If Push Came to Shove... (Irving Trade)

[Prokorov]

Kyrie, for over a year, has put outt and liked many anti-vax statements. That is a fact.

Can you please point to the "many" Anti-vax statements he has put out?

Google/Twitter/instagram dont turn up much

"Irving, who serves as a vice president on the executive committee of the players’ union, recently started following and liking Instagram posts from a conspiracy theorist who claims that “secret societies” are implanting vaccines in a plot to connect Black people to a master computer for “a plan of Satan.” This Moderna microchip misinformation campaign has spread across multiple NBA locker rooms and group chats, according to several of the dozen-plus current players, Hall-of-Famers, league executives, arena workers and virologists interviewed for this story over the past week."

This is from Rolling Stone just two weeks ago. There are many more, but not worth the effort to cut and paste. His supposed "principles" are ever changing, which I suppose is a good thing.

That is not a statment from Kyrie irving. You claimed he put out many anti-vax statments. i cant find even 1. Kyrie liking something is not the same thing as kyrie making a statement and the words coming from his mouth.

[TheNetsFan]

I dont disagree, I just dont think there is an issue with that. There is this myth and outdated thinking that your job comes before yourself... or that putting yourself first is somehow looked down upon or morally wrong. You should always come first. your morals, your family, your physical and mental healthy. that should always come first.

There may be limitations or consequences of certain choices that come from sticking with your beliefs, but there isnt anything wrong with that. At some point the CBA or the Law is going to make push come to shove... but honestly, what is so bad that Kyrie has missed time for?
-Injury
-his childs mothers complication during pregnancy (details unclear if this was one)
-his childs birth
-Kobes death
-protesting the minnesota racist stuff
-protesting the mandate/not being vaccinated

the first 4 of 6 to me are non-approachable for criticism. the minnesota thing he wasnt the only one who sat (multiple wolves sat). it was minimal time missed.

The current one can certainly be criticized, but it is also something not initiated by Kyrie. I mean there is a pandemic and a mandate being argued in several courts daily. if the mandate was in Ohio, we arent talking about this. if there is no pandemic, we arent talking about this.

Basketball sacrafice is about passing the ball for a better shot instead of trying to get your own. basketball sacrafice is accepting a bench role because it is better for the team. Basketball sacrafice is letting someone else be the star/take the most shots because they are a better player.

Basketball sacrafice is not ditching your morals/rights/personal choices/religious choices because some temporary mandate prevents you from playing if you dont.

Also, good to see you, this place is always better when youre around and posting.

Given that they announced the birth of their child in mid-June, I question the validity of the third one. News broke in-season during one of his absences that they were expecting, but I don't ever recall news breaking of the birth.

Frankly, no other line of work would tolerate absences for anything other than those first 3.

Pierce simpson confirmed #3 on 'the boardroom'. given that KD produces it, i doubt its inaccurate.

Kobe was his mentor. he missed i think just the 1 game (maybe 2?). several players also missed games. Kobe was Kyries mentor. they werent family, but pretty much every team is (and many did) excuse that absence.

5 depends on the companys politics/stance on social issues. My company did not dock anyone for missing time to attend the BLM protests, LBGTQ protests, and anti-trump protests in boston. In total thats a few weeks of work, they got paid for, and didnt have to use PTO.

6 is kind of unpresented situation. you dont have mandates for global pandemics very often.

What was the date of birth?

[Prokorov]

Given that they announced the birth of their child in mid-June, I question the validity of the third one. News broke in-season during one of his absences that they were expecting, but I don't ever recall news breaking of the birth.

Frankly, no other line of work would tolerate absences for anything other than those first 3.

Pierce simpson confirmed #3 on 'the boardroom'. given that KD produces it, i doubt its inaccurate.

Kobe was his mentor. he missed i think just the 1 game (maybe 2?). several players also missed games. Kobe was Kyries mentor. they werent family, but pretty much every team is (and many did) excuse that absence.

5 depends on the companys politics/stance on social issues. My company did not dock anyone for missing time to attend the BLM protests, LBGTQ protests, and anti-trump protests in boston. In total thats a few weeks of work, they got paid for, and didnt have to use PTO.

6 is kind of unpresented situation. you dont have mandates for global pandemics very often.

What was the date of birth?

unclear.

