Kyrie Irving Goodbye Thread

[Ernest]

Everyone on this forum seems to have real inside knowledge on the personal dynamics of the team. Is there a carpool or something or do you all drive your own cars to hang out with the team every day?

[Prokorov]

Report: Nets likely to sign Kyrie Irving to 4-year, $141 million deal
https://celticswire.usatoday.com/2019/06/26/kyrie-irving-to-sign-4-year-141-million-deal-with-the-brooklyn-nets/


I'm waiting to see what Mr. Silent, aka Kyrie Irving, does.
If he leaves, as has been reported across the board, then he's a scumbag in my book. IJS

Karma will get him in the end. It already has. Tried to leave Cleveland and the past two years didn't work out. Wanted to play with Durant and that's not going to work out, and then he'll go to the Nets and they'll never sniff a title. Good riddance, Kyrie. Your selfishness will catch up to you.

Selfishness? he spend 7 years in cleveland and brought them a title. Cleveland isnt exactly Turks & Caicos or some exotic amazing place to live. Is it really all that horrible that a 26 year old want to leave Cleveland after putting in his service there to either go to a bigger city or his home town? Especialyl given Lebron was going to bounce to LA anyhow?

AD demanded out. KAwhi demanded out. Butler demanded out. PG13/Lebron/Kd left/threatened to leave.... but Kyrie is a bad guy for wanting out of cleveland?

I dont buy it. He gave them 4 finals and a title. Yes they dont win it without Lebron but they also dont win it without Kyrie who dropped 30 a game on the warriors and hit the game winniner in game 7. (and dropped 41 at home in an elimination game 5)

If you want to blame Kyrie or put the bulk of the blame on him for how things went in Boston then fine... but the criticism of him being some bad guy because he wanted out of cleveland seems disingenious... especially when no one was bashing AD for wanting out when it seemed boston was a favorite to trade for him.

Kyrie gave cleveland 7 excellent years. Him wanting out should be no issue. He never wanted to be in Boston, he got dealt there instead of a team of his choice. He tried to fit in and when he couldnt he handled it poorly. Thats on him for sure. But i think its overboard the charecter assasination thats happening here... not unlike when most big names leave Boston. Ray Allen for instance.

[The_Ghost_of_JB]

Well he isn't going there alone. They will get KD as well. Fully expect Irving to play about half they year and sit out with an injury so he and KD are ready to go at the start of 2020 season.

[CelticsPride18]

As far as problems, I'd rank it Kyrie>>Terry>>Jaylen>Brad>Hayward. Only difference being Hayward being a problem wasn't his own fault.

People putting blinders on about what an issue Kyrie was. He was a problem in Cleveland, had multiple issues with the coaching staff there, and it was the same here. I was a Kyrie apologist because of his on court production, but when he stopped trying on the court, i was done with him.

Spot on. Cavs fans warned us about Kyrie but we didn’t want to hear it because we thought he was going to ball out in the playoffs.

[Prokorov]

Well he isn't going there alone. They will get KD as well. Fully expect Irving to play about half they year and sit out with an injury so he and KD are ready to go at the start of 2020 season.

I think Kyrie to the Nets will happen regardless of KD although thats the goal...

I can see tobias harris being the second guy, in which case dinwiddie would remain a net

[ParticleMan]

Report: Nets likely to sign Kyrie Irving to 4-year, $141 million deal
https://celticswire.usatoday.com/2019/06/26/kyrie-irving-to-sign-4-year-141-million-deal-with-the-brooklyn-nets/


I'm waiting to see what Mr. Silent, aka Kyrie Irving, does.
If he leaves, as has been reported across the board, then he's a scumbag in my book. IJS

Karma will get him in the end. It already has. Tried to leave Cleveland and the past two years didn't work out. Wanted to play with Durant and that's not going to work out, and then he'll go to the Nets and they'll never sniff a title. Good riddance, Kyrie. Your selfishness will catch up to you.

