Why Jackie MacMullan Believes Kyrie Irving Will Re-Sign With Celtics

Jackie Mac is usually on target. I hope she hits it out of the park on this one.

https://sports.yahoo.com/m/531ff1db-bc94-35d4-8c58-4b546ed49663/why-jackie-macmullan-believes.html

Why Jackie MacMullan Believes Kyrie Irving Will Re-Sign With Celtics

NESN.com•April 6, 2018

Prior to his season ending due to knee surgery, Kyrie Irving was cementing himself as one of the most exciting Boston Celtics in quite some time. And if one NBA expert is right, he’ll have a chance to continue to build his legacy beyond next season. Irving’s contract will be up at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season, but during an appearance on WEEI’s “Dale and Keefe,” ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan indicated that she would be “really surprised” if Irving didn’t re-sign with Boston. MacMullan was asked by host Dale Arnold if she had heard anything that indicates Irving re-signing with the Celtics was in danger. For C’s fans, her response was encouraging. “No quite the opposite honestly,” MacMullan said. “I sense somebody that wants to make it works here, that feels like this is home to some degree, you know his dad played here we know the history and all that. And really, when you look at the season and how it went, if you’re Kyrie Irving how could you have any complaints? The team has made you the undisputed No. 1 player on their team. “I thought Kyrie, all sort of the whispers that you heard about him in Cleveland, they all proved to be fairly unfounded here in Boston in terms of him being off to himself and not part of the team, I didn’t see any evidence of that,” MacMullan continued. “I think this is a very good fit for both of them. But you know it comes down to money and a year is a long way away and things happen. But I’d be really surprised if he doesn’t re-up with the Celtics.” Certainly some infallible logic there. It is apparent that Irving has thrived while in Boston. He helped pace the C’s to one of their best seasons in years, all without Gordon Hayward. And with Hayward locked in for three more seasons and a young core still in place for the Celtics, there presumably is plenty of incentive for Irving to continue calling Boston home for years to come.

Read more at: https://nesn.com/2018/04/why-jackie-macmullan-believes-kyrie-irving-will-re-sign-with-celtics/

I agree with all that MacMullan says, but until the money factor is added in no one will be sure where he will sign two summers from now. Players almost always go where the money is the highest and few take the "home town" discount.

Wyde players do not always go where the money is greatest. Think Hayward for example.

They are building something special here, Kyrie, Gordon, Al (for a while longer), and the young players. They all seem to like one another, work well together, and the young guys do not mind taking help from the superstars. They relish it. I hope she is right, it would be nice to have a team, built around those two superstars, with whichever young ones stay, hopefully Tatum and Brown, for sure.

Jackie is usually on track, and keeps her mouth shut if she thinks she is stepping where she shouldn't.

Oh the future looks so bright!!!!!!!!

The Celtics past present and future is bright light.

As a fan I tend to be selfish.  Very selfish.  I hate to see young talent leave.  Like who?  Like Paul Westphal or Danny Ainge or Joe Johnson.Special players are of vital importance.

Here we are with more quality young talent than I can remember.  

My greatest hope is to keep this team together.  It can be done.  But economic forces will make that task quite difficult.  

I would not trade Terry and a pick unless I was pretty much guranteed to land a starting quality big who is so good you pencil him in as a starter next year.

I would trade any player on this team straight up for Anthony Davis.  

Brown and Tatum are gifts from the hoop God.  They are rare and very precious players.  I would never include either of them in any trade if we had to also part with lottery projected draft pick or picks.

Both of these players are going to be Allstars.  They will both average 20+ points.  They are already 75% of the way there.

After these two carry us in the playoffs we will have a deeper and more profound appreciation for their talents.

Kyrie knows this.  He knows he is top guy on this team but he has outstanding teammates.  Guys that can take over a game.  Now he has a dream unfulfilled.  Next year with the return of a healthy Hayward and Smart you have the makings of a truly great team.  And we will still have Morris and Thei and Terry.

I do not see why Kyrie would leave.  He is going to get paid by Boston and is going to make premium dollars.

My only issue with holding on to Terry is One thing, he has stated many times that he believes he is a starting point guard. With Kyrie out, it has wet his appetite. Going back to the bench is going to be hard. Some of these guys need to realize that , sure you can go to another team an be a starter, for who??? A bottom feeder team who is desperate? So I wonder about him being happy here.

The Celtics will be able to offer Kyrie more than any other team anyway when his contract is up.


KJ