Y’all done stirred up a hornet’s nest. Ever since the news broke of Kyrie’s trade request from the Cavaliers it’s been a non-stop harangue of comments like “Why would he want to leave the Cavs?’, “This isn’t going to work.”, “Boston gave up too much.” It’s only 18 games into the season but man……….looks like he’s telling everyone to kindly shut up.
We are seeing one of those once in a generation players. Kyrie is different. Many view his comments and motives in regards to the situation to be selfish but I don’t see it that way at all. What I saw was a man willing to step out there on his own and prove himself. The fact that there was such an uproar about a man saying he wants to be “The Guy” on his team says a lot about the climate of sports right now. He was frowned upon for wanting to be a leader. Now he’s showing everybody what happens when you let a pit bull off the leash.
Now let’s get into the nitty gritty basketball stuff. Kyrie Andrew Irving is showing his entire ass this season!!!! He’s displaying the full range of his game that he was so desperately eager to showcase. He was handcuffed in that situation in Cleveland. The shackles are off now. Everyone is involved, the basketball is moving and he is defending. Of course when it’s winning time he goes into straight killer mode but he’s running that team much to the chagrin of his naysayers. Boston just seems like a more fluid system and he’s flourishing. Kyrie is one of the best one on one scorers in the NBA but he is getting opportunities to attack off the move and not always starting with the ball in his hands at the 3 pt line. That’s a hard living and Kyrie is definitely up to the challenge but I’m sure he welcomes those instances when he can score within the flow of the offense and pick his spots as opposed to creating everything for himself.
Now let’s examine the psychological aspect of this move. I don’t know any of the parties involved personally but let me tell you what it looks like from the outside looking in. Kyrie is an alpha dog. I think he feels like he was only allowed to be that in his previous situation when it was convenient. He wanted to be the king and he was treated like a knight. Sir Irving was only summoned when it was time to vanquish the enemy and after the blood was shed, all the glory and honor was bestowed upon the monarch. A man with Kyrie’s mentality can’t live with that. You can’t charge full force with your army at your back but then cower behind the militia when the fighting is the thickest. People like Kyrie don’t function well with those types of players. Kyrie isn’t here for all the extra-cirricular stuff. He’s here to hoop. He’s not here for excuses. He’s here to hoop. He’s not here for people throwing their teammates under the bus. He’s here to hoop. You can get with that or get lost.
As the season continues to unfold, we will see the continued maturation and progression of an already advanced player. Boston looks like a great situation for Kyrie. They have youth. They have assets. They have a great coach and great ownership. They were an unproven commodity and now it looks like Kyrie is turning them into a sure thing. In a time where there is so much vitriol and disdain directed towards people who team up and play with other superstars we should be applauding a man who decided to take on a challenge and try to take a team to the next level.
P.S.: They can definitely feel Kyrie’s absence in Cleveland. Granted Isaiah Thomas isn’t there but we can certainly see where Kyrie’s contributions are being missed. This will be interesting to watch moving forward especially if these two teams meet in the playoffs. Kyrie on his Uncle Drew right now though. No one can stop him.