We can talk about James Harden and Kevin Durant asking for trades, but Kyrie Irving is the root cause of the Brooklyn Nets’ plight.
It was Kyrie Irving who decided that playing alongside a LeBron James first was no longer desirable and requested a trade from Cleveland.
It was Kyrie Irving who gave his word to the Celtics and their faithful that he would stay in Boston, then stop with the team in the playoffs before fleeing to Brooklyn.
It was Kyrie Irving who took an unannounced hiatus from the Nets during the 2020-21 season.
It’s Kyrie Irving who refused to be vaccinated and left his teammates to fend for themselves when he was believed to be the hand painting an immaculate piece of art.
Irving is an all-world talent. He is arguably one of the 10 most talented players in the sport.
And yet everywhere he goes a dark cloud appears.
When the same outcomes happen over and over, in uniform after uniform, don’t point to the city, the franchise, or the uniform.
You point to the person.
James Harden decided he had had enough of the Nets when Kevin Durant injured his knee because Irving was nowhere to be seen.
Kevin Durant wants out of Brooklyn, in part because of the Nets’ reservations about offering Irving a long-term extension.
But can you blame the management of Joe Tsai and Brooklyn? Injuries happen; that alone isn’t a credible reason not to put your trust in a 30-year-old guard of Irving’s caliber.
What’s believable is that Irving is arguably the unmissable player in the entire league. One night, he is able to keep the ball on a string to make the defense dance as they head for 40 points on 23 field goals.
The next, he’s, well, who really knows?
Forget his opinion about the dimensions of the earth. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, as long as those perspectives do not harm others.
The problem is that his perspectives lead to irresponsibility.
Irving has the cachet of being”a voice for the voiceless† no one has the cachet to play that role at the expense of others.
Irving’s intention is noble in many ways; but the Nets are in their current predicament because he refused to manifest it in his own time or in less harmful ways.
So assessing the blame on Durant, Harden or the Nets organization for the Brooklyn implosion excuse the problem.
Because Kyrie Irving is completely to blame.
This post originally appeared on Nets Wire† follow us on facebook†
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