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

[Kuberski33]

Well, the fans have turned on him. His teammates apparently don't like him. He's said a few bizarre things and has a great habit for opening his mouth when he shouldn't.  Maybe he's just a jerk?  Wouldn't be the first pro athlete who was one.

What has indicated this? The only actually reported teammate who Kyrie doesn't get along with is Dion Waiters.

The guy is one of the most popular players in the league, both with current players and past ones.

That's not the vibe you get from media guys who have Boston connections and have sources close to the team - and also just from watching how they've played basketball for a good part of the season.  Kevin O'Connor wrote just today that they only teammate he's actually friends with is Tatum.  Simmons and Russillo today in their podcast said that if Kyrie does leave town - a lot of stuff that the beat writers have been holding back will trickle out - none of it complimentary to the guy.

Right....because everyone in the media always tells the truth!! They would never embellish or lie so we just believe them like sheep. Smart.

It's got nothing to do with being sheep. These guys have lived in Boston, they've been around the team for extended periods of time and have sources within the organization and around the league. They've also been right in the past more than they've been wrong.

They've got a lot more credibility than the A Sherrod's of the world or most of the local guys save for Bulpett.  Not saying it's all accurate but where there's smoke there's likely fire.

[gpap]

Well, the fans have turned on him. His teammates apparently don't like him.  He's said a few bizarre things and has a great habit for opening his mouth when he shouldn't.  Maybe he's just a jerk?  Wouldn't be the first pro athlete who was one.

Do you have any info to back this up or is this more hearsay from Kevin O'Connor, Bill Simmons and Ryan Russillo?

[Kuberski33]

Well, the fans have turned on him. His teammates apparently don't like him.  He's said a few bizarre things and has a great habit for opening his mouth when he shouldn't.  Maybe he's just a jerk?  Wouldn't be the first pro athlete who was one.

Do you have any info to back this up or is this more hearsay from Kevin O'Connor, Bill Simmons and Ryan Russillo?

Doesn't look to me like they're too fond of him.  Has any other player come out and publicly backed or supported him or chastised the fans/media for being down on him?
Where's Horford? Where's Smart?  The only people you hear supporting him are management.

[Ogaju]

Well, the fans have turned on him. His teammates apparently don't like him.  He's said a few bizarre things and has a great habit for opening his mouth when he shouldn't.  Maybe he's just a jerk?  Wouldn't be the first pro athlete who was one.

Do you have any info to back this up or is this more hearsay from Kevin O'Connor, Bill Simmons and Ryan Russillo?

Doesn't look to me like they're too fond of him.  Has any other player come out and publicly backed or supported him or chastised the fans/media for being down on him?
Where's Horford? Where's Smart?  The only people you hear supporting him are management.

TP ...nice observation.

[gpap]

Well, the fans have turned on him. His teammates apparently don't like him.  He's said a few bizarre things and has a great habit for opening his mouth when he shouldn't.  Maybe he's just a jerk?  Wouldn't be the first pro athlete who was one.

Do you have any info to back this up or is this more hearsay from Kevin O'Connor, Bill Simmons and Ryan Russillo?

Doesn't look to me like they're too fond of him.  Has any other player come out and publicly backed or supported him or chastised the fans/media for being down on him?
Where's Horford? Where's Smart?  The only people you hear supporting him are management.

Not necessarily. Sometimes the best comment is no comment at all. Does Kyrie talk alot? Yeah, he does. But I see look past that and appreciate him for his talent.

[Phantom255x]

Well, the fans have turned on him. His teammates apparently don't like him.  He's said a few bizarre things and has a great habit for opening his mouth when he shouldn't.  Maybe he's just a jerk?  Wouldn't be the first pro athlete who was one.

Do you have any info to back this up or is this more hearsay from Kevin O'Connor, Bill Simmons and Ryan Russillo?

Doesn't look to me like they're too fond of him.  Has any other player come out and publicly backed or supported him or chastised the fans/media for being down on him?
Where's Horford? Where's Smart?  The only people you hear supporting him are management.

Would it matter? When management supports him the claim is, "oh they are just justifying the trade and of course they'd say that!". If Horford came out and defended him, folks would say "oh Horford is just easing tensions and sticking up for a teammate despite Kyrie's attitude".