Selfishness? he spend 7 years in cleveland and brought them a title. Cleveland isnt exactly Turks & Caicos or some exotic amazing place to live. Is it really all that horrible that a 26 year old want to leave Cleveland after putting in his service there to either go to a bigger city or his home town? Especialyl given Lebron was going to bounce to LA anyhow?

AD demanded out. KAwhi demanded out. Butler demanded out. PG13/Lebron/Kd left/threatened to leave.... but Kyrie is a bad guy for wanting out of cleveland?

I dont buy it. He gave them 4 finals and a title. Yes they dont win it without Lebron but they also dont win it without Kyrie who dropped 30 a game on the warriors and hit the game winniner in game 7. (and dropped 41 at home in an elimination game 5)

If you want to blame Kyrie or put the bulk of the blame on him for how things went in Boston then fine... but the criticism of him being some bad guy because he wanted out of cleveland seems disingenious... especially when no one was bashing AD for wanting out when it seemed boston was a favorite to trade for him.

Kyrie gave cleveland 7 excellent years. Him wanting out should be no issue. He never wanted to be in Boston, he got dealt there instead of a team of his choice. He tried to fit in and when he couldnt he handled it poorly. Thats on him for sure. But i think its overboard the charecter assasination thats happening here... not unlike when most big names leave Boston. Ray Allen for instance.

kyrie and lebron both helped them to that title but if you ask any GM they would say it was lebron's team, and lebron led them to that title. kyrie never won anything without lebron. i didn't blame him for wanting out of cleveland, but let's not act like there weren't problems between kyrie and other players, lebron included, as well as the coaches.

we don't character assassinate most guys who leave boston. pierce and KG are still revered. tony allen we love despite leaving. i'm sure al horford will get a lot of love here too. ray allen, we only soured on him when he started ripping boston and rondo. with kyrie, it's starting to come out how things went down last year, and while he was hardly the only one to blame, a lot of it revolved around him.

you should hope he has learned from his boston experience about how to treat teammates and coaches, particularly younger teammates. he is supremely talented but so far he has been a serious malcontent at both places he's gone. let's see what happens in brooklyn.

[celticgreenie]

Big Stevens fan, but even great coaches have some things they can work on. Wonder if this had any effect on his relationship with Kyrie:
Sean Deveney: A veteran player told me a couple of years ago that his role in Boston was tough because he was never really told what was expected of him and that Stevens didn’t necessarily connect with players. That appeared to be the case this season, too, when the Celtics had a chemistry meltdown and Stevens could not rein in his locker room. One agent told me, “Most players don’t need their hands held, but they want to know where they stand and what they need to do. That’s not always coming from Stevens and it can be frustrating.” – via Facebook.com

[Tiny ball]

Well he isn't going there alone. They will get KD as well. Fully expect Irving to play about half they year and sit out with an injury so he and KD are ready to go at the start of 2020 season.

And then the real drama show will begin.

[KumaJG]

I hate how the media/fans pouring on Kyrie when wasn't the main problem. Everything started with Hayward and Brad, yet they escape the blame machine.

[CeltsfaninDC]

I hate how the media/fans pouring on Kyrie when wasn't the main problem. Everything started with Hayward and Brad, yet they escape the blame machine.

Huh? It started with Hayward and Brad? How exactly? Kyrie stirred the shite regularly all season long, insisted he was staying and then intentionally tanked in the Playoffs after telling everyone he was about to turn it on and go for the title...... but its Brad and Gordon who were the problem? smh

[bfchs123]

I hate how the media/fans pouring on Kyrie when wasn't the main problem. Everything started with Hayward and Brad, yet they escape the blame machine.

The difference was that Brad & Gordon weren't causing a stink in the media and creating locker room issues directly (it's not like Gordon was telling the media he needs more shots/minutes, etc.).

Hayward is a max player, under no circumstances can we simply write him off as a player and expect to be competitive. When was the last time a championship team had a max level player contributing next to nothing? The only hope to being competitive is him returning to form and there were going to be bumps in the road no matter what.

