Didn’t Kyrie Irving learn from some of what went wrong with him with the Boston Celtics the past couple of years?
Apparently not.
Let’s remember that Irving pointed fingers at younger players when things were going wrong with Celts, being a little too honest with the media instead of crafting answers that might motivate his teammates. He even later admitted he failed to be a good leader, and the hope was that he might have learned from his mistakes when he signed with the Brooklyn Nets.
But check out these comments from Wednesday after the Nets lost to the Philadelphia 76ers — their ninth in their last 13 contests — and see what they tell you:
Here’s what “it’s pretty glaring we need one more piece or two more pieces” means to me: that Irving thinks the players who are on Brooklyn’s roster aren’t enough to win. That’s throwing his teammates under the bus (also, some people pointed out he didn’t mention names like Jarrett Allen or Joe Harris), the very same thing that got him into hot water in Boston.
He may be right — and also, one of those pieces next season will be Kevin Durant — but that’s not the point. You don’t tell the media that it’s “glaring” they need help. Leave that to the front office, and if you’re a superstar like Irving is supposed to be, lodge your complaints to the general manager privately.
It also doesn’t help that Irving made those comments on a night when he struggled and Spencer Dinwiddie continues to shine:
Irving should have learned that kind of honesty with the media isn’t good for the locker room. The hope for the Nets is it doesn’t ruin the chemistry by next year when Durant returns.
