Why is Kyrie becoming a distraction?
Didn't click the above link, but we know he was a distraction back in CLE. And for good reason -- people here were recently floating the idea that Kawhi deserved legal action from the Spurs for threatening to sit out unless he was traded to LA. So it's pretty silly that Kyrie is beyond reproach on the same blog.
But, think about it... who had a worse 2018 playoffs than Kyrie Irving? Beyond the self-centered errors in judgment, the baby Celtics proved his value was vastly overrated by (a) coming 1 win away from the Finals, as a team, and (b) showing very significant growth and potential, individually. And maybe worse, CLE limped their way to yet another Finals without him, and even Love, for two important stretches. Big picture: He was expendable to both teams, even despite pretty underwhelming PG replacements.
I don't judge other people with mental health issues, and I can empathize with a lot of crazy. But Kyrie shows clear signs of narcissistic traits that do not hold up well to the above situation. So what's his most likely response? If he has any insight into the situation at all -- and he may not, especially with how much he's reinforced -- he will seek even higher levels of external validation. That alone would account for more self-focused and distracting actions.