The Kyrie Irving free agency thread(to sign 4yr/$141M w/Nets page 105)

[RazzelnoDazzel]

Hope he stays so that we don't lose an asset.

I hope he stays so that we don't lose a great player.

I just don’t see Kyrie as wanting to actually be here. No matter your talent level, I just want a team full of people who actually want to be here. Plus I don’t think he was the position we had really needed to improve in the first place. The issue we had was we needed someone who could stand next to AL. I’d trade Kyrie for AD for this team any day.

[RPGenerate]

Hope he stays so that we don't lose an asset.

I hope he stays so that we don't lose a great player.

I find it quite hypocritical that people will go on and on about player loyalty, yet those same people will say completely mercenary things like this.

[BringToughnessBack]

I am pretty sure Kyrie probably does not want his every move scrutinized over the next 4 years. I would not blame him for bailing on our franchise. The amount of negative coverage from social media over the past year has been brutal. If I were him, I would leave us with nothing and join a team in our division so he could come back and haunt us come playoffs time when we try and match up to him someone who is not capable of hitting shots in the clutch.

If he has a home in California like some have mentioned, then why not just sign with a team out closer to his home so he can avoid the brutal winters as well. Southern California is much more laid back vs. the East Coast and when they are losing games, the fans simply tune out entirely and do not take it upon themselves to scrutinize his every step like some on the East Coast do. Yes, they expect to win but when they don't, they simply vanish into the woodwork. In comparison, we take out our magnifying glasses and examine every speck on the wall and comment on every single thing that the speck has. We are more passionate fans for sure but the degree of scrutiny is like nowhere else in this country. We expect to win and are  spoiled. When we don't, hell hath no fury.

How funny it would be if he joined the Knicks with another star and won a few titles in the next five years while we won nothing. I would love to revisit this thread then and see how many people suddenly say they wanted him to stay all along( I know I want him to stay). Or better yet, he knocks us out of playoffs over and over again like Lebron used to do regularly.

Losing him for nothing will set us back until 2021 and then we will have one more chance to rope a few superstars to come to Boston. It will not be the end of the world, but I do see this Kyrie thing boomeranging on us in the future if we cannot convince him to stay.

[RazzelnoDazzel]

I don’t think we understand what Kyrie would have to go through if he comes back. If he comes back, he would still be trying to convince the young guys that he was right on how to win championships. This point would be hard to prove as they got further without him. If he never gets through to them he will be scrutinized his entire stay here.

It would take a real manly man to walk back through those doors and to dawn that Celtics jersey again after the season he went through. No, he can’t come back and just trade away all his problems, that’s not what a LEADER does. Kyrie has to face his problems and tell DA not only will he come back, but he wants nearly the same team (minus Rozier). If this is done then he will demonstrate that this is HIS team if that’s his goal.

I love how talented Kyrie is I truly do. While watching every Celtic game it really did look like his teammates just wasn’t ready for him. They didn’t know how to play with such an Elite player like Kyrie and that’s understandable. As a PG Kyrie is on an entirely different level than any of them have played with in their entire basketball careers. He can pass the ball, but Kyrie is a ball dominate scorer who draws a ton of attention which eventually gets his teammates open.

The issue with this is the players around you were all built to be main scorers, which is why they can all score in a multitude of different ways. The only way it will work is Kyrie is going to have to do what Lebron absolutely CANT DO. Which is teach and lead people on how to play with you, instead of your team giving away their talented young pieces just because you don’t know how to be a leader.

Lastly, I do think Kyrie can lead this team to a finals if and only if he stops following Lebrons blueprint. Y’all can say what you want but when Lebron went back to Cleveland he should have been great enough to lead that team to the finals. He could have developed those young talented players to be better than they turned out to be. Now Lebron is with the Lakers surrounded by another team full of young talented prospects and he still cannot lead then anywhere although he is the most talented player of this generation. 

[Ogaju]

I am pretty sure Kyrie probably does not want his every move scrutinized over the next 4 years. I would not blame him for bailing on our franchise. The amount of negative coverage from social media over the past year has been brutal. If I were him, I would leave us with nothing and join a team in our division so he could come back and haunt us come playoffs time when we try and match up to him someone who is not capable of hitting shots in the clutch.

If he has a home in California like some have mentioned, then why not just sign with a team out closer to his home so he can avoid the brutal winters as well. Southern California is much more laid back vs. the East Coast and when they are losing games, the fans simply tune out entirely and do not take it upon themselves to scrutinize his every step like some on the East Coast do. Yes, they expect to win but when they don't, they simply vanish into the woodwork. In comparison, we take out our magnifying glasses and examine every speck on the wall and comment on every single thing that the speck has. We are more passionate fans for sure but the degree of scrutiny is like nowhere else in this country. We expect to win and are  spoiled. When we don't, hell hath no fury.

