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

[RJ87]

I get people having their own opinion of Kyrie, I also think its weird that for holding Marcus in such high respect so many assume he's bsing and not telling the truth.

No one really knows for sure. Even if Marcus were to have issues with other teammates, airing any of it out during interviews is bad PR imo.

Either way, it's a bad look to throw others under the bus like Rozier did postgame with the media.  The reactions to Rozier's comments have been overall negative. Now going into RFA, the disgruntled selfish teammate and locker room cancer narrative for Rozier will be everywhere. I saw his comments being talked about on ESPN the night of the loss. I don't remember most of what Rozier said about his teammates during the season, but iirc he said the right things publicly until things came to a boil after the MIL defeat. If he hadn't been, threads here would have been made blasting him (see: Jaylen Brown or Kyrie).

As I said earlier in the thread, Marcus has sided with Kyrie before. After Young Guy-Gate, Marcus backed Kyrie saying, "he's right and if you take offense, you should look in the mirror."

This is such a critically important piece of the puzzle so many conveniently ignore.

If 'Mr lockerroom good guy' is going to vouch for you, I'm going to take him at his word.  What Smart says here caries a lot of weight.

Smart saw what was up and said what needed to be said.  Shame on the media for portraying this situation as something other than what it was because it made for sensational headlines and gave them a way to stick it to Kyrie for not getting along well with them.

Yup. At the time, it really stuck out to me because we all know what Marcus is about. I always thought there was a lot more going on in the locker room than what we immediately saw.

For accuracy sake, here's the complete quote and link:

"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."  - Marcus Smart

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

[MikeB12]

It's not just that he played awful in the 4 losses to the Bucks, but did you see his interview after the last game?

Couldn't have acted anymore disinterested in everything.  I get losing is a downer but he was a main cause of the defeat in this series....go lot at his stats...15 points in the last game and 1 of 7 on 3s for both the last 2 losses...that is AWFUL no excuses.

When a star plays terrible and his team loses I expect some admission on his part and some recognition that it is at least partially his fault.

MikeB

[Yoki_IsTheName]

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

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

Was just listening to Bill Simmon's podcast and he had Sean Grande on. And Grande thinks that if Kyrie before July 1st owns what happened, and buys in completely, the fans will forgive him and back him up again.

Of course it's too early to say right now that that might not be the case, as the wounds are still fresh, but I can see it. Especially since Kyrie returning might open up the possibility of Anthony Davis.

[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?

[CelticSooner]

Of course Kyrie was going to get the majority of blame this year but this season was failure from the top to the bottom. Everyone in the organization owns a piece of this disaster.

[Big333223]

I want to know where the board is on Kyrie.

I think it's a no-brainer for give him the max but I want to take everyone else's temperature.

Yes or no? I added a third option for those who might only want him back if something changes (like AD comes over in a trade or Kyrie decides he'll take a paycut to show his commitment or some other unforeseeable change).

[Who]

Yes -- do not want to lose a talented player for nothing.

Ainge can always trade him later on.

[Big333223]

"To blame it on just one guy is bull----."

That's the truth.

[Monkhouse]

Regardless, of your dislike of Kyrie...

We are over the cap.

We have Kyrie's bird rights. So it is in our best interest to re-sign, and use him as a trade asset if he doesn't pan out...

There is literally no scenario you can suggest that not even throwing Kyrie any sort of offer, makes any financial sense...

I will say once again...

We are over the cap... We have literally nothing to show for it if Kyrie leaves. Put your hatred and dislike for the guy aside, and think about it mercurially.. Signing Kyrie not only boosts us in terms of other prospective free agents or All-Stars, but it also makes us look good, because despite the terrible season we had. We still had some semblance of belief in our young star, and willing to make amends. That shows promise, and reconcilation. AD would also be far more willing to re-sign with us, versus if we didn't even have him on the roster.

His leadership was definitely under question, no doubt about it, but I really do want him back.

The Isaiah Thomas trade definitely hurt us in terms of attracting potential FA's, but mending issues with Kyrie will certainly rectify some of those concerns.

[PhoSita]

My heart says -- No, please let the Kyrie experience be over.

My head says -- you don't let a major asset leave for nothing if the guy is willing to re-sign.

Then I think about it some more and I wonder .... how big is a full max deal in this situation?  What is the likelihood that Kyrie's deal ends up being as onerous as Russell Westbrook?  What's the likelihood it turns into a disaster akin to the John Wall deal?