[Gooner]

Nets won't win a title without Irving, not with Nash coaching the team. Harden gets tight in big moments, and KD's health is a question. Kyrie is the glue that holds this team together.

[HardenGoat]

What boggles my mind is the message Kyrie is sending to the very people he claims to represent. If you just look at hospital data 86 percent of all hospitalizations are unvaccinated. 90-94 percent of ICU COVID cases are unvaccinated. The vaccination rate is around 50 percent overall. Here is the percentage of minorities that are currently vaccinated. Kyrie by getting vaccinated would help save lives especially if he assumed a vocal leadership role in doing so. He would also be able to help his team achieve their lifelong championship goals, be at less risk to have serious complications, and earn 17 million doing so. It’s really unbelievable…

I loved where you were going with this, but if I read the graph accurately, that didn't say the % of each race vaccinated. It said % of the population vaccinated BY race. So 12% is fairly in line with the 13% of the US population that is black. Please correct me if I missed your point.

Yes you are correct, I did misword that. The gap is narrowing between race vaccinated and getting more in line with the population percentages. Thanks for pointing that out.

[Rich Rane]

Kyrie, for over a year, has put out and liked many anti-vax statements. That is a fact.

Can you please point to the "many" Anti-vax statements he has put out?

Google/Twitter/instagram dont turn up much

My conclusion is that he is paving his way for a return. He is now in the same boat as Trump and the governors of Florida and Texas, who all are anti-mandate but vaccinated.

Hopefully this is the case. It would not surprise me. I'm cautiously optomistic... But he could very well just be Anti-mandate and want to die on that Hill. Although, in the past his 'boycotts' had a pretty short expiration date.

It's a ridiculous position, given that virtually every state has vaccine mandates for public schools for measles, chicken pox, polio, et al and no one has ever said a word about that being an attack on freedom.

The Polio and smallpox mandates ended before Kyrie was born, in the 70's, so im not sure that applies to him. They also were mostly limited to schools and few other public places. And they didnt impose any of the financial penalties of the NYC mandate. While COVID is a pandemic, and serious, I think it is a really poor comparison to something like Polio or small pox. Small pox killed 1 in 3 people who were infected. It had the ability to wipe out entire populations.

The NYC mandate is far over reaching. I agree with the idea of the mandate, but no exemptions, wiping away tenures and pensions. There is no legal/constitutional basis for that... and it looks like both of those will be removed or edited.

But the good news is that Kyrie will be back shortly. His changing narrative is a sign of his imminent return.

your lips to gods ears.

"Irving, who serves as a vice president on the executive committee of the players’ union, recently started following and liking Instagram posts from a conspiracy theorist who claims that “secret societies” are implanting vaccines in a plot to connect Black people to a master computer for “a plan of Satan.” This Moderna microchip misinformation campaign has spread across multiple NBA locker rooms and group chats, according to several of the dozen-plus current players, Hall-of-Famers, league executives, arena workers and virologists interviewed for this story over the past week."

This is from Rolling Stone just two weeks ago. There are many more, but not worth the effort to cut and paste. His supposed "principles" are ever changing, which I suppose is a good thing.

This is not a public statement from Kyrie Irving. However, reports such as that and the fact that Kyrie likely has been vaccinated before to play for Duke lead me to believe Kyrie is either an idiot or ignorant when it comes to this particular vaccine and is hiding his views behind this mandate to come off as a "voice for the voiceless". One could certainly protest work mandates while being vaccinated.

[MrDollarBills]

What anti-science rhetoric is he pushing?

Anti-government? Anti-establishment... sure. Anti-science? last report says his stance is not anti-vax.

Also, I think you are making a big leap that KD/Harden have input or care about making the decision on Kyrie. Both said its his decision and they support him. KD said its not his place to talk to him or convince him on his choices. I think KD wants him here, but is letting Kyrie/The nets deal with it. if it came to trading or cutting kyrie, yeah they would have to go through KD. but for this? i doubt he cares or wants to be part of it.

Again, the stance kyrie is taking (especially if the atheltic report is true) is WHY KD is close to kyrie (Empowerment) not in spite of that

The latest rumor leads us to believe, he is not against the vaccine just championing the rights of those afraid to get the vaccine. So technically, he's not saying he is anti science if we believe this latest round yet, he is unvaccinated and validated those fears in the face of science. He claims he is standing up for his community. What is more likely...he leads his community to getting their jobs back because he remains unvaccinated, or they remain unemployed, unvaccinated, and death rates go up within the community he is claiming to support? Meanwhile, he is also failing to do his own job and letting down everyone he made a commitment to. So if its anti government or anti science what's the difference? The end result is a worse outcome for everyone, but hey its "the principle of the thing" right?

