Seeing The Fanbase Turn On Him, Why Should Kyrie Want To Stay Here?

[Phantom255x]

In the beginning of the year, Kyrie said in front of the TD Garden faithful, "If you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here".

We all know things haven't gone swimmingly this season, and Kyrie is partly to blame. However, to suggest Kyrie is the primary problem of this team is ridiculous. He's averaging 24/7/5 this year and was an all-star.

And yet, you have Himmelsbach tweeting that a Celtics fan at the Garden yesterday after the game yelled at Kyrie to "go to New York", and it seems many think he's a pure cancer to the team. Some also think he can't be a "1B" or even a "2 guy" on a championship team w/o Lebron.

Adam Himmelsbach
‏
Verified account
 
@AdamHimmelsbach

A fan just yelled "go to New York, Kyrie."

2:56 PM - 3 Mar 2019

I'll admit, Kyrie may not be a true leader (I think Horford should be it for this team) and is certainly not the best at handling the media. But he's still a superb talent, and you need a guy like him to make a Finals run. I don't care if he's a "1B", or "2A", or whatever. If Kyrie's playing at the highest level and the others support him, we can make a Finals run.

Rozier was great in last year's playoffs, but people forget that outside of 1 game, he was mediocre in ALL the road playoff games and frankly the East has gotten tougher (and we'll likely have no home court advantage for most, if not all of the series).

The other problem? Kyrie can only do so much. Morris and Rozier have been killing us lately (Rozier in general has been mediocre this season). Tatum has also looked awful since the All-Star Break. Brown needs more minutes but Brad Stevens for some reason isn't giving it to him. Again, Kyrie may be partially to blame, but he's certainly not the only problem nor is he the primary one.

Kyrie could do better and show more effort on defense, I agree with that. But so could a lot of these other players.

I hope we can keep Kyrie long term and think the media/fanbase have been a bit unfair to him this season. It's been an ugly stretch, no doubt, but I will still reserve judgement on this team until we see how they are in April and the Playoffs.

This team is resilient, and I'm sure Kyrie and the others can turn this around. It's all we can hope for right now. Unlike many on here, I'm rooting for Kyrie and also rooting for him to prove the doubters wrong going forward.

[RPGenerate]

Tbf, we Celticsstrong posters and hecklers are a vast minority of Celtics fans, but I 100% agree with your points. It's easier to fix something that's broken than it is to completely start over hoping it turns out better.

[Phantom255x]

Tbf, we Celticsstrong posters and hecklers are a vast minority of Celtics fans, but I 100% agree with your points. It's easier to fix something that's broken than it is to completely start over hoping it turns out better.

Yep. And there's no denying that if we lose Kyrie, we get worse next year unless you think Rozier can get way better or we draft a legit PG. Don't think we can realistically sign another due to cap restraints.

That's not to say we're doomed long term without Kyrie, but we'll certainly have to get a bit creative and probably re-tool a bit again.

[Roy H.]

The fact that it stood out when one fan said it tells you all you need to know about the reception he gets at the Garden.  Himmelsbach is just stirring up drama, like the rest of the media.

And, as it usually does, it worked. The trolls of the fan base and their manipulators in the media feed off of each other.

[ozgod]

It's unfortunate but it's one of the challenges of being the highest profile public figure on a sports team that inspires a lot of passions. Players just need to learn to block it out. It's like in our lives, if a bum yells at you when you're crossing the street, do you take it personally or ignore it?

These guys are pretty driven individuals to get to where they are though...I doubt they would have lasted this long in the world of professional sports if they took all the negative criticism from fans in stadiums, message forums, social media etc personally or let it affect their decisions. Kyrie and KD seem to get affected more than most though. They should take a leaf from Steph or LeBum's book, those guys are much better at dealing with the media.

[jambr380]

Thank you, Phantom - tp.

I am so over the Kyrie hate. It's like Cs fans don't want the team to succeed. I get that this year hasn't gone as hoped, but with AD possibly on the horizon and fan-unfaves like Morris and Rozier set to move on, we do have an opportunity at a reboot - only with more top end talent.

I REALLY hope we have a solid playoff run. I just don't think this team can afford a career-altering injury to a max star and for their best player to walk for nothing and still have championship aspirations.

[Tr1boy]

In the beginning of the year, Kyrie said in front of the TD Garden faithful, "If you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here".

We all know things haven't gone swimmingly this season, and Kyrie is partly to blame. However, to suggest Kyrie is the primary problem of this team is ridiculous. He's averaging 24/7/5 this year and was an all-star.

And yet, you have Himmelsbach tweeting that a Celtics fan at the Garden yesterday after the game yelled at Kyrie to "go to New York", and it seems many think he's a pure cancer to the team. Some also think he can't be a "1B" or even a "2 guy" on a championship team w/o Lebron.

Adam Himmelsbach
‏
Verified account
 
@AdamHimmelsbach

A fan just yelled "go to New York, Kyrie."

2:56 PM - 3 Mar 2019

I'll admit, Kyrie may not be a true leader (I think Horford should be it for this team) and is certainly not the best at handling the media. But he's still a superb talent, and you need a guy like him to make a Finals run. I don't care if he's a "1B", or "2A", or whatever. If Kyrie's playing at the highest level and the others support him, we can make a Finals run.

Rozier was great in last year's playoffs, but people forget that outside of 1 game, he was mediocre in ALL the road playoff games and frankly the East has gotten tougher (and we'll likely have no home court advantage for most, if not all of the series).

The other problem? Kyrie can only do so much. Morris and Rozier have been killing us lately (Rozier in general has been mediocre this season). Tatum has also looked awful since the All-Star Break. Brown needs more minutes but Brad Stevens for some reason isn't giving it to him. Again, Kyrie may be partially to blame, but he's certainly not the only problem nor is he the primary one.

