invention of the media.

But there are also plenty of media members that are excellent at what they do and perform their jobs with the utmost professionalism and integrity. And the media is our link as fans to the players. The media is what markets the game and popularizes the product. They're a necessary part of the NBA. It just is what it is.

And when Kyrie refuses to talk to the media, the same media that he owes much of his success to (no two ways about this), he's refusing to talk to us as fans. Which is not cool. And yeah, you can say he'll engage in social media or he'll give his own statements...yeah, but that's conveniently ignoring the questions that he may not want to answer that we as fans feel like he should be answering. That's what the media reporters are there for.

Basically, you're a high profile athlete. It's part of the job. Deal with it. It's such a small price to pay, and he can help himself a lot by just not saying weird things.

So basically, you want Kyrie to only say things that you are comfortable with, and to not speak his mind freely. Got it.

and then you're here wondering why he's just choosing to just shut the hell up.

also, last time I checked, Kyrie Irving doesn't owe his success to talking media heads. Were they with him in the gym growing up in New Jersey or something???

I mean he can either play the media game, or he can speak freely but then not feel all victimized when they take his quotes out of context. It’s one or the other, every athlete makes that choice.

Also, the media (and us as fans) is the reason why he’s been able to translate his skill at basketball into a multi million dollar career and endorsements and fame. Because there’s a media that will market the game to the consumers, and the consumers that are willing to pay to enjoy the product. Without the media, the link to the fans isn’t there, and without fans, there’s no NBA. So yeah, love them or hate them, the media is what makes the NBA what it is. Kyrie, and every other athlete, DOES owe much of their success to the media. Which is why it’s an obligation to engage with them and answer their questions.

[StepBackCrack]

This will be Kyrie's revenge season and everyone who doubted him during his time in Boston. I can't wait to see him play. He will peak this season. I can feel it. He plays in a healthy environment for the first time in his career and with his best friend.

[MrDollarBills]

But like, so what? That happens all the time, to every high profile athlete, they get their comments twisted into something they're not, or they're taken out of context, or they're over-analyzed to mean something way more than it was actually intended. Comes with the territory, he needs to learn how to deal with it and still maintain his obligations.

And to be fair...why did Kyrie even need to make that statement? Honestly, it IS kind of a weird comment that lends itself to being taken out of context. And then he had the comment about not needing a coach and that Nash shouldn't be coming in trying to change them too much, and that led to a bunch of needless distraction and negative press...that was just a dumb statement honestly.

And I don't dislike Kyrie. I just get the impression that he thinks he's smarter than he actually is, and ends up saying or doing unnecessary things that attracts negative press, and then acts a little too sensitive by trying to play victim about being unfairly targeted by the media...even though he's the one that said something that anyone with a brain could tell was going to be interpreted a certain way.

I get it, the media can suck. There are definitely media personalities that will lie, misrepresent, misconstrue, and over-analyze things just for attention and clicks. That's been there since the invention of the media.

But there are also plenty of media members that are excellent at what they do and perform their jobs with the utmost professionalism and integrity. And the media is our link as fans to the players. The media is what markets the game and popularizes the product. They're a necessary part of the NBA. It just is what it is.

And when Kyrie refuses to talk to the media, the same media that he owes much of his success to (no two ways about this), he's refusing to talk to us as fans. Which is not cool. And yeah, you can say he'll engage in social media or he'll give his own statements...yeah, but that's conveniently ignoring the questions that he may not want to answer that we as fans feel like he should be answering. That's what the media reporters are there for.

Basically, you're a high profile athlete. It's part of the job. Deal with it. It's such a small price to pay, and he can help himself a lot by just not saying weird things.

So basically, you want Kyrie to only say things that you are comfortable with, and to not speak his mind freely. Got it.

and then you're here wondering why he's just choosing to just shut the hell up.

also, last time I checked, Kyrie Irving doesn't owe his success to talking media heads. Were they with him in the gym growing up in New Jersey or something???

I mean he can either play the media game, or he can speak freely but then not feel all victimized when they take his quotes out of context. It’s one or the other, every athlete makes that choice.