Kyrie, for over a year, has put out and liked many anti-vax statements. That is a fact. Now he claims that he is just anti-mandate.

My conclusion is that he is paving his way for a return. He is now in the same boat as Trump and the governors of Florida and Texas, who all are anti-mandate but vaccinated.

It's a ridiculous position, given that virtually every state has vaccine mandates for public schools for measles, chicken pox, polio, et al and no one has ever said a word about that being an attack on freedom.

But the good news is that Kyrie will be back shortly. His changing narrative is a sign of his imminent return.

I don't care if he returns or retires. I'm done with him.

But the notion that public health requirements and mandates are some new, authoritarian overreach that violates American freedom is such a dishonest argument that I can't even take it seriously. It is absolutely disingenuous and absurd what I am seeing being written on here.

Every single person here has had to have been vaccinated to attend school. The United States has had vaccine mandates dating back to 1905 and earlier.

You do not have the right in this country to put other people's health at risk. You do not. If you think you do, go Google past Supreme Court rulings over the last century regarding vaccine mandates and educate yourself.

Kyrie does not have a moral, ethical , or legal ground to stand on here with this horse sh*t. He's a lying buffoon, and the moment he has to sit in front of The media, if he ever comes back, to explain his stance, he will embarrass himself and the organization.

[MrDollarBills]

What boggles my mind is the message Kyrie is sending to the very people he claims to represent. If you just look at hospital data 86 percent of all hospitalizations are unvaccinated. 90-94 percent of ICU COVID cases are unvaccinated. The vaccination rate is around 50 percent overall. Here is the percentage of minorities that are currently vaccinated. Kyrie by getting vaccinated would help save lives especially if he assumed a vocal leadership role in doing so. He would also be able to help his team achieve their lifelong championship goals, be at less risk to have serious complications, and earn 17 million doing so. It’s really unbelievable…

I loved where you were going with this, but if I read the graph accurately, that didn't say the % of each race vaccinated. It said % of the population vaccinated BY race. So 12% is fairly in line with the 13% of the US population that is black. Please correct me if I missed your point.

Yes you are correct, I did misword that. The gap is narrowing between race vaccinated and getting more in line with the population percentages. Thanks for pointing that out.

Oh Thank god. You scared me to death with this man

[haosmoove]

So if Kyrie is just anti-mandate, why didn't he get his vaccine before the mandate? Did he foresee the possibility of a mandate back in March/April and kept his options open in order to fight in in October?

He is at least vax hesitant if not anti-vax. Shifting his stance to anti-mandate is not telling the full story here.


Also, how does not complying with the mandate help voice for the voiceless? Can't he use the earning he was about to miss and set up programs to help? This reminds me of cab drivers strike in protests against Uber. That's as counter-productive as it gets.

[BigO]

The latest rumor leads us to believe, he is not against the vaccine just championing the rights of those afraid to get the vaccine. So technically, he's not saying he is anti science if we believe this latest round yet, he is unvaccinated and validated those fears in the face of science. He claims he is standing up for his community. What is more likely...he leads his community to getting their jobs back because he remains unvaccinated, or they remain unemployed, unvaccinated, and death rates go up within the community he is claiming to support? Meanwhile, he is also failing to do his own job and letting down everyone he made a commitment to. So if its anti government or anti science what's the difference? The end result is a worse outcome for everyone, but hey its "the principle of the thing" right?

Kyrie, for over a year, has put out and liked many anti-vax statements. That is a fact. Now he claims that he is just anti-mandate.

My conclusion is that he is paving his way for a return. He is now in the same boat as Trump and the governors of Florida and Texas, who all are anti-mandate but vaccinated.

It's a ridiculous position, given that virtually every state has vaccine mandates for public schools for measles, chicken pox, polio, et al and no one has ever said a word about that being an attack on freedom.

But the good news is that Kyrie will be back shortly. His changing narrative is a sign of his imminent return.

I don't care if he returns or retires. I'm done with him.

But the notion that public health requirements and mandates are some new, authoritarian overreach that violates American freedom is such a dishonest argument that I can't even take it seriously. It is absolutely disingenuous and absurd what I am seeing being written on here.

