If you haven’t read Jim’s most recent article on the Kyrie Irving saga, please scroll down and read his article before you begin this one. Jim has done a great job cataloging the recent Kyrie events so I won’t repeat them here. Instead, I’m going to discuss what this likely means for Kyrie, the Nets and the Association in general.
Let me start with Kyrie’s first victim, Steve Nash. Steve Nash didn’t get fired for a 2-8 record to start the 2022-2023 season. He got fired for a body of work, a summation of 3 years of wins vs losses and who was the megastar being paid megastar dollars who never showed up when it mattered? Oddly enough, it was the same megastar who proclaimed didn’t need a coach after finding out Steve had been awarded the job. Having managed a mercurial superstar or 2 in my previous gig, I can assure you that when a supremely talented individual doesn’t want to be managed, they won’t be managed. And that’s final. The Manager/Coach falls into the proverbial position of being between a rock and a hard spot. So lay the bones of Steve Nash’s first coaching job firmly at the feet of Kyrie.
But I’m not sure the damage will end there. Even with Kyrie’s generic apology over social media, it is rumoured that the Nets have had enough of Irving’s antics. If true, it might be the only salvation for LeBron and his aching Lakers. If the Nets feel they have to get rid of him it’s only one of two options, waive him or trade him for firewood and the Lakers are Timbermart. Even if he’s waived, there is little doubt the Lakers will do whatever LeBron tells them to do and LeBron is going to tell them to do whatever they have to do to get Kyrie – short of trading himself or Anthony Davis. And anything the Nets might get back from the Lakers will do nothing to help them this year or likely any other.
Who can blame the Nets? When and what will be the next Kyrie explosion right in the face of management and the fans? It feels like he’s escalating, his penchant for conspiracies, the tone of his rebuttals, like he doesn’t have too much further to go before people start thinking that perhaps he has more in common with Kanye West than just his feelings toward some religions. It’s not like the Nets are finally going to get through to him, his position and defensiveness make even a conversation adversarial. No, Kyrie has his mind made up. He’s looked stuff up on the internet and that’s all he needs to know.
So what is likely to happen? Who knows for certain but his departure from the Nets would be a Bonanza for the Lakers and potentially tip the Western scales. As for the Nets? Well this season is in the tank either way whether they keep him or cut him loose. Kevin Durant is seemingly on his own again with Kyrie being at least suspended and Ben Simmons looking like a very average G League player at the moment.
From an Association standpoint, in a nutshell, it means they should be investing in more mental health facilities, as should they teams themselves. What we’ve been seeing lately with Simmons and Irving and others is only going to get worse.
Most of all, I feel badly for the Nets fans. No I don’t, just kidding.