Also, the media (and us as fans) is the reason why he’s been able to translate his skill at basketball into a multi million dollar career and endorsements and fame. Because there’s a media that will market the game to the consumers, and the consumers that are willing to pay to enjoy the product. Without the media, the link to the fans isn’t there, and without fans, there’s no NBA. So yeah, love them or hate them, the media is what makes the NBA what it is. Kyrie, and every other athlete, DOES owe much of their success to the media. Which is why it’s an obligation to engage with them and answer their questions.

I disagree. His basketball talent has gotten him to where he is, not some loudmouth talking head who gets up on ESPN every morning yelling like a lunatic because Kyrie didn't give them a soundbite to assassinate his character.

Taking quotes out of context to manufacture a fraudulent narrative is not ethical journalism so I really don't understand why Kyrie has to kiss the media's ass like you want him too.

If Kyrie was to go up in front of the reporter pool, say that he is only here so he won't get fined, and then leave, would you have a problem with that?

[TheNetsFan]

Simple exercise: Name a handful of the most heavily criticized current and recent NBA stars, and see what's in common.

[Paradise]

Spoiler:

Where were you last year when ESPN took this quote:





and turned it into a manufactured controversy by solely focusing on the sentence above that is highlighted, disregarding the complete context of his comments:

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

You don't like the guy for whatever reason, fine, but don't sit here and act like he doesn't have a reason for why doesn't want to talk.

But like, so what? That happens all the time, to every high profile athlete, they get their comments twisted into something they're not, or they're taken out of context, or they're over-analyzed to mean something way more than it was actually intended. Comes with the territory, he needs to learn how to deal with it and still maintain his obligations.

And to be fair...why did Kyrie even need to make that statement? Honestly, it IS kind of a weird comment that lends itself to being taken out of context. And then he had the comment about not needing a coach and that Nash shouldn't be coming in trying to change them too much, and that led to a bunch of needless distraction and negative press...that was just a dumb statement honestly.

And I don't dislike Kyrie. I just get the impression that he thinks he's smarter than he actually is, and ends up saying or doing unnecessary things that attracts negative press, and then acts a little too sensitive by trying to play victim about being unfairly targeted by the media...even though he's the one that said something that anyone with a brain could tell was going to be interpreted a certain way.

I get it, the media can suck. There are definitely media personalities that will lie, misrepresent, misconstrue, and over-analyze things just for attention and clicks. That's been there since the invention of the media.

But there are also plenty of media members that are excellent at what they do and perform their jobs with the utmost professionalism and integrity. And the media is our link as fans to the players. The media is what markets the game and popularizes the product. They're a necessary part of the NBA. It just is what it is.

And when Kyrie refuses to talk to the media, the same media that he owes much of his success to (no two ways about this), he's refusing to talk to us as fans. Which is not cool. And yeah, you can say he'll engage in social media or he'll give his own statements...yeah, but that's conveniently ignoring the questions that he may not want to answer that we as fans feel like he should be answering. That's what the media reporters are there for.

Basically, you're a high profile athlete. It's part of the job. Deal with it. It's such a small price to pay, and he can help himself a lot by just not saying weird things.

So basically, you want Kyrie to only say things that you are comfortable with, and to not speak his mind freely. Got it.

and then you're here wondering why he's just choosing to just shut the hell up.

also, last time I checked, Kyrie Irving doesn't owe his success to talking media heads. Were they with him in the gym growing up in New Jersey or something???

That mindset is basically the problem. The media believes they are supposed to have all control over an athlete. We’re truly getting to a very scary point on freedom of speech.

We’ve seen the vitriol with Kaepernick, Lynch and now, Kyrie constantly for the simplest thing and he’s tremendous work in the community. We’ve even seen the backlash for not wanting to do the NBA Bubble and then, we still had suspended days of play for the very reason he wanted a boycott lol

The outrage is pathetic. It’s called trying to not be a follower. If they hate what he says on somebody else’s platform, stop speaking to the man. It’s that simple. Why should he adjust his words?