Every single person here has had to have been vaccinated to attend school. The United States has had vaccine mandates dating back to 1905 and earlier.

You do not have the right in this country to put other people's health at risk. You do not. If you think you do, go Google past Supreme Court rulings over the last century regarding vaccine mandates and educate yourself.

Kyrie does not have a moral, ethical , or legal ground to stand on here with this horse sh*t. He's a lying buffoon, and the moment he has to sit in front of The media, if he ever comes back, to explain his stance, he will embarrass himself and the organization.

+1000

But he will be back. He has moved from anti-vax to anti-mandate. Only a few more changes and he will be playing.
Kyrie is like Rodman. He likes attention and propagating the illusion that he is a serious thinker.

[MrDollarBills]

Read on Twitter

?s=20

Yeah, if I had to wager Harden told Marks and Tsai to do what they need to do. He wants to win a title, not play games with Kyrie.

Read on Twitter

?s=20

^I usually loathe to post anything from Deadspin but the criticism of sports journalism here is warranted in light of Shams allowing Kyrie to use him to spew absolute BS.

[MrDollarBills]

So if Kyrie is just anti-mandate, why didn't he get his vaccine before the mandate? Did he foresee the possibility of a mandate back in March/April and kept his options open in order to fight in in October?

He is at least vax hesitant if not anti-vax. Shifting his stance to anti-mandate is not telling the full story here.


Also, how does not complying with the mandate help voice for the voiceless? Can't he use the earning he was about to miss and set up programs to help? This reminds me of cab drivers strike in protests against Uber. That's as counter-productive as it gets.

The same questions you ask will be asked by the media if Kyrie ever does come back. I guarantee whatever comes out of his mouth will be nonsensical.

Voice for the voiceless? Antivaxxers have been the loudest and dumbest people in this country all year long and they're dying in droves because of it. He's not helping them, he's helping to get more people killed by justifying this unconscionable stance

[GTR11]

Read on Twitter

?s=20

Yeah, if I had to wager Harden told Marks and Tsai to do what they need to do. He wants to win a title, not play games with Kyrie.

Read on Twitter

?s=20

^I usually loathe to post anything from Deadspin but the criticism of sports journalism here is warranted in light of Shams allowing Kyrie to use him to spew absolute BS.

This is why I got really worried with Harden testing free agency. This guy is no BS and will call it out. I still remember how he got in DJ face when he was slacking right there on the court.

I'm really worried man. Only reason I'm not jumping out the window is because of KD and Nets org in general.

[NyCeEvO]

I think Nets won't renew contract with him if he doesn't get vaccinated. What's the point of having player on the roster who can't play home games?

not playing home game is temporary. Kyrie has 4+ more all-nba seasons in him. even if he played 0 more games, its worth the risk as getting top 10 guys in their prime is super rare

But when a top 10 star doesn't show the urgency, passion, commitment & reliability needed on a championship contender, you play hardball & try to cover yourself with sub-max, incentive-laden contracts. There won't me that many teams with cap space next year. Dare him to go to Detroit, San Antonio or Orlando for the bigger pay day assuming they would even give it to him.

Playing for the Nets was supposed to be Kyrie coming full circle and back home.

I think there’s very little chance that he would want to play for another team. I feel that he’d only do so to 1) keep making money or 2) try to repair his reputation/legacy. However, I don’t think he’s motivated by money and I think playing for anything outside of money or love for the game would be very exhausting.

The ball is in Kyrie’s court. If he has any interest in untarnishing what is now a sullied NBA legacy, he will have to act (but not necessarily think) differently. I would like to think that he’ll at least hire a publicist to help him properly convey his thoughts/messages going forward, since he clearly has trouble doing so on his own.

[NyCeEvO]

Read on Twitter

Proky, I remember you denying... denying... denying anything along these lines last season, but I kept thinking (and occasionally commenting) that mgmt couldn't possibly be happy with Kyrie's three absences, even if they chose to diplomatically 'bless' said absences.

The price of the Harden trade really smacked me around for awhile, but it makes more sense now, and of course, was the right thing to do both conceptually and because of what a great fit the Beard has been.

From an injury perspective alone, it was something that needed to be done.

– Dinwiddie was already out for the season.
– Levert was/is injury-prone.
– Durant just came back from a long-term absence due to his Achilles tear.
– Kyrie was/is injury-prone.