How funny it would be if he joined the Knicks with another star and won a few titles in the next five years while we won nothing. I would love to revisit this thread then and see how many people suddenly say they wanted him to stay all along( I know I want him to stay). Or better yet, he knocks us out of playoffs over and over again like Lebron used to do regularly.

Losing him for nothing will set us back until 2021 and then we will have one more chance to rope a few superstars to come to Boston. It will not be the end of the world, but I do see this Kyrie thing boomeranging on us in the future if we cannot convince him to stay.

Yeah its the fans fault. Blame the fans that made a public statement that Kyrie would be back in Boston, then backed away from the commitment. Blame the fans that threw Kyrie's teammates under the bus. While you are at it do not forget to get those fans that made a private apology to LeBron James then told it to the press in an attempt to again throw the young players under the bus. Those fans even refused to shoot down rumors of leaving the Celtics for the Knicks with Durant. Terrible fans want a commitment from their best player that was obtained in exchange of the most exciting Celtic since the Big 3 and a major lottery asset. Yeah the fans are to blame for wanting some assurance from their best player who has refused to give that assurance. Why have fans like these, why have fans at all.

[jambr380]

I am pretty sure Kyrie probably does not want his every move scrutinized over the next 4 years. I would not blame him for bailing on our franchise. The amount of negative coverage from social media over the past year has been brutal. If I were him, I would leave us with nothing and join a team in our division so he could come back and haunt us come playoffs time when we try and match up to him someone who is not capable of hitting shots in the clutch.

If he has a home in California like some have mentioned, then why not just sign with a team out closer to his home so he can avoid the brutal winters as well. Southern California is much more laid back vs. the East Coast and when they are losing games, the fans simply tune out entirely and do not take it upon themselves to scrutinize his every step like some on the East Coast do. Yes, they expect to win but when they don't, they simply vanish into the woodwork. In comparison, we take out our magnifying glasses and examine every speck on the wall and comment on every single thing that the speck has. We are more passionate fans for sure but the degree of scrutiny is like nowhere else in this country. We expect to win and are  spoiled. When we don't, hell hath no fury.

How funny it would be if he joined the Knicks with another star and won a few titles in the next five years while we won nothing. I would love to revisit this thread then and see how many people suddenly say they wanted him to stay all along( I know I want him to stay). Or better yet, he knocks us out of playoffs over and over again like Lebron used to do regularly.

Losing him for nothing will set us back until 2021 and then we will have one more chance to rope a few superstars to come to Boston. It will not be the end of the world, but I do see this Kyrie thing boomeranging on us in the future if we cannot convince him to stay.

Yeah its the fans fault. Blame the fans that made a public statement that Kyrie would be back in Boston, then backed away from the commitment. Blame the fans that threw Kyrie's teammates under the bus. While you are at it do not forget to get those fans that made a private apology to LeBron James then told it to the press in an attempt to again throw the young players under the bus. Those fans even refused to shoot down rumors of leaving the Celtics for the Knicks with Durant. Terrible fans want a commitment from their best player that was obtained in exchange of the most exciting Celtic since the Big 3 and a major lottery asset. Yeah the fans are to blame for wanting some assurance from their best player who has refused to give that assurance. Why have fans like these, why have fans at all.

No, I agree with BTB. If Kyrie leaves, I will totally blame the fans for being spoiled, over-critical brats. Players want to be embraced and many fans have been pushing Kyrie away ever since our mirage of a post-season in 2018.

Kyrie is right, there has been way too much BS - who can blame him if he wants to start fresh with a new franchise? I get not always letting players off the hook - they should be held accountable for their words and actions - but all-star players need to be coddled a little more, especially an off-beat fellow like Kyrie. It's a bummer that keeping by far our best player is hinging on us acquiring a top 5 player in AD...and even that may not be enough.

I guess fans may get what they want in the end - a fun, low potential, middling roster who gives it their all against superior competition. Yay!

[Ogaju]

I am pretty sure Kyrie probably does not want his every move scrutinized over the next 4 years. I would not blame him for bailing on our franchise. The amount of negative coverage from social media over the past year has been brutal. If I were him, I would leave us with nothing and join a team in our division so he could come back and haunt us come playoffs time when we try and match up to him someone who is not capable of hitting shots in the clutch.