Does anyone else do this practice in their own life for a paycheck or something?

[Prokorov]

Spoiler:

Where were you last year when ESPN took this quote:





and turned it into a manufactured controversy by solely focusing on the sentence above that is highlighted, disregarding the complete context of his comments:

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

You don't like the guy for whatever reason, fine, but don't sit here and act like he doesn't have a reason for why doesn't want to talk.

But like, so what? That happens all the time, to every high profile athlete, they get their comments twisted into something they're not, or they're taken out of context, or they're over-analyzed to mean something way more than it was actually intended. Comes with the territory, he needs to learn how to deal with it and still maintain his obligations.

And to be fair...why did Kyrie even need to make that statement? Honestly, it IS kind of a weird comment that lends itself to being taken out of context. And then he had the comment about not needing a coach and that Nash shouldn't be coming in trying to change them too much, and that led to a bunch of needless distraction and negative press...that was just a dumb statement honestly.

And I don't dislike Kyrie. I just get the impression that he thinks he's smarter than he actually is, and ends up saying or doing unnecessary things that attracts negative press, and then acts a little too sensitive by trying to play victim about being unfairly targeted by the media...even though he's the one that said something that anyone with a brain could tell was going to be interpreted a certain way.

I get it, the media can suck. There are definitely media personalities that will lie, misrepresent, misconstrue, and over-analyze things just for attention and clicks. That's been there since the invention of the media.

But there are also plenty of media members that are excellent at what they do and perform their jobs with the utmost professionalism and integrity. And the media is our link as fans to the players. The media is what markets the game and popularizes the product. They're a necessary part of the NBA. It just is what it is.

And when Kyrie refuses to talk to the media, the same media that he owes much of his success to (no two ways about this), he's refusing to talk to us as fans. Which is not cool. And yeah, you can say he'll engage in social media or he'll give his own statements...yeah, but that's conveniently ignoring the questions that he may not want to answer that we as fans feel like he should be answering. That's what the media reporters are there for.

Basically, you're a high profile athlete. It's part of the job. Deal with it. It's such a small price to pay, and he can help himself a lot by just not saying weird things.

So basically, you want Kyrie to only say things that you are comfortable with, and to not speak his mind freely. Got it.

and then you're here wondering why he's just choosing to just shut the hell up.

also, last time I checked, Kyrie Irving doesn't owe his success to talking media heads. Were they with him in the gym growing up in New Jersey or something???

This is the part that bothers me the most. that Kyrie or any black athlete just needs to "say the right things". im sorry, but ill never be down with that. for too long men of color have had to fall in line and have their voice repressed. maybe Kyrie is some conspiracy lunatic out of left field. but he shouldnt be vilinized for speaking his mind and his truths. ESPECIALLY for someone who gives so much to blacks, indians, women and the poor (while publicizing 0 of it).

[MrDollarBills]

Simple exercise: Name a handful of the most heavily criticized current and recent NBA stars, and see what's in common.

Outside of being tall Black men, I'm stumped? What is it? Being outspoken about social issues?

[mcscotty]

This will be Kyrie's revenge season and everyone who doubted him during his time in Boston. I can't wait to see him play. He will peak this season. I can feel it. He plays in a healthy environment for the first time in his career and with his best friend.

Indeed. It is a healthy environment. Perfect place to expose Kyrie for what he is. You'll all turn on him by the end of the season. It's gonna be quite a show. Got the cupboards already stocked with popcorn.

[MrDollarBills]

But like, so what? That happens all the time, to every high profile athlete, they get their comments twisted into something they're not, or they're taken out of context, or they're over-analyzed to mean something way more than it was actually intended. Comes with the territory, he needs to learn how to deal with it and still maintain his obligations.

And to be fair...why did Kyrie even need to make that statement? Honestly, it IS kind of a weird comment that lends itself to being taken out of context. And then he had the comment about not needing a coach and that Nash shouldn't be coming in trying to change them too much, and that led to a bunch of needless distraction and negative press...that was just a dumb statement honestly.