Harden was an Ironman. The prospect of having an MVP candidate that you didn’t have to worry about injury-wise was too much turn down.

Fortunately for us, regardless of whether it was due to injury, mental health, we knew we were going to get the best insurance policy in the league at the time.

[draftbarnes]

Read on Twitter

[NyCeEvO]

Read on Twitter

?s=21

Kyrie is Muslim. Today he won't be allowed in better half of Muslim countries. If he wants to exercise that exemption he'd have to change his religion.

Has it actually been proven that he subscribes to Islam?

It seems like a lot of people assumed that because he decided to fast during Ramadan, it meant that he was a follower. However, plenty of self-described “spiritual, but not religious” people will participate in ‘religious’ activities because they believe that the act of doing certain rituals is valuable and good, not because they believe the religion the practice is associated with is the correct religion/path.

Even Kyrie’s instagram post from the other day seemed to imply that he doesn’t align himself with any particular religion.

[NyCeEvO]

Read on Twitter

?s=20

Okay. I'm officially done. I hope he never plays another game in a Nets uniform.

700,000 people are dead and this is the hill he wants to make his last stand on. He's lost his goddamn mind.

Also, he's a disingenuous liar, because he got caught liking antivax propaganda. I've lost what little respect I had left for this dude. So he's not antivax, but he wants to be a voice for antivaxxers? Does he even listen himself? He's so full of sh*t

Kyrie is not his aunt. Kyrie is not Shams. He hasn’t said anything publicly, so we don’t know what he actually thinks.

His public silence is what has made this whole issue way worse than it should be. He has left everyone in the dark about what he actually thinks and has let other people speak for him, whether he has authorized it or not.

He’s an adult. If he wants people to actually think critically about their actions, he needs to speak up so that we know his thoughts. Otherwise, people who aren’t him are going to be speak on his behalf and make up falsities or half-truths.

I’m not expecting him to be a polished orator. He could have easily cleared all of this up by reading a statement at the start of training camp stating: “While I’m not anti-vax, I do think we need to think about the livelihoods of those who are anti-vax or hesitant towards taking the vaccine, and do a much better job at having clear messaging and explanations that people of any education level can understand. Most people don’t have access to top medical professionals or were trained to critically assess misinformation from truth. Let’s do a better job at raising awareness and winning people over as opposed to condemning them for having questions.”

At the very least, he needs to hire a publicist/PR manager, because he is losing more people that want to support him than he’s gaining by operating as he’s done ever since his unceremonious exit from Cleveland.

[NyCeEvO]

Read on Twitter

This is the snowball effect from Kyrie's decision. Once he started to signal that he wasn't going to get vaccinated, Harden started talking about testing free agency. Dude is f*cking everything up.

Joe Tsai isn't going to pay 50 million a season to someone who only cares enough to play in what, 38 games at most? And Harden isn't going to stay if this season turns into chaos because of Kyrie.

At least we have KD locked in, so even if we have to part ways with both guys I'm sure others will line up to play with him here.

Doesn’t Harden stand to make more money if he becomes a free agent anyway? If so, I’m not worried about him at all.

I’d only be concerned about him leaving if the Lakers had the cap space to sign him, but since they don’t (I assume, haven’t looked it up) I don’t think we’ll really be in serious competition with any other team for his services. Plus, other teams don’t have an elite off-ball superstar like KD, whose game isn’t predicted on ball domination like Harden. It’s as good of a high level talent match as you can ask for. I think Harden knows this.

Hey buddy how are you? One problem. Knicks can create the cap space and have tradeable assets now. Something could be put together.

Hey E, how’s it going?

I think Harden would only consider going to another contender. He’s done being the lone superstar and losing in the playoffs.

Harden demanded out of HOU because he was tired of lifting such a heavy burden. After the trade to the Nets, he was asked about how he felt about no longer be in the running for NBA scoring leader. He responded by stating that 1) he’s never really cared about being the top scorer and just did what was required to win and 2) that he got a lot of negative press from the media for being so ISO-driven, so hopefully they’ll treat him better now that he no longer has to do that.

In short, I don’t think Harden considers joining any team that doesn’t have at least one other superstar.