If he has a home in California like some have mentioned, then why not just sign with a team out closer to his home so he can avoid the brutal winters as well. Southern California is much more laid back vs. the East Coast and when they are losing games, the fans simply tune out entirely and do not take it upon themselves to scrutinize his every step like some on the East Coast do. Yes, they expect to win but when they don't, they simply vanish into the woodwork. In comparison, we take out our magnifying glasses and examine every speck on the wall and comment on every single thing that the speck has. We are more passionate fans for sure but the degree of scrutiny is like nowhere else in this country. We expect to win and are  spoiled. When we don't, hell hath no fury.

How funny it would be if he joined the Knicks with another star and won a few titles in the next five years while we won nothing. I would love to revisit this thread then and see how many people suddenly say they wanted him to stay all along( I know I want him to stay). Or better yet, he knocks us out of playoffs over and over again like Lebron used to do regularly.

Losing him for nothing will set us back until 2021 and then we will have one more chance to rope a few superstars to come to Boston. It will not be the end of the world, but I do see this Kyrie thing boomeranging on us in the future if we cannot convince him to stay.

Yeah its the fans fault. Blame the fans that made a public statement that Kyrie would be back in Boston, then backed away from the commitment. Blame the fans that threw Kyrie's teammates under the bus. While you are at it do not forget to get those fans that made a private apology to LeBron James then told it to the press in an attempt to again throw the young players under the bus. Those fans even refused to shoot down rumors of leaving the Celtics for the Knicks with Durant. Terrible fans want a commitment from their best player that was obtained in exchange of the most exciting Celtic since the Big 3 and a major lottery asset. Yeah the fans are to blame for wanting some assurance from their best player who has refused to give that assurance. Why have fans like these, why have fans at all.

No, I agree with BTB. If Kyrie leaves, I will totally blame the fans for being spoiled, over-critical brats. Players want to be embraced and many fans have been pushing Kyrie away ever since our mirage of a post-season in 2018.

Kyrie is right, there has been way too much BS - who can blame him if he wants to start fresh with a new franchise? I get not always letting players off the hook - they should be held accountable for their words and actions - but all-star players need to be coddled a little more, especially an off-beat fellow like Kyrie. It's a bummer that keeping by far our best player is hinging on us acquiring a top 5 player in AD...and even that may not be enough.

I guess fans may get what they want in the end - a fun, low potential, middling roster who gives it their all against superior competition. Yay!

Again, none of this was brought on by Kyrie openly committing to re-signing and then backing off the commitment. It takes two to tango. Fans show up to support him and the team every game. I have not heard of the fans booing him or anything. I have heard chants of MVP when he goes to the line to take free throws even though he openly threw his teammates under the bus and flirted openly with the fan's archenemy. He needs cuddling? Well you better form a Kyrie fan club and take him his favorite cookie every morning. Maybe that will make him commit to the team.

[Tr1boy]

I am pretty sure Kyrie probably does not want his every move scrutinized over the next 4 years. I would not blame him for bailing on our franchise. The amount of negative coverage from social media over the past year has been brutal. If I were him, I would leave us with nothing and join a team in our division so he could come back and haunt us come playoffs time when we try and match up to him someone who is not capable of hitting shots in the clutch.

If he has a home in California like some have mentioned, then why not just sign with a team out closer to his home so he can avoid the brutal winters as well. Southern California is much more laid back vs. the East Coast and when they are losing games, the fans simply tune out entirely and do not take it upon themselves to scrutinize his every step like some on the East Coast do. Yes, they expect to win but when they don't, they simply vanish into the woodwork. In comparison, we take out our magnifying glasses and examine every speck on the wall and comment on every single thing that the speck has. We are more passionate fans for sure but the degree of scrutiny is like nowhere else in this country. We expect to win and are  spoiled. When we don't, hell hath no fury.

How funny it would be if he joined the Knicks with another star and won a few titles in the next five years while we won nothing. I would love to revisit this thread then and see how many people suddenly say they wanted him to stay all along( I know I want him to stay). Or better yet, he knocks us out of playoffs over and over again like Lebron used to do regularly.

Losing him for nothing will set us back until 2021 and then we will have one more chance to rope a few superstars to come to Boston. It will not be the end of the world, but I do see this Kyrie thing boomeranging on us in the future if we cannot convince him to stay.

Yeah its the fans fault. Blame the fans that made a public statement that Kyrie would be back in Boston, then backed away from the commitment. Blame the fans that threw Kyrie's teammates under the bus. While you are at it do not forget to get those fans that made a private apology to LeBron James then told it to the press in an attempt to again throw the young players under the bus. Those fans even refused to shoot down rumors of leaving the Celtics for the Knicks with Durant. Terrible fans want a commitment from their best player that was obtained in exchange of the most exciting Celtic since the Big 3 and a major lottery asset. Yeah the fans are to blame for wanting some assurance from their best player who has refused to give that assurance. Why have fans like these, why have fans at all.

