The Kyrie Irving free agency thread(to sign 4yr/$141M w/Nets page 105)

[mmmmm]

Well, if we return to Kyrie's original statements way back last early Fall, didn't he say something like, "I'll stay here if you want me." ?  Oh yeah, here are his exact words from that pre-season event:

"If you guys will have me back, I plan on re-signing here,"

That suggests he will want to stay if the fans want him to stay.    So what is he going to be reading in every news, tweet, chat, blog, etc., over the next couple of weeks?

Is his impression going to be that Boston fans still want him?

I created a CelticsBlog article around this question with a poll.  Rather than hijack this thread, I'd appreciate if folks would vote on that and chime in with their thoughts.

https://www.celticsblog.com/2019/5/10/18566140/if-you-guys-will-have-me-back-i-plan-on-re-signing-here

[Ogaju]

Keep him on condition that he stops acting as if he is a smart guy. He really isnt. I think that Duke scholarship got into his head. You want to be cerebral, go back to school and hone those skills.

This guy will be a handfull with a max contract. Just make sure he doesnt have a no trade clause.

[Chris22]

Why pay $190 million dollars for a guy who laid down like a dog in the playoffs?

He can't defend either.

[Jiri Welsch]

I truly can’t believe that 3/4 of the voters thus far want to keep him.

Does a guy’s (awful, obnoxious) personality mean nothing when you’re watching and rooting for him?

[Chief]

Depends on AD

[tenn_smoothie]

Not Kyrie's finest moment but nothing he can't come back from.

He doesn't need to be dumped because of this.

Unbelievable. Dump him and Now !!!

God Bless You Perk. Danny screwed up royally by trading you for "athleticism" to keep up with Miami and Chicago. That Celtics team had the one advantage over the athleticism of those teams that no one else had - Strength in the Post. I have never gotten over that trade, I believe to this day that we hang #18 that season if Danny doesn't ruin the team.

I've always thought that Danny holds this bias for speed and finesse over interior strength, rebounding and defense because he thought the 80's lakers were so good. You would have thought he would have learned something from 1984. He also doesn't seem to value team chemistry as much as he should. He screwed up the Garnett team and he has screwed up the current group with the trade for Irving. Athleticism, speed, scoring, style over team chemistry, on-court fit, defense and interior strength - Danny's blind spot.

[Neurotic Guy]

I truly can’t believe that 3/4 of the voters thus far want to keep him.

Does a guy’s (awful, obnoxious) personality mean nothing when you’re watching and rooting for him?

He can win a championship as 1B.   With AD, KI will be better and less of an annoyance.

[Who]

I truly can’t believe that 3/4 of the voters thus far want to keep him.

Does a guy’s (awful, obnoxious) personality mean nothing when you’re watching and rooting for him?

It does. But the NBA's cap rules are terrible. They punish teams for letting a player like Kyrie leave in this situation. I mean, if we got that cap space free and could go after a different player to replace Kyrie. Yeah, I'd let him go because I do dislike watching him play.

However, the cap rules are what they are and the team will have no chance to replace Kyrie with a similar talent. They'll be trying to replace him with an MLE guy. That is an awful situation.

Or even if they got compensatory draft picks. Something.

Something that doesn't screw this team over for not keeping him.

The league's cap rules suck.

[Jiri Welsch]

I truly can’t believe that 3/4 of the voters thus far want to keep him.

Does a guy’s (awful, obnoxious) personality mean nothing when you’re watching and rooting for him?

He can win a championship as 1B.   With AD, KI will be better and less of an annoyance.

The guy who stopped talking to his teammates when they were in the Finals? We think he’s gonna “act better” when we win 10 more games a year?

I’m not going to hold my breath on that one. The guy is immature and doesn’t show any signs of growing up.

[Who]

I truly can’t believe that 3/4 of the voters thus far want to keep him.

Does a guy’s (awful, obnoxious) personality mean nothing when you’re watching and rooting for him?

He can win a championship as 1B.   With AD, KI will be better and less of an annoyance.

Kyrie is always going to be an annoyance. He was an annoyance in Cleveland in the same 1B role.

Why would it be any different here?

[PhoSita]

It would pan out to about $188 for 5 years.

Well considering Kyrie doesn't rely on athleticism, and can actually shoot/dribble, (two key traits that can lead to long-lasting future in the NBA, I would say probably not,) and John Wall was the same example as Westbrook. A gifted athlete with a need for speed, great passing, and awesome defensive instincts. The problem is he also cannot lead like Irving, and that led to a lot of animosity within the locker room.

He also butted heads with Beal, hated his teammates, and pretty much got lazy by not playing any defense.

Are you saying that makes Wall different from Kyrie Irving?

[mr. dee]

No to Super max. Sign him for a reasonable price so that he can be moved easily.

[gpap]

I voted to keep him. Despite a poor playoff performance, I still believe in Kyrie and believe he will bounce back to become an even better player and smarter person.

And yes, I still think he should get the max.

[tenn_smoothie]

As I stated on another thread, how anyone can want to keep Irving after what we just witnessed, both on-court and off, not to mention the drama headaches during the regular season and the clash in playing styles, is beyond my comprehension.

[mr. dee]

As I stated on another thread, how anyone can want to keep Irving after what we just witnessed, both on-court and off, not to mention the drama headaches during the regular season and the clash in playing styles, is beyond my comprehension.

You have the people who compare Paul Pierce back in 2005 to Kyrie. That says all. They are blinded by the fact that "he's talented", but they fail to look at the fact that he's more of a malcontent than Pierce ever was.

He's like a superstar version of Mark Blount.