I'm sorry but Rozier and Brown have accomplished very little, they were in no position to be causing a stink about playing time and shots. Would be like Quinn Cook demanding more playing time on the Warriors

[threrf23]

I'm sorry but Rozier and Brown have accomplished very little, they were in no position to be causing a stink about playing time and shots. Would be like Quinn Cook demanding more playing time on the Warriors

This is true - and for the record if either Jaylen or Roz thought that they had earned minutes over Hayward or Kyrie, I think it speaks poorly of them on multiple levels.

But there is little indication that they caused a stink, and if team chemistry was ever affected, on some level it was Brad's responsibility to communicate to those guys why things were as they were.

[pac213up]

Kyrie was a poor leader. Threw his teammates under the bus to the public when things were difficult. Dude is the anti Brady. Then got upset when he got called out by the guys that he threw under the bus and could never mentally recover from that. The selfish display in the postseason tells you all you need to know about that guy. Cold as ice and still chucking instead of moving the ball to open teammates. Sabotaging the defense by trying to cover guys he had not chance of stopping. It was all about him....that is who he is at the end of the day. Ended poorly in Cleveland, ended poorly in Boston, will end poorly where ever he ends up next.

[ParticleMan]

I hate how the media/fans pouring on Kyrie when wasn't the main problem. Everything started with Hayward and Brad, yet they escape the blame machine.

The difference was that Brad & Gordon weren't causing a stink in the media and creating locker room issues directly (it's not like Gordon was telling the media he needs more shots/minutes, etc.).

Hayward is a max player, under no circumstances can we simply write him off as a player and expect to be competitive. When was the last time a championship team had a max level player contributing next to nothing? The only hope to being competitive is him returning to form and there were going to be bumps in the road no matter what.

I'm sorry but Rozier and Brown have accomplished very little, they were in no position to be causing a stink about playing time and shots. Would be like Quinn Cook demanding more playing time on the Warriors

yeah it wasn't hayward's fault that brad decided to start him. and in any case, that was soon rectified. i don't think that alone would have caused what happened last year.

for rozier and brown, i don't think it was so much about shots and playing time, but rather style of play. the way we played at the end of the previous season, getting to the ECF, was very different than the way we played to start the year. what changed? well, obviously, kyrie was the primary ballhandler.

to be fair, at times kyrie really did try to play brad's way. for that reason i was very supportive of him. i thought eventually he would come around and realize that, even though it meant less scoring for him, the team would do better. at times, he was fantastic. but eventually, we would revert. and worst of all, when we got down to the bucks, instead of manning up he basically went the other way and went full ballhog. you never go full ballhog. that's not celtics basketball. that soured me on kyrie for good.

that is the issue that is at the core of everything. kyrie wanted to play one way -- he handles until he either shoots or creates for someone. a lot of top guys play like this. harden. westbrook. lebron. kyrie wanted to be like those guys. but that's not brad's system. that's not what the team had been built. that's not how the team had had success. brown and rozier knew that, and weren't afraid to speak up. brad didn't like kyrie? yeah, that's why.

[sam_I_am]

I bet when Durant comes back and is too slow defensively and a shell of his former self that Kyrie doesn’t throw his coach and Durant under the bus when LaVert is complaining about playing time.

[denmuscles]

Kyrie knows Boston nor the fans care about him. Goodbye clown

[mg]

Report: Nets likely to sign Kyrie Irving to 4-year, $141 million deal
https://celticswire.usatoday.com/2019/06/26/kyrie-irving-to-sign-4-year-141-million-deal-with-the-brooklyn-nets/


I'm waiting to see what Mr. Silent, aka Kyrie Irving, does.
If he leaves, as has been reported across the board, then he's a scumbag in my book. IJS

Karma will get him in the end. It already has. Tried to leave Cleveland and the past two years didn't work out. Wanted to play with Durant and that's not going to work out, and then he'll go to the Nets and they'll never sniff a title. Good riddance, Kyrie. Your selfishness will catch up to you.

Selfishness? he spend 7 years in cleveland and brought them a title. Cleveland isnt exactly Turks & Caicos or some exotic amazing place to live. Is it really all that horrible that a 26 year old want to leave Cleveland after putting in his service there to either go to a bigger city or his home town? Especialyl given Lebron was going to bounce to LA anyhow?

