Can Kyrie Irving and Coach Brad Stevens co-exist?

[Ogaju]

CBS did not all of a sudden forget how to coach basketball.

Kyrie Irving is a superstar in the league and an NBA champion in his prime. He did not all of a sudden forget how to ball.

The problem seems to be the fit between these two.

Kyrie like Rondo is a ball dominant PG with the penchant to create is own shots and take them.

Rondo was more of a facilitator perhaps because he could not shoot, but even his style clashed with Brad Steven's system and had to be shipped out for that and in part for his bad attitude.

Kyrie is even more ball dominant than Rondo, and it seems that he does not get along very well with his coach.

Something has to give between these two... will CBS change his system to fit Kyrie's game? Will Danny demand that?

There is just no way Kyrie flourishes in this system, I doubt that AD could either.

Thoughts?

[gpap]

My thoughts are just simply.....NO.

There are many issues with this team.

Rozier can't shoot free throws, Baynes shooting air balls, nobody rebounds or boxes out, Tatum forgot how to play basketball the last few days, poor defense, no continuity on offense.

This applies to the entire team.

Would you like me to keep going?

This Kyrie song and dance is getting tiresome.

There isn't one player on this team that doesn't have a noticeable flaw in their game.

And I think Steven's issue is he isn't teaching his team to play better fundamental basketball.

[SHAQATTACK]

i think we have the same type of thing going on as the Lakers in the coaching and style.

To win titles we need stars . Stars cost assets , assets get PO'd at being assets .   Nobody future is certain , DA said as much , so nobody cares .  Irving feels the disenchantment of most of the team over the AD deal.   I think he thinks their mindset is what it is at this point and nothing he can do any more than CBS to make them play with emotion.  knowing many of them will be traded or let go to rebuild aroud Davis

the players are kinda on strike .....their hearts are not into it.  Irving feels the lack of effort too.  we see it .  i guess its human nature for everybody to feel down.

You play the basketball style that best utilizes the star talent .

Stevens has to ajust his brain and plans to the personel he is given

IF Kyrie stays and AD comes ,  YES his strategy WILL need to be adjusted.

Pacers are us last year .   But they won't win a title without a couple stars to help Victor . 

There is a transition going on with Hayward and irving .

The transition is going poorly now that. AD trade thing , has screwed up Celtics as well as Lakers .   

Both LA and Boston are using their young assets to assemble stars to compete for a title .   

so either we ll move forward , as CBS will have to ,  with Davis and Irving .    OR .....we become a perennial 4 seed with Tatum as out best player. 

CBS is not stupid , he know s Irving and Davis will have to be catered too and will expect to seevthe ball ALOT .

Kwahi got comfortable with his coach , once he saw how his usage would be.

CBS will have to feature the talents of his stars , other wise its a waste to even have them.

we are stuck in the middle of the next growing phase , from assets to stars .....from Pacers share the ball .....to a game that features Irving and Davis play the ball they do best .   

[ozgod]

My thoughts are that they coexisted fine last year. People forget that Irving was around for a large part of the year last year and was a big part of us getting the No2 seed.

What has changed is that Tatum, Brown and Rozier had great performances in the playoffs when Kyrie and Gordon were injured and Gordon coming back this season and Mook and Smart starting squeezed them out of playing time.

That’s affected our entire season, nobody knows who the No2 or 3 guy is we have 6 players who think they are that and it’s affected our chemistry for most of the season.

[GreenWarrior]

nobody is saying stevens can't coach basketball.

but it takes more than a basketball coach to be an NBA coach, x's & o's is secondary when it comes to men who are millionaires that don't have to listen to you.

and in the NBA you don't choose the coach over the players.

[gouki88]

Why would it have gone from a non-issue last season to a major issue this season? Points to Brad

[PhoSita]

Why would it have gone from a non-issue last season to a major issue this season? Points to Brad

This is a very good question.  What is the difference between last year and this year?  Honeymoon period?  Is it the impending free agency / AD trade issue?

I'm not just talking about Kyrie.  We didn't drastically change our roster. So why is this group so much worse together than last year?  Are they all sick of each other?  I have to think the free agency thing is the biggest part of it.

[gouki88]

Why would it have gone from a non-issue last season to a major issue this season? Points to Brad

This is a very good question.  What is the difference between last year and this year?  Honeymoon period?  Is it the impending free agency / AD trade issue?

I'm not just talking about Kyrie.  We didn't drastically change our roster. So why is this group so much worse together than last year?  Are they all sick of each other?  I have to think the free agency thing is the biggest part of it.

Yeah, I feel like the uncertainty of it all has thrown a lot of people. 3 of our 25MPG+ guys (Kyrie, Mook and Rozier) have mystery in their future, and it might be messing with us. Sprinkle in a trade rumour every week and here we are

[SHAQATTACK]

NBA teams are ever evolving.    Unlike college.

NBA teams that aren't trying to get better is alosing businss model .

DA did nothing for the team,  he has saved his assets and is going for a homerun player. as most got alot better,  the trade talk he spoke " everybodies on the table " apparently this killed the mindset of many which has frustrated Irving.  Same thing that is happening with Bron at LA .  ..but i think worse for them .

I don't blame CBS , i guess its DA who exposed his plans .  Shame it ruined ball for LA and Boston fans .  Its just part of NBA and trying to win titles .

maybe the playoffs will make the players forget their futures for a couple weeks . 

[GreenWarrior]

My thoughts are that they coexisted fine last year. People forget that Irving was around for a large part of the year last year and was a big part of us getting the No2 seed.