I think the chance of him joining the Warriors is next to nil.
The Lakers would’ve been the biggest competitor, but they’ve taken themselves out of the conversation since they don’t have the cap space to afford.
There’s no way he’s teaming up with CP3 again in PHX.
Denver just destroyed their cap by giving Michael Porter Jr a max contract.
Miami, Milwaukee, and Philly (in that order) are the only other teams who could be attractive to him talent wise. If MIL paid Middleton, they no longer have the cap space to afford him. As long as Ben Simmons on the roster, there’s no way they’d agree to play together.

That basically leaves Miami. Durant is better than any one that roster, and if Kyrie can actually get his act together professionally, a chance to play with Kyrie and Durant-level talents on a team for multiple seasons is once-in-a-lifetime. I just can’t see Harden passing that up.

[NyCeEvO]

The latest rumor leads us to believe, he is not against the vaccine just championing the rights of those afraid to get the vaccine. So technically, he's not saying he is anti science if we believe this latest round yet, he is unvaccinated and validated those fears in the face of science. He claims he is standing up for his community. What is more likely...he leads his community to getting their jobs back because he remains unvaccinated, or they remain unemployed, unvaccinated, and death rates go up within the community he is claiming to support. Meanwhile, he is also failing to do his own job and letting down everyone he made a commitment to. So if its anti government or anti science what's the difference? The end result is a worse outcome for everyone, but hey its "the principle of the thing" right?

The difference is accuracy.

Especially when it comes to Kyrie, the narrative is written long before any clarity comes out. Would either one play out to a negative impact for himself, the team, society? maybe? probably? That wasn't what I was getting at. I was pointing out the semi-baseless claim that he has made some strong anti-vaxx/anti-science stand when all we heard from him is "its my decision im keeping it private" and the most reliable source said basically verbatim that he is not anti-vaxx.

I think most likely is that whatever hill he chooses to die on vs. the mandate is mostly irrelevant. This will and already is playing out in the courts with much bigger players then Kyrie (Doctors, Nurses, Teachers, Cops, Firefighters, etc...). Kyrie has a huge platform in general, but in this aspect his influence is nil unless he is providing funds/legal council for any of the plaintiffs (which he has done multiple times in wrongful imprisonment cases and race legislation).

As far as letting his teammates down, I don't think that is the pulse. verbally they all say that. if its true or not is speculation. KD has been pretty vocal on this and similar Kyrie stuff... the book speaks to it alot. still speculation as of his stance today, but he seems to be able to seperate it with Kyrie. im sure he wants him there, i dont think he feels 'let down;Are the fans let down?
absolutely. We were certain to be the collateral damage.

Back to the main point... anti-science vs anti-government. the former has no traction or basis on anything of value. The ladder is very arguable that the government is overstepping their bounds and that the mandate is overreaching (1 judge has already ruled this way in 1 of the cases).

Maybe its all moot/the same in the end, but supporting that the easter bunny is real vs. supporting that the government should not be able to infringe on citizens constitutional rights is a bit different.

No I got your points on the actual difference, I was just pointing out in the end if he supports those to make bad decisions in the face of the science for the moral high ground, it actually is moot. Logically, the best way he could help his community is not to validate their choice to remain unvaccinated, but urge them to GET vaccinated. That is of course assuming he is not actually anti vax. That part of the story seems to change daily. From there, lend your voice to also champion against the mandate while still urging others to make the safer decision which will of course also preserve their jobs. He does more harm to those he claims to represent is my point.

Exactly. I agree with this 100%.

I’ve been avoiding a lot of the news regarding this situation because its mostly opinion-driven narratives about someone who hasn’t officially said anything. I tend to reserve judgment about someone until they give their opinion or if their actions have removed all doubt regarding what they believe about a particular matter.

Aside from not advising the community to get vaccinated, the worst part of the situation is that Kyrie hasn’t spoken out to articulate his position. At the very least, he should’ve gotten out ahead of this and said “Don’t believe anything you hear from anyone about something I’ve said unless I say it.” By not doing that, he has given the media ample fodder and ceded attention to people like his aunt or Shams to essentially speak on his behalf.

I remember when Carmelo was in the news for something and he eventually shut all of the noise down by saying, “If you don’t hear it from my mouth, I didn’t say it. Only I can speak on my own behalf.”

Kyrie needs a masterclass on public relations. KD doesn’t say much, but Rich Kleimann (iirc) handles all of the public messaging KD wants to get out without actually reading off public statements. Kyrie should be doing something similar.