Kyrie could do better and show more effort on defense, I agree with that. But so could a lot of these other players.

I hope we can keep Kyrie long term and think the media/fanbase have been a bit unfair to him this season. It's been an ugly stretch, no doubt, but I will still reserve judgement on this team until we see how they are in April and the Playoffs.

This team is resilient, and I'm sure Kyrie and the others can turn this around. It's all we can hope for right now. Unlike many on here, I'm rooting for Kyrie and also rooting for him to prove the doubters wrong going forward.

He is sulking, lashing out at the media, poor body language, plays poor defense... doesnt really seem he really cares to pump up the home crowed

The guy has checked out

I wish KG was here. He would grab Irving on the shoulders with two hands, wide eyed

"Wake the F up"

[PhoSita]

I posit that if Kyrie had never said a single word regarding free agency -- including that initial statement before the season started about wanting to stay -- that the fan base would not be reacting this way.  I also think the locker room would be at least a bit better, the team would be a bit more consistent, and Kyrie wouldn't be getting nearly as much media attention.

This is a problem created as much by Kyrie's behavior as it is by the media covering the team.

Kyrie doesn't seem to be a guy naturally suited to having a public facing role or being a leader.  In that sense I feel for him.  He's a weird, prickly guy.  I get that.

But this is the profession he's in, and I think it's fair to say that public figures in 2019 have to learn how to deal with the media attention and know when and how to filter out the noise.

He's not a hapless victim here.

[Tr1boy]

I posit that if Kyrie had never said a single word regarding free agency -- including that initial statement before the season started about wanting to stay -- that the fan base would not be reacting this way.  I also think the locker room would be at least a bit better, the team would be a bit more consistent, and Kyrie wouldn't be getting nearly as much media attention.

This is a problem created as much by Kyrie's behavior as it is by the media covering the team.

Kyrie doesn't seem to be a guy naturally suited to having a public facing role or being a leader.  In that sense I feel for him.  He's a weird, prickly guy.  I get that.

But this is the profession he's in, and I think it's fair to say that public figures in 2019 have to learn how to deal with the media attention and know when and how to filter out the noise.

He's not a hapless victim here.

Last season game 7 "skipping"

Is the kind of class this kid has

Its all about him and "face" in the public eye

At the all star game the guy is laughing, upbeat interviews, chuckling with other all stars

Return to Boston.... and he suddenly has a dark cloud is hanging over his head

Why is he so angry? What is the problem?

CBS and Danny seem like they have no balls to ask him/unravle this "closed door"

Maybe he is still not 100 percent recovered from his injury... yet nobody knows. Maybe he still feels slighted about the KD picture questions... just get over it dude

[gpap]

If what Himmelsbach said is true, that fan should've physically been thrown out of the Garden on his ass with his head used to open the exit door

Boston sports fans truly are the worse of the worse and it's embarrassing.

[gpap]

The fact that it stood out when one fan said it tells you all you need to know about the reception he gets at the Garden.  Himmelsbach is just stirring up drama, like the rest of the media.

And, as it usually does, it worked. The trolls of the fan base and their manipulators in the media feed off of each other.

This is true too. If out of 19,000 people, if  he only hears that from only 1 person, then hopefully Kyrie will be able to discern that one idiot from the remaining 18,999.

And yes, Himmelsbach could just be trying to instigate.

[gpap]

Tbf, we Celticsstrong posters and hecklers are a vast minority of Celtics fans, but I 100% agree with your points. It's easier to fix something that's broken than it is to completely start over hoping it turns out better.

Yep. And there's no denying that if we lose Kyrie, we get worse next year unless you think Rozier can get way better or we draft a legit PG. Don't think we can realistically sign another due to cap restraints.

That's not to say we're doomed long term without Kyrie, but we'll certainly have to get a bit creative and probably re-tool a bit again.

And then the same people who are knocking him will be wishing we had a talent of his caliber.

[PhoSita]

Tbf, we Celticsstrong posters and hecklers are a vast minority of Celtics fans, but I 100% agree with your points. It's easier to fix something that's broken than it is to completely start over hoping it turns out better.

Yep. And there's no denying that if we lose Kyrie, we get worse next year unless you think Rozier can get way better or we draft a legit PG. Don't think we can realistically sign another due to cap restraints.

That's not to say we're doomed long term without Kyrie, but we'll certainly have to get a bit creative and probably re-tool a bit again.

And then the same people who are knocking him will be wishing we had a talent of his caliber.

Not all talent is created equal.  Russ Westbrook is a talent of Kyrie's caliber, at least, arguably greater.

I would not want Westbrook on any team I follow closely.

[Tr1boy]

Tbf, we Celticsstrong posters and hecklers are a vast minority of Celtics fans, but I 100% agree with your points. It's easier to fix something that's broken than it is to completely start over hoping it turns out better.

Yep. And there's no denying that if we lose Kyrie, we get worse next year unless you think Rozier can get way better or we draft a legit PG. Don't think we can realistically sign another due to cap restraints.

That's not to say we're doomed long term without Kyrie, but we'll certainly have to get a bit creative and probably re-tool a bit again.

And then the same people who are knocking him will be wishing we had a talent of his caliber.

We do

Tatum and Brown

You just need to be patient

[Phantom255x]

If what Himmelsbach said is true, that fan should've physically been thrown out of the Garden on his ass with his head used to open the exit door

Boston sports fans truly are the worse of the worse and it's embarrassing.

I think it is true, others have mentioned it too. But I also think that was a real stupid thing for Himmelsbach to tweet out in public.