What has changed is that Tatum, Brown and Rozier had great performances in the playoffs when Kyrie and Gordon were injured and Gordon coming back this season and Mook and Smart starting squeezed them out of playing time.

That’s affected our entire season, nobody knows who the No2 or 3 guy is we have 6 players who think they are that and it’s affected our chemistry for most of the season.

I love how everyone glosses over the fact that our "great coach" made a pretty dumb decision that sank this team's season before the season even started.

the decision to start hayward over anybody was about the dumbest move he could have done. everything after that was a result of this decision.

everyone brings up what hayward is making as a reason why he should start or why he should get more mins. over anyone when in reality it's just an excuse for our coaches bad effing decision.

in reality knowing hayward wasn't ready now had stevens just came out and said i'm putting the best 7-8 guys that are ready to go every night in order to win - no one would have complained.

instead he sacrificed this team's season because Hayward is making so much money... I thought this game was about winning championships, not sacrificing a whole team's season.

oh and in the process our great coach may have stunted the growth of or flat out ruined our promising young core.

hope it was worth it.

[GreenWarrior]

Why would it have gone from a non-issue last season to a major issue this season? Points to Brad

starting hayward over guys that were ready to go.

[arctic 3.0]

nobody is saying stevens can't coach basketball.

but it takes more than a basketball coach to be an NBA coach, x's & o's is secondary when it comes to men who are millionaires that don't have to listen to you.

and in the NBA you don't choose the coach over the players.

Yes, yes you do.
If it’s a choice between the mercurial, self centered Kyrie or Brad and his track record of building a team centered culture that wins the right way, i’ll take Brad.
People always say you need stars to win so we can’t let kyrie go, like he’s the only star we could ever get. That’s kind of like saying you can’t get out of a bad relationship because your afraid no one will ever bone you again.
Here’s a thought, maybe kyrie isn’t all he/we think he is.
Maybe, w/o Lebron, he flounders away on a lotto team, maybe he’s more Kemba Walker, than Steph Curry. Maybe we don’t need his ‘tude because Smart, Tatum, Brown, Horford are pretty good at basketball.

[SHAQATTACK]

If the trade for AD goes though .

HE CBS will have to, no choice ,  rethink his plans to fit Hayward , Davis and Kyrie .....

if he thinks he can't he ll have to quit .

its the team he ll be given by DA .....his job is to make it work.

its a new challenge for CBS .  Just like the raps coach , he d never coached any stars as a head coach . 

Irving an d Davis play diffetenr from the kids .   Hayward can adjust .

Once the direction , the new permanent players are signed this summer , things can go smoother .

There is too much negativity due to the Davis situation for CBS to contain or control it all.

[GreenWarrior]

nobody is saying stevens can't coach basketball.

but it takes more than a basketball coach to be an NBA coach, x's & o's is secondary when it comes to men who are millionaires that don't have to listen to you.

and in the NBA you don't choose the coach over the players.

Yes, yes you do.
If it’s a choice between the mercurial, self centered Kyrie or Brad and his track record of building a team centered culture that wins the right way, i’ll take Brad.
People always say you need stars to win so we can’t let kyrie go, like he’s the only star we could ever get. That’s kind of like saying you can’t get out of a bad relationship because your afraid no one will ever bone you again.
Here’s a thought, maybe kyrie isn’t all he/we think he is.
Maybe, w/o Lebron, he flounders away on a lotto team, maybe he’s more Kemba Walker, than Steph Curry. Maybe we don’t need his ‘tude because Smart, Tatum, Brown, Horford are pretty good at basketball.

lol, wow! a lot to address here.

if this organization chooses the coach over the players we'll forever be the pacers or the jazz - good enough to make the playoffs... and that's it.

while agree maybe kyrie himself is a headcase and a lot to handle, superstars don't just grow on trees and you can't "just go get another one". people seem to forget this guy landed in our laps by luck. even if we only get 2 seasons outta this guy i'd gladly take it over 4 yrs of IT and jae crowder.

but ok, kyrie's a headcase for sure... here's the thing - they all are. they're fragile minded ego maniacs that need pampering. it sucks, but that's the NBA.

we choose this coach and our best hope is those pistons teams in the early 2000's. it can be done but man what a hard way to go about it. 

[mbsnmisc]

nobody is saying stevens can't coach basketball.

but it takes more than a basketball coach to be an NBA coach, x's & o's is secondary when it comes to men who are millionaires that don't have to listen to you.

and in the NBA you don't choose the coach over the players.

Yes, yes you do.
If it’s a choice between the mercurial, self centered Kyrie or Brad and his track record of building a team centered culture that wins the right way, i’ll take Brad.
People always say you need stars to win so we can’t let kyrie go, like he’s the only star we could ever get. That’s kind of like saying you can’t get out of a bad relationship because your afraid no one will ever bone you again.
Here’s a thought, maybe kyrie isn’t all he/we think he is.
Maybe, w/o Lebron, he flounders away on a lotto team, maybe he’s more Kemba Walker, than Steph Curry. Maybe we don’t need his ‘tude because Smart, Tatum, Brown, Horford are pretty good at basketball.

I don't post a lot, but your response hit home. If you don't back the coach you might run into a championship, but you will never sustain greatness. Look at all of the dynasties in the NBA. Most had one strong coach, backed by the FO and ownership. You cannot let immature 25-year-olds run your franchise. You need a grown up to keep things going the right direction.

In my opinion, Kyrie has poisoned the locker room. When he leaves, and Danny drafts or trades for the right point guard, this team will blossom. 2018-19 was an experiment that failed. This team has no fight, and without fight you are just another team playing out the string.