No, I agree with BTB. If Kyrie leaves, I will totally blame the fans for being spoiled, over-critical brats. Players want to be embraced and many fans have been pushing Kyrie away ever since our mirage of a post-season in 2018.

Kyrie is right, there has been way too much BS - who can blame him if he wants to start fresh with a new franchise? I get not always letting players off the hook - they should be held accountable for their words and actions - but all-star players need to be coddled a little more, especially an off-beat fellow like Kyrie. It's a bummer that keeping by far our best player is hinging on us acquiring a top 5 player in AD...and even that may not be enough.

I guess fans may get what they want in the end - a fun, low potential, middling roster who gives it their all against superior competition. Yay!

one good thing about Irving leaving

the infighting in this forum about Irving will finally cool down

July 1st or draft night, can't come soon enough

[Ogaju]

I am pretty sure Kyrie probably does not want his every move scrutinized over the next 4 years. I would not blame him for bailing on our franchise. The amount of negative coverage from social media over the past year has been brutal. If I were him, I would leave us with nothing and join a team in our division so he could come back and haunt us come playoffs time when we try and match up to him someone who is not capable of hitting shots in the clutch.

If he has a home in California like some have mentioned, then why not just sign with a team out closer to his home so he can avoid the brutal winters as well. Southern California is much more laid back vs. the East Coast and when they are losing games, the fans simply tune out entirely and do not take it upon themselves to scrutinize his every step like some on the East Coast do. Yes, they expect to win but when they don't, they simply vanish into the woodwork. In comparison, we take out our magnifying glasses and examine every speck on the wall and comment on every single thing that the speck has. We are more passionate fans for sure but the degree of scrutiny is like nowhere else in this country. We expect to win and are  spoiled. When we don't, hell hath no fury.

How funny it would be if he joined the Knicks with another star and won a few titles in the next five years while we won nothing. I would love to revisit this thread then and see how many people suddenly say they wanted him to stay all along( I know I want him to stay). Or better yet, he knocks us out of playoffs over and over again like Lebron used to do regularly.

Losing him for nothing will set us back until 2021 and then we will have one more chance to rope a few superstars to come to Boston. It will not be the end of the world, but I do see this Kyrie thing boomeranging on us in the future if we cannot convince him to stay.

Yeah its the fans fault. Blame the fans that made a public statement that Kyrie would be back in Boston, then backed away from the commitment. Blame the fans that threw Kyrie's teammates under the bus. While you are at it do not forget to get those fans that made a private apology to LeBron James then told it to the press in an attempt to again throw the young players under the bus. Those fans even refused to shoot down rumors of leaving the Celtics for the Knicks with Durant. Terrible fans want a commitment from their best player that was obtained in exchange of the most exciting Celtic since the Big 3 and a major lottery asset. Yeah the fans are to blame for wanting some assurance from their best player who has refused to give that assurance. Why have fans like these, why have fans at all.

No, I agree with BTB. If Kyrie leaves, I will totally blame the fans for being spoiled, over-critical brats. Players want to be embraced and many fans have been pushing Kyrie away ever since our mirage of a post-season in 2018.

Kyrie is right, there has been way too much BS - who can blame him if he wants to start fresh with a new franchise? I get not always letting players off the hook - they should be held accountable for their words and actions - but all-star players need to be coddled a little more, especially an off-beat fellow like Kyrie. It's a bummer that keeping by far our best player is hinging on us acquiring a top 5 player in AD...and even that may not be enough.

I guess fans may get what they want in the end - a fun, low potential, middling roster who gives it their all against superior competition. Yay!

one good thing about Irving leaving

the infighting in this forum about Irving will finally cool down

July 1st or draft night, can't come soon enough

You are right Triboy.... no Celtic has caused so much polarization while giving so little to the team. I would like him  back, but if he leaves you cannot deny that his time here will not be remembered favorably.

[jambr380]

Again, none of this was brought on by Kyrie openly committing to re-signing and then backing off the commitment. It takes two to tango. Fans show up to support him and the team every game. I have not heard of the fans booing him or anything. I have heard chants of MVP when he goes to the line to take free throws even though he openly threw his teammates under the bus and flirted openly with the fan's archenemy. He needs cuddling? Well you better form a Kyrie fan club and take him his favorite cookie every morning. Maybe that will make him commit to the team.

