Kyrie Irving’s Latest Jab at Boston Celtics Proves He’s Not Ready to Lead Team

An opinion from Cleveland. What do you think?


https://cavaliersnation.com/2018/11/12/kyrie-irving-proved-ready-lead-team/



Kyrie Irving’s Latest Jab at Boston Celtics Proves He’s Not Ready to Lead Team



By Jonathan Sherman


Updated: November 12, 2018


Back when Kyrie Irving demanded a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers in the summer of 2017, he claimed that the main reason he wanted that trade was so that he could get the opportunity to lead his own team.

Well, following a disappointing loss at the hands of the Portland Trail Blazers over the weekend, the Boston Celtics star proved that he still does not possess what it takes to lead a contender.

Irving scored 21 points on 9-of-24 shooting from the field and 3-of-10 shooting from 3-point range in a 100-94 loss on Sunday night. Following the game, instead of leading the 7-6 Celtics with words of support and confidence, Irving responded with dejection and looked to both skirt the blame and point fingers.


Adam Himmelsbach

@AdamHimmelsbach
Kyrie: “We’re not as good as we think we are. That’s what it comes down to.”

364
8:53 PM - Nov 11, 2018



Adam Himmelsbach

@AdamHimmelsbach
Kyrie: "Right now I think it would be nice if we had someone that was a 15-year vet, a 14-year vet that could kind of help us race along the regular season and understand it’s a long marathon rather than just a full-on sprint."

3,177
9:08 PM - Nov 11, 2018


Irving is asking for a 15-year veteran to help lead his current squad as if he is not an experienced veteran himself. In his seventh year as an NBA pro, if Irving is not ready to put a team’s success and failures on his shoulders now, chances are that he will never possess the emotional maturity to do so.

It is also interesting to note that his comments certainly disrespect 21-year veteran and All-Star big man Al Horford. Whether or not Irving purposefully disrespected his teammate is unclear. What does seem clear is that the problems that Irving dealt with in Cleveland, such as immaturity and an inability to connect with teammates, have followed him to Boston.

The Celtics roster this year seems simply too talented to not be able to turn it around after a rocky start to the 2018-19 season. Based on his words, though, Irving still isn’t ready to lead them.



bob



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gyso wrote:This may be a case of "opinions are based on what flavor of laundry you root for."

I cannot imagine having a microphone stuck in my face after every disappointing performance and then having my own words taken out of context and used against me.

Just my 2c

"opinions are based on what flavor of laundry you root for."

Quote of the week so far; by a wide margin.

I think, too, that it's possible leadership is not something that should be expected from Kyrie. That's OK. Not every player has that ability. His role may just be to fill up the basket and break ankles on his way to the rim. He may have said he wanted to be the man on his way out of Cleveland, but I don't think that's his big skill. At least not from a leadership perspective. Generating big offense, that's where he's the man. Perhaps that's all this team needs from him. Perhaps that's all this team should seek from him. I don't think that has to be a problem. Horford, Smart, maybe eventually Rozier; I think they could all be a little better suited to the role.

I am not ready to think that Kyrie is not suited for a leadership role for the Celtics. This was a tough roadtrip, one that was very disappointing to all of the players.

Kyrie's comments were given fifteen to twenty minutes
after that loss in Portland.They cam close, so close, to pulling it off Some of the remarks are due to embarrassment not only at his team but even for him.
He had missed two key shots, ones that would have kept them close. Those two three pointers were made from no man's land, pure luck, but I will not take anything away from Portland .

Remember how many games we pulled off at the end of games last year during that 16 game run? Pure luck, even Stevens was quick to say "we are not as good as our record".

I hope they are all totally embarrassed, that will make them work harder. No one likes to be the butt of jokes,
Kyrie has been looked at as the leader of this team, the players go to him, Stevens incudes him in planning, and we all love to watch when things go right. Now it is time to sit for a while and wait to see what this has done to their psyche. They are a proud group of guys. They will turn it around.

It must be really painful to be a Cleveland Cavalier fan.

Jonathan Sherman who writes for Cavs Nation may epitomize the sentiments and rationale for a team that once again has been jilted. All they have left are sour grapes that no one really wants.

The only relevant statement by Irving as it relates to his leadership position on this team is

“We’re not as good as we think we are. That’s what it comes down to.”

These are the same words that all of us have come to terms with.

Yawn

here is KI response to his veteran comment

https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/video/irving-adding-veteran-comments-i-wasnt-speaking-anyone-specific

Could we use a Kyle Korver on this team?

Kyle Korver was absolutely exposed defensively in the playoffs. I would rather give those shots to someone else (Morris, Rozier, Theis)

But could we use a Kyle Korver (an assassin off the bench) Not him specifically but a player with his ability to shoot from long range.