Lets face it, most C's fans either like Kyrie or hate him. There aren't many in-between it seems. When Kyrie says less or says almost nothing in the media that could cause more drama, he still gets chastised for it. At this point, I don't blame Kyrie if he occasionally gets sick of it all too, hence not being specific/clear with his answers. Most NBA players are actually like that too (being vague with answers and leaving things open for debate).

[RJ87]

Well, the fans have turned on him. His teammates apparently don't like him.  He's said a few bizarre things and has a great habit for opening his mouth when he shouldn't.  Maybe he's just a jerk?  Wouldn't be the first pro athlete who was one.

Do you have any info to back this up or is this more hearsay from Kevin O'Connor, Bill Simmons and Ryan Russillo?

Doesn't look to me like they're too fond of him.  Has any other player come out and publicly backed or supported him or chastised the fans/media for being down on him?
Where's Horford? Where's Smart?  The only people you hear supporting him are management.

Marcus Smart has.

"I don’t have any problem with what [Kyrie] said after the Orlando game. Could he have said it different? Maybe, but we’re adults, man. If you feel like it’s towards you, then maybe you need to look yourself in the mirror.. Kyrie’s a leader. He’s passionate. He wants to win like everybody else, plain and simple.”  - Marcus Smart

https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/01/18/bulpett-kyrie-irvings-teammates-appreciate-his-apology-desire-to-lead-better/

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Well, the fans have turned on him. His teammates apparently don't like him.  He's said a few bizarre things and has a great habit for opening his mouth when he shouldn't.  Maybe he's just a jerk?  Wouldn't be the first pro athlete who was one.

Do you have any info to back this up or is this more hearsay from Kevin O'Connor, Bill Simmons and Ryan Russillo?

Doesn't look to me like they're too fond of him.  Has any other player come out and publicly backed or supported him or chastised the fans/media for being down on him?
Where's Horford? Where's Smart?  The only people you hear supporting him are management.

Would it matter? When management supports him the claim is, "oh they are just justifying the trade and of course they'd say that!". If Horford came out and defended him, folks would say "oh Horford is just easing tensions and sticking up for a teammate despite Kyrie's attitude".

Lets face it, most C's fans either like Kyrie or hate him. There aren't many in-between it seems. When Kyrie says less or says almost nothing in the media that could cause more drama, he still gets chastised for it. At this point, I don't blame Kyrie if he occasionally gets sick of it all too, hence not being specific/clear with his answers. Most NBA players are actually like that too (being vague with answers and leaving things open for debate).

Kyrie, and management, are in a no-win situation when it comes to Kyrie's detractors. While I agree that in some respects he hasn't done himself any favors, there are plenty of folks who will never like him, even if he's perfect from here on out.

[Green-18]

Well, the fans have turned on him. His teammates apparently don't like him.  He's said a few bizarre things and has a great habit for opening his mouth when he shouldn't.  Maybe he's just a jerk?  Wouldn't be the first pro athlete who was one.

Do you have any info to back this up or is this more hearsay from Kevin O'Connor, Bill Simmons and Ryan Russillo?

Doesn't look to me like they're too fond of him.  Has any other player come out and publicly backed or supported him or chastised the fans/media for being down on him?
Where's Horford? Where's Smart?  The only people you hear supporting him are management.

Would it matter? When management supports him the claim is, "oh they are just justifying the trade and of course they'd say that!". If Horford came out and defended him, folks would say "oh Horford is just easing tensions and sticking up for a teammate despite Kyrie's attitude".

Lets face it, most C's fans either like Kyrie or hate him. There aren't many in-between it seems. When Kyrie says less or says almost nothing in the media that could cause more drama, he still gets chastised for it. At this point, I don't blame Kyrie if he occasionally gets sick of it all too, hence not being specific/clear with his answers. Most NBA players are actually like that too (being vague with answers and leaving things open for debate).

Count me as someone who is in-between.  Kyrie handled himself very well for the most part until the Orlando game.  Even after that I never criticized his effort of willingness to play within the team framework.  Unfortunately we are reaching the point where his body language and attitude is effecting the team on the court.  The media stuff is frustrating because we are witnessing the implosion of a player who made a concerted effort to adapt to our system.  He's clearly full of self doubt in regards to leadership, and the pressure is causing him to resort to the stuff he pulled in Cleveland. 