AD demanded out. KAwhi demanded out. Butler demanded out. PG13/Lebron/Kd left/threatened to leave.... but Kyrie is a bad guy for wanting out of cleveland?

I dont buy it. He gave them 4 finals and a title. Yes they dont win it without Lebron but they also dont win it without Kyrie who dropped 30 a game on the warriors and hit the game winniner in game 7. (and dropped 41 at home in an elimination game 5)

If you want to blame Kyrie or put the bulk of the blame on him for how things went in Boston then fine... but the criticism of him being some bad guy because he wanted out of cleveland seems disingenious... especially when no one was bashing AD for wanting out when it seemed boston was a favorite to trade for him.

Kyrie gave cleveland 7 excellent years. Him wanting out should be no issue. He never wanted to be in Boston, he got dealt there instead of a team of his choice. He tried to fit in and when he couldnt he handled it poorly. Thats on him for sure. But i think its overboard the charecter assasination thats happening here... not unlike when most big names leave Boston. Ray Allen for instance.

Actually it was 3 Finals since he demanded to be traded the offseason before their 4th Finals season..
With that said the same issues that occurred in Cleveland certainly popped up again these past few months in Boston. At some point Kyrie has to look himself in the mirror there.

[Big Joke Line]

I think it's kind of funny how people are attacking Kyrie's character. He seems a little quirky (the flat earth thing), but he earned the right to be a free agent and to go where he likes.

I've been one of his biggest critics here, but it's about what he does and does not do on the basketball floor, not some wild inferences about his personality or his "leadership skills." Has anyone here spent significant time in the Celtics locker room? I seriously doubt it.

He's a flashy but selfish player who does not make his teammates better and his defensive effort is sporadic at best. I want him to leave. But that doesn't make him a "scumbag" or a "traitor."

Hortford is also leaving but no one is using perjorative terms to describe him.

Scumbag is a little strong IMO. But we do know he didn’t show up to support his teammates in the biggest game of their careers because he was getting a nose job prior to his “movie” coming out. Doubtful but who knows maybe they don’t lay an egg if he’s there for supoort and guidance or to help with the nerves.

[DelMonte West]

I hate how the media/fans pouring on Kyrie when wasn't the main problem. Everything started with Hayward and Brad, yet they escape the blame machine.

Stephen A blamed Hayward, Stevens, and Ainge for the implosion, while leaving Kyrie off Scott-free, which should come off as absolutely no surprise to that moron's usual drivel.

[CeltsfanSinceBirth]

Selfishness? he spend 7 years in cleveland and brought them a title. Cleveland isnt exactly Turks & Caicos or some exotic amazing place to live. Is it really all that horrible that a 26 year old want to leave Cleveland after putting in his service there to either go to a bigger city or his home town? Especialyl given Lebron was going to bounce to LA anyhow?

AD demanded out. KAwhi demanded out. Butler demanded out. PG13/Lebron/Kd left/threatened to leave.... but Kyrie is a bad guy for wanting out of cleveland?

I dont buy it. He gave them 4 finals and a title. Yes they dont win it without Lebron but they also dont win it without Kyrie who dropped 30 a game on the warriors and hit the game winniner in game 7. (and dropped 41 at home in an elimination game 5)

If you go back to August, 2017, you can probably find posts like this from a bunch of Celtics fans on the GB. We all chose to ignore Cavs fans when they mocked Kyrie for wanting to leave a team that was guaranteed to get to the Finals.

"He wants out because it's Cleveland!"

"He doesn't want to deal with Lebron!"

"Of course he wants out!! They just tried trading him to Phoenix!"

We had every excuse as to why things would be different for Kyrie in Boston. We all ignored Cavs' fans warnings of Kyrie being very mercurial, a strange dude, a diva, etc. Maybe things will be different for Kyrie when he's in Brooklyn. Maybe he'll learn his lesson from what happened in Boston. But if it doesn't......just try not to act surprised. And don't get too upset when a fan of the team that Kyrie ends up on goes on to your board and tells you that the chararacter assasination from Nets fans is wrong.