Kyrie Irving Continues To Talk Out Of Both Sides When Reflecting On Celtics’ Tenure
Kyrie Irving wishes he addressed his departure from the Boston Celtics head-on.
Well, that’s what he told FOX Sports’ Melissa Rohlin after the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Celtics in Game 4 on Friday night.
“I would have loved to write a letter if possible, to not only the fans of Boston, but to the people in the organization, so they get a better understanding,” Irving told FOX Sports.
It sounds good, right?
Irving is five seasons removed from his two-year tenure in Boston. The “Kyrie Sucks!” chants should be in the rearview by now. The two sides should be able to move on.
Some of Irving’s comments, like those to FOX Sports, hint he’s trying to do so. And then others spit on them.
Two days after his spoke to FOX Sports, Irving met with reporters ahead of Game 5 at TD Garden. He used the word “cult” to describe the Celtics’ experience and sent a warning to NBA players who might be interested in playing for Boston.
Is there anything that sums up the Kyrie Irving Experience better than that?
Irving seems to think none of this would be happening if he explained his departure from the jump. Maybe he’s right. Maybe fans wouldn’t have given him such a brutal reception when he reappeared with the Brooklyn Nets. And maybe that would have meant there was no craze for Irving to feed into.
It’s a nice thought.
But that’s not how it went. And Irving’s on-court departure is not the only thing Green Teamers point to. The bird-flipping, logo-stomping antics which followed are just as much the reason he continues to be public enemy No. 1. He played into the villain role then and that’s why it continues now.
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During his interview with FOX Sports, Irving said the death of his grandfather played a key role in his second season with the Green. He lost his “guiding light” right after telling fans he planned to re-sign in Boston. He sank into depression.
Irving felt people didn’t care about him as a human being all while he missed his family. He was a young father at the time, too.
“I couldn’t stay in Boston to fulfill some of those responsibilities because my family was hurting, too,” Irving said. “So, I took on the burden of being a man of my family, going back to New York.”
That would have been easy for Green Teamers to understand at the time. Celtics fans, after all, had just shown how sympathetic they were to former fan-favorite Isaiah Thomas after his own personal tragedy.
Perhaps Celtics fans still would move on from Irving should he change his ways. But that’s not how Irving does things, as been proven time and time again.