I've been patient with the growing pains because I believed Kyrie would put the pieces together eventually.  We've reached the point where he needs to take accountability behind closed doors, in front of his teammates, and it needs to not be broadcast to the media immediately afterward.   

[LarBrd33]

I did an entire video break-down of his past two months of interviews and really think most/all of this hysteria around him is overblown:  https://youtu.be/cRA52uftRrA

It's crazy to me how often he's taken out of context or flat out misquoted.  I'm not even sure the idea of him being a "bad leader" is valid.  He's been the lone bright spot of this season and fans are treating him like a cancer.  I hope the team can go on a win streak and this stuff can stop.

I'm still a fan of Kyrie

[Green-18]

I did an entire video break-down of his past two months of interviews and really think most/all of this hysteria around him is overblown:  https://youtu.be/cRA52uftRrA

It's crazy to me how often he's taken out of context or flat out misquoted.  I'm not even sure the idea of him being a "bad leader" is valid.  He's been the lone bright spot of this season and fans are treating him like a cancer.  I hope the team can go on a win streak and this stuff can stop.

What about Jaylen's comments about the locker room being "toxic"?  Can we at least acknowledge that Kyrie hasn't shown an ability to ease tension?  Whether we point the finger at the media or not, the narrative surrounding Kyrie has had a negative impact on his teammates.  Instead of making comments about the media destroying "locker rooms", why doesn't he show some humility and try to inspire his teammates.  Part of this involves telling them to ignore the "noise".   

For the record, I've been on Kyrie's side until the most recent media tirades.  I agree that many of his comments have been taken out of context.  I'm also not convinced that this team hates each other or dislikes Kyrie.  If anything, I think the locker room is full of awkward tension.   

[SHAQATTACK]

Public opinion,  and attention go with the territory's of being THE star and making movies and staying in the publics eye .

those millions come at a price .

I support Kyrie .    The Davis trade has unwound the cohesion of the team.  They played great with or wthout Irving last year. Davis was not in the immediate picture .

The difference is CBS and Haywards return was mishandled .  Then Danny s persuit at any cost of Davis has been too much disruption.

I think or hope Irving sees this or people point it out .  All these celtics. have un certain future .  The mindset is just not on the same page.

I think time will work out the issues , once trades are done , the herd is thined.

[LarBrd33]

I did an entire video break-down of his past two months of interviews and really think most/all of this hysteria around him is overblown:  https://youtu.be/cRA52uftRrA

It's crazy to me how often he's taken out of context or flat out misquoted.  I'm not even sure the idea of him being a "bad leader" is valid.  He's been the lone bright spot of this season and fans are treating him like a cancer.  I hope the team can go on a win streak and this stuff can stop.

What about Jaylen's comments about the locker room being "toxic"?

Can't find a video of his actual interview, but I suspect it's the latest in a long line of interviews that have been taken out of context.  It's an interview that supposedly happened the same day as this video:  https://streamable.com/o50xl

The quote seems to specifically be about THE LOSING being toxic... not the relationships on the team.

"The losing, it’s not a good feeling. I’m not too good about that.  Because right now it’s not good. It’s toxic. I can’t really point out one thing. I don’t have all the answers. I’m just going to try to be part of the change. I’m going to try to do my best. That’s all I’ve got to say.”

So he says the losing is toxic and he wants to be a part of the change to turn this season around... and they present it as him saying that the environment is toxic.  Seems like more of the same clickbait misrepresentation to me.  The trouble with that is you don't see the question that prompted it.  Maybe the question was, "what's the worst part of this season so far?" and he responds with "the losing... it's toxic"...  which would be a fair response.  Losing sucks.  It weighs on them.  If they turn it around, it will suck less.  Of course, there's the entire sect of the fandom who is getting off on hating Kyrie Irving so they'll take any quote like this and say "see, he says Kyrie Irving is toxic... this is Kyrie Irving's fault!"

The funny thing about the Jaylen Brown thing is that there's far more evidence to suggest he has a problem with marcus morris and marcus smart... there's multiple examples of him getting into arguments with both of those guys.   Aside from one quote-exchange about "pointing fingers", there's really no reason to believe Jaylen Brown has an issue with Kyrie.