And I don't dislike Kyrie. I just get the impression that he thinks he's smarter than he actually is, and ends up saying or doing unnecessary things that attracts negative press, and then acts a little too sensitive by trying to play victim about being unfairly targeted by the media...even though he's the one that said something that anyone with a brain could tell was going to be interpreted a certain way.

I get it, the media can suck. There are definitely media personalities that will lie, misrepresent, misconstrue, and over-analyze things just for attention and clicks. That's been there since the invention of the media.

But there are also plenty of media members that are excellent at what they do and perform their jobs with the utmost professionalism and integrity. And the media is our link as fans to the players. The media is what markets the game and popularizes the product. They're a necessary part of the NBA. It just is what it is.

And when Kyrie refuses to talk to the media, the same media that he owes much of his success to (no two ways about this), he's refusing to talk to us as fans. Which is not cool. And yeah, you can say he'll engage in social media or he'll give his own statements...yeah, but that's conveniently ignoring the questions that he may not want to answer that we as fans feel like he should be answering. That's what the media reporters are there for.

Basically, you're a high profile athlete. It's part of the job. Deal with it. It's such a small price to pay, and he can help himself a lot by just not saying weird things.

So basically, you want Kyrie to only say things that you are comfortable with, and to not speak his mind freely. Got it.

and then you're here wondering why he's just choosing to just shut the hell up.

also, last time I checked, Kyrie Irving doesn't owe his success to talking media heads. Were they with him in the gym growing up in New Jersey or something???

This is the part that bothers me the most. that Kyrie or any black athlete just needs to "say the right things". im sorry, but ill never be down with that. for too long men of color have had to fall in line and have their voice repressed. maybe Kyrie is some conspiracy lunatic out of left field. but he shouldnt be vilinized for speaking his mind and his truths. ESPECIALLY for someone who gives so much to blacks, indians, women and the poor (while publicizing 0 of it).

Thank you for saying this.

And look, yall know I'm Black but I'm not with the conspiracy nonsense. But I was young once too so I know how easy it is for guys, especially young Black men who are jaded by this society, to fall down that rabbit hole. Hell even Steph Curry, who has a pristine image, got caught talking **** about the moon landings...it's so easy to get caught up if you have the mind set of someone who spends their every waking minute in this world knowing that something is horribly wrong due to the treatment we face as Black people.

That being said, the onus is on Kyrie in that regard to delve into facts and things that can be corroborated and peer reviewed, and not YouTube algorithm holes full of disinformation. But that's another topic.

So while I think Kyrie should express better judgment in speaking about such things, I don't think he's a bad guy at the end of the day because I see his actions, his support for hard hit communities and his support for women. Guys don't do that for **** and giggles. He's legit to me, which is why it's infuriating seeing him get destroyed by pundits when he has done nothing wrong. They go harder at this guy than they do actual abusers and criminals. Same guys trashing Kyrie will be salivating over Ben Roethlisberger, who allegedly raped a woman in a bathroom stall. I don't get it.

[MrDollarBills]

This will be Kyrie's revenge season and everyone who doubted him during his time in Boston. I can't wait to see him play. He will peak this season. I can feel it. He plays in a healthy environment for the first time in his career and with his best friend.

Indeed. It is a healthy environment. Perfect place to expose Kyrie for what he is. You'll all turn on him by the end of the season. It's gonna be quite a show. Got the cupboards already stocked with popcorn.

What is Kyrie really? Go on, let's hear it since you have the balls to come on here talking ****. What is Kyrie really?

[mcscotty]

This will be Kyrie's revenge season and everyone who doubted him during his time in Boston. I can't wait to see him play. He will peak this season. I can feel it. He plays in a healthy environment for the first time in his career and with his best friend.

Indeed. It is a healthy environment. Perfect place to expose Kyrie for what he is. You'll all turn on him by the end of the season. It's gonna be quite a show. Got the cupboards already stocked with popcorn.

What is Kyrie really? Go on, let's hear it since you have the balls to come on here talking ****. What is Kyrie really?

A narcissist...borderline sociopath.