Picture a basketball player who is only six feet two inches tall. The player may be the best combination ball handler and scorer that ever played the game. Being small and talented makes him beloved by most fans. That is what Kyrie Irving should have had.
Now let’s look at reality, that player plays in a little more than half his team’s games. That player believes he deserves a max contract for playing. But that’s not all that player has done to hurt his reputation.
In no order he has been a negative influence to three different teams. This after pledging himself to two of those teams. He told one team’s fans (Boston) that he wanted to re-sign with them a year before he decided he would not re-sign with them. Then he told the other team (Brooklyn) he was now home and that he was a fan of his new team growing up. He also said he wanted to finish his career with that team. The first team he played with won a title. He was the teammate of the best player in the game and his clutch shot helped win that title. He was beloved in that town, Cleveland but it didn’t matter.
Kyrie wasn’t happy and wanted out.
But wait, there’s more
But that’s not all. He refused to play in “the bubble” and tried to talk other players out of playing there. He took two weeks off because he was upset and didn’t want to play. Various reasons were given for his not playing. He refused to take the vaccine leading him to sit out half a season. He made anti-semitic remarks and tweeted support of a film that was anti-semitic. This led to a suspension.
He had the nerve to say after a disappointing four game sweep in the playoffs that, “I’m here with Kev, I think that it really entails us, you know managing this franchise together along side Joe and Sean“. Joe is Joe Tsai and Sean is Sean Marks they are the owner and GM of the Nets. This from a guy who missed much of the sea
Yet Kyrie thought after being a good boy for two months after serving his suspension this year he could get his contract extended for max money. When the Nets refused to offer it he then asked for a trade. Loyalty is not his best character trait. Loyalty to his teammates and the franchise that supported him. He didn’t care that he was to leave the team in the middle of the season creating a mess for his team.
It’s funny how professional sports work. Talent is most important and every coach and GM thinks they can handle problem players. So now Dallas is the team that will try to tame him. I hope it works because people should remember his talent when he’s gone from the game but deep down I don’t think it will.