You understand that Kyrie openly committing to re-signing totally left him vulnerable, right? He even added they caveat, "if you'll have me." I understand that the majority of fans (thank you so much to you fair weather folks out there) have cheered Kyrie on and will be disappointed if he doesn't return. It's the vocal malcontents that want to pack his bags and drive him to NYK that I just want to shut up. I just don't know what people expect will happen to this team if Kyrie is no longer a part of it. Even as a prime trade asset, you have to sign him. He is a net positive no matter how you slice it.

one good thing about Irving leaving

the infighting in this forum about Irving will finally cool down

July 1st or draft night, can't come soon enough

Maybe, but I will remain very upset with the people who drove him out of town if he does leave. Either way we will have our answer and will just have to deal if it doesn't come up Millhouse.

[jambr380]

You are right Triboy.... no Celtic has caused so much polarization while giving so little to the team. I would like him  back, but if he leaves you cannot deny that his time here will not be remembered favorably.

I just wish people would fake it a little better then. Let him sign the 5-year max and then people are free to attack his character to their heart's content. Just let him sign first!

I do agree that Boston will not look back fondly on the Kyrie experience if he leaves, though. Even though I understand why he might not want to stay, I will still be annoyed with him for leaving our franchise in a worse place than when he arrived.

[Kuberski33]

there was consensus on Rondo and IT. Those two were not polarizing. There was consensus that Rondo was a headcase, and that IT was an awesome Celtic.

The arguments were:  Rondo was a headcase/ holds ball too long/only plays D when he feels like it.  With IT it was 'he's a liability on D' or (with some old school fans) he shoots too much.

With IT I always pointed to the 29 ppg and how many players are capable of doing that without destroying team chemistry.? 

I would take the old IT over Kyrie- gladly. With Rondo the the same arguments apply to some of the current Celtics - and not just the PG's.

[RazzelnoDazzel]

You are right Triboy.... no Celtic has caused so much polarization while giving so little to the team. I would like him  back, but if he leaves you cannot deny that his time here will not be remembered favorably.

I just wish people would fake it a little better then. Let him sign the 5-year max and then people are free to attack his character to their heart's content. Just let him sign first!

I do agree that Boston will not look back fondly on the Kyrie experience if he leaves, though. Even though I understand why he might not want to stay, I will still be annoyed with him for leaving our franchise in a worse place than when he arrived.

Why should be keep faking it when he didn’t? He faked it for a little and we faked it when he did. When he stopped faking it we stopped faking it.

[Never Nervous Pervis]

there was consensus on Rondo and IT. Those two were not polarizing. There was consensus that Rondo was a headcase, and that IT was an awesome Celtic.

The arguments were:  Rondo was a headcase/ holds ball too long/only plays D when he feels like it.  With IT it was 'he's a liability on D' or (with some old school fans) he shoots too much.

With IT I always pointed to the 29 ppg and how many players are capable of doing that without destroying team chemistry.? 

I would take the old IT over Kyrie- gladly. With Rondo the the same arguments apply to some of the current Celtics - and not just the PG's.

To be fair, the criticism about Rondo holding the ball too long and only playing D when he wanted to came at the very end of his Celtics run. Early on, it was mainly centered on his inability (and reluctance) to shoot, and how that sometimes threw the spacing off in the half court.

With IT, critics focused on his Brinks truck comments more than anything, and used his size/lack of defense to justify it. I think most fans liked him personally and valued what he brought to the team, especially his ability to score in the 4th quarter.

[RazzelnoDazzel]

there was consensus on Rondo and IT. Those two were not polarizing. There was consensus that Rondo was a headcase, and that IT was an awesome Celtic.

The arguments were:  Rondo was a headcase/ holds ball too long/only plays D when he feels like it.  With IT it was 'he's a liability on D' or (with some old school fans) he shoots too much.

With IT I always pointed to the 29 ppg and how many players are capable of doing that without destroying team chemistry.? 

I would take the old IT over Kyrie- gladly. With Rondo the the same arguments apply to some of the current Celtics - and not just the PG's.

To be fair, the criticism about Rondo holding the ball too long and only playing D when he wanted to came at the very end of his Celtics run. Early on, it was mainly centered on his inability (and reluctance) to shoot, and how that sometimes threw the spacing off in the half court.

With IT, critics focused on his Brinks truck comments more than anything, and used his size/lack of defense to justify it. I think most fans liked him personally and valued what he brought to the team, especially his ability to score in the 4th quarter.

The brinks truck comment was nothing more than a joke idk why people took it so serious.