[Green-18]

I did an entire video break-down of his past two months of interviews and really think most/all of this hysteria around him is overblown:  https://youtu.be/cRA52uftRrA

It's crazy to me how often he's taken out of context or flat out misquoted.  I'm not even sure the idea of him being a "bad leader" is valid.  He's been the lone bright spot of this season and fans are treating him like a cancer.  I hope the team can go on a win streak and this stuff can stop.

What about Jaylen's comments about the locker room being "toxic"?

Can't find a video of his actual interview, but I suspect it's the latest in a long line of interviews that have been taken out of context.  It's an interview that supposedly happened the same day as this video:  https://streamable.com/o50xl

The quote seems to specifically be about THE LOSING being toxic... not the relationships on the team.

"The losing, it’s not a good feeling. I’m not too good about that.  Because right now it’s not good. It’s toxic. I can’t really point out one thing. I don’t have all the answers. I’m just going to try to be part of the change. I’m going to try to do my best. That’s all I’ve got to say.”

So he says the losing is toxic and he wants to be a part of the change to turn this season around... and they present it as him saying that the environment is toxic.  Seems like more of the same clickbait misrepresentation to me.  The trouble with that is you don't see the question that prompted it.  Maybe the question was, "what's the worst part of this season so far?" and he responds with "the losing... it's toxic"...  which would be a fair response.  Losing sucks.  It weighs on them.  If they turn it around, it will suck less.

Perhaps it could speak to an awkward tension within the locker room.  Nothing is worse than an environment where everyone is afraid to speak honestly with each other.  I'm sure these guys are all at a loss for words, mainly because they've tried to rectify the issues with multiple team meetings.  The Celtics are desperately in need of something to loosen up the locker room.   

[Phantom255x]

Well, the fans have turned on him. His teammates apparently don't like him.  He's said a few bizarre things and has a great habit for opening his mouth when he shouldn't.  Maybe he's just a jerk?  Wouldn't be the first pro athlete who was one.

Do you have any info to back this up or is this more hearsay from Kevin O'Connor, Bill Simmons and Ryan Russillo?

Doesn't look to me like they're too fond of him.  Has any other player come out and publicly backed or supported him or chastised the fans/media for being down on him?
Where's Horford? Where's Smart?  The only people you hear supporting him are management.

Would it matter? When management supports him the claim is, "oh they are just justifying the trade and of course they'd say that!". If Horford came out and defended him, folks would say "oh Horford is just easing tensions and sticking up for a teammate despite Kyrie's attitude".

Lets face it, most C's fans either like Kyrie or hate him. There aren't many in-between it seems. When Kyrie says less or says almost nothing in the media that could cause more drama, he still gets chastised for it. At this point, I don't blame Kyrie if he occasionally gets sick of it all too, hence not being specific/clear with his answers. Most NBA players are actually like that too (being vague with answers and leaving things open for debate).

Count me as someone who is in-between.  Kyrie handled himself very well for the most part until the Orlando game.  Even after that I never criticized his effort of willingness to play within the team framework.  Unfortunately we are reaching the point where his body language and attitude is effecting the team on the court.  The media stuff is frustrating because we are witnessing the implosion of a player who made a concerted effort to adapt to our system.  He's clearly full of self doubt in regards to leadership, and the pressure is causing him to resort to the stuff he pulled in Cleveland. 

I've been patient with the growing pains because I believed Kyrie would put the pieces together eventually.  We've reached the point where he needs to take accountability behind closed doors, in front of his teammates, and it needs to not be broadcast to the media immediately afterward.

Yep I agree with all this. I lean a lot more towards liking Kyrie but am also a little in-between. I still think this team deserves to show what it does in the final few weeks and April before we judge them overall. Now if the C's were likely missing the playoffs, it'd be a different story, but they're all but guaranteed to go to the playoffs as a 5 seed, with 3 or 4 seed still possible.

Yes, last year's playoff run was in a bit of a weaker East and maybe we did overachieve a bit, but I remember many thinking we'd lose to MIL in 6, or even if we got by them that the talented PHI squad would dispatch us in 5. Barely anyone expected us to make the ECF. Maybe they can pull off something this year too when we least expect it.

And if they do, are we really thinking about all the drama that happened in-season or our putrid 5-6 game stretch after the ASB? Probably not. Again, it's not likely (odds are against it), but still possible they make the ECF despite everything.