I was all in on the Kyrie trade when it happened, and would still have made that trade today. I thought he was a great player during his two years in Boston. I am not buying all of this garbage coming out since their playoff exit, that is portraying Kyrie as a bad guy. The timing is far too convenient and is typical Boston media spin to attack a player that they know is leaving. Have the fans hate the player that is leaving and portray the team as the good guys.
Two seasons ago, the acquisition of Kyrie and Hayward, playing alongside Horford, should have been amazing. We had two leaders in the clubhouse in Kyrie and Hayward to share the load, and Al being the leader by example. But everything changed 5 minutes into the season when Hayward went down. The team did end up having a great season, led by Kyrie, Al, and a surprising rookie in Tatum. Then their unlikely playoff run happened without Kyrie and Hayward, which may have done more harm than good in the long run. Fast forward to this season, and players like Tatum, Brown, and Rozier believe they’re the guys the team should be led by, and not Kyrie and Hayward, because of that playoff run. The players lacked chemistry all season because of this seemingly constant internal battle for respect. Was this a big part of the equation in Kyrie wanting to leave? It doesn’t look like Danny has any desire to trade those young guys. Was a conversation had between Kyrie and Danny about this chemistry at the end of the season, and Kyrie said either some of them go or I go?
Speaking of chemistry issues, I’m very concerned about the relationship between Hayward, Brown, and Tatum next season. Do Brown and Tatum respect Hayward enough to allow him to be the leader of the team? I would prefer to see only two of them start, and have a more traditional PF, to help improve the rebounding. If he’s completely healthy, there is no reason why Hayward shouldn’t be starting on opening night. I don’t think Tatum is going anywhere, so does Danny and Brad hitch their wagon to Hayward or Brown? At the end of next season, Hayward has a player option and Brown will be a restricted free agent.