If Kyrie wants a one or two year deal, I say absolutely not.  We're not going to give him that kind of power over the franchise (again).

If he wants a full four year max with all the bells and whistles ... well ... I'm not sure how I feel about that one.  Is Kyrie really going to be worth $40-45 million a year three years from now?  The key question is whether the deal he wants would be a trade asset or a cap albatross.


Unless the team can sign him to a deal that seems like it won't prevent the team trading him if they want to do so, I say let him walk.

[Monkhouse]

My heart says -- No, please let the Kyrie experience be over.

My head says -- you don't let a major asset leave for nothing if the guy is willing to re-sign.

Then I think about it some more and I wonder .... how big is a full max deal in this situation?  What is the likelihood that Kyrie's deal ends up being as onerous as Russell Westbrook?  What's the likelihood it turns into a disaster akin to the John Wall deal?

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.

My heart says -- No, please let the Kyrie experience be over.

My head says -- you don't let a major asset leave for nothing if the guy is willing to re-sign.

Then I think about it some more and I wonder .... how big is a full max deal in this situation?  What is the likelihood that Kyrie's deal ends up being as onerous as Russell Westbrook?  What's the likelihood it turns into a disaster akin to the John Wall deal?


If Kyrie wants a one or two year deal, I say absolutely not.  We're not going to give him that kind of power over the franchise (again).

If he wants a full four year max with all the bells and whistles ... well ... I'm not sure how I feel about that one.  Is Kyrie really going to be worth $40-45 million a year three years from now?  The key question is whether the deal he wants would be a trade asset or a cap albatross.


Unless the team can sign him to a deal that seems like it won't prevent the team trading him if they want to do so, I say let him walk.

Well then I guess you like rebuilding, because I can pretty much assure you the moment Kyrie Irving leaves, Horford probably won't re-sign and opt out.

[mr. dee]

Eh, maybe you are not crazy about how he handled the media but talent is talent.  Kyrie is a competitor, never forget that, otherwise he doesn't lead that comeback against the Warriors as a mere pup in the NBA.

Kyrie is just an eccentric personality and a hard nut to figure out.

Who can we get to replace Kyrie who would be better?  Terry Rozier?  They are just not in the same class.

Carmelo is talent, Marbury is talent, Westbrook is talent is and so on. Talent can only get you so far if you are on the same page. Talent doesn't mean it will improve the team overall as we saw this season. Kyrie doesn't seem to respect or understand what Celtic Pride means.

[hpantazo]

The thing people so far seem to overlook when saying that Kyrie will go somewhere else is, we can offer him about 30-33 million dollars more in a max deal than anyone else can.

I think at this point you have to sign him and structure the team around him.

[Chris22]

God, no.

I never want to see Kyrie in a Celtics uniform again.

I hate his game.

[cltc5]

I get people having their own opinion of Kyrie, I also think its weird that for holding Marcus in such high respect so many assume he's bsing and not telling the truth.

No one really knows for sure. Even if Marcus were to have issues with other teammates, airing any of it out during interviews is bad PR imo.

Either way, it's a bad look to throw others under the bus like Rozier did postgame with the media.  The reactions to Rozier's comments have been overall negative. Now going into RFA, the disgruntled selfish teammate and locker room cancer narrative for Rozier will be everywhere. I saw his comments being talked about on ESPN the night of the loss. I don't remember most of what Rozier said about his teammates during the season, but iirc he said the right things publicly until things came to a boil after the MIL defeat. If he hadn't been, threads here would have been made blasting him (see: Jaylen Brown or Kyrie).

As I said earlier in the thread, Marcus has sided with Kyrie before. After Young Guy-Gate, Marcus backed Kyrie saying, "he's right and if you take offense, you should look in the mirror."

This is such a critically important piece of the puzzle so many conveniently ignore.

If 'Mr lockerroom good guy' is going to vouch for you, I'm going to take him at his word.  What Smart says here caries a lot of weight.

Smart saw what was up and said what needed to be said.  Shame on the media for portraying this situation as something other than what it was because it made for sensational headlines and gave them a way to stick it to Kyrie for not getting along well with them.

Yup. At the time, it really stuck out to me because we all know what Marcus is about. I always thought there was a lot more going on in the locker room than what we immediately saw.

For accuracy sake, here's the complete quote and link:

"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."  - Marcus Smart

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

Agree.  Said this from the jump that these kids needed called out.  Kyrie has been where they haven’t been, so do ur job to get there or get put in check.  Yes kyrie struggled in the playoffs but he got no help