A man can make his destiny on the road he took to avoid it. To Kyrie Irving, undeniably one of the toughest nuts to crack and weirdest personalities the NBA has ever seen (flat earth beliefs aside), you should’ve been more careful of what you wished for.
Back when he requested a trade out of Cleveland, my level of respect for this guy skyrocketed at first. While plenty of NBA stars crumble under pressure and want to avoid criticism in the public eye, Irving said bring it on.
Even after appearing in four straight finals and winning a title in Cleveland as LeBron James’ sidekick, that wasn’t enough. He wanted to be the man of his own team, and subsequently receive the bulk of the shine and glory in moments of his teams success.
Irving was 25 years of age, entering his prime at the time that he decided I’ve had enough with the Cavs. The foolish mistake I made was that assuming he was entering his prime from a maturity standpoint on top of a basketball skill standpoint. I sat back and thought ‘man, this guy must really be ready to step into a full-fledged leadership role, having the balls to make this decision to leave a consistent title contender.’
Turns out, not everyone’s cut out to lead a team. Irving is one of those individuals, simple as that. He watched James lead his Cavs team for four years and either thought he could take what he learned from him and exercise it himself. Or, in a more likely scenario, he took issue with the way James went about leading, and out of spite said I’m going to prove to everybody I’m a better leader than he is.
The Milwaukee Bucks thrashing Irving’s Boston Celtics in five games in the Eastern Conference Semis proved one thing: Irving is an overqualified number two star. His talent has made him one of the eight most gifted players in this league for a few years. Unfortunately for him he lacks the intangibles to be the best player on a championship team.
He just went through the worst four game stretch of his playoff career, closing the book on one of the most disappointing seasons in NBA history for his Celtics. A team with an embarrassment of riches on so many levels.
Like many, I said before the year a 60 win regular season and a trip to the NBA finals is absolutely the expectation for this team. Instead, the C’s go out quietly in round two after a regular season filled with turmoil.
So now, with Irving hitting free agency, he’s got to show some self awareness and swallow his pride. The experiment of being “the man” failed miserably. The best way for Irving to help repair his image, give himself a chance to win titles, and play in a great market with tremendous business opportunities for his alter ego “Uncle Drew” is signing with the Los Angeles Lakers.
As a Celtics lifer who bleeds green it does sound blasphemous for me to suggest the Celtics best player should join our arch rival. But let’s be honest, this is what’s best for the NBA and Irving. From the league’s perspective, you can bring the modern day version of the Showtime Lakers back. As NBA fans we are all aware of the greatness of LeBron James. And despite all the criticism I just heaped on Irving, he is an isolation superstar.
I’m sorry to the great Isiah Thomas and Stephen Curry, but Irving is the best handler of the basketball in NBA history. He’s also one of the best and most creative finishers around the basket to go along with a great mid range and three point game.
Him and LeBron were must see together in Cleveland. Could you imagine the two together in the purple and gold? It’d be a spectacle in Staples every night.
From Irving’s perspective, he’s at a point where his reputation is at an all time low right now after this Celtics debacle. Meanwhile the Lakers are just in shambles right now. James is on an island with no coach or general manager, and a bunch of talented young players with mysterious futures. Like James saved Irving from the dysfunctional Cavs and losing season after losing season, Irving can now return the favor and help James out with this mess in Los Angeles.
I don’t care who the Lakers end up hiring for the General Manager and Head Coach job, James and Irving together is a bonafide contender in the western conference. And in the end, instead of Irving being “the man”, he’s being “the bigger man”. Admit you’re best suited as a second fiddle, and go prove it once again by reuniting with the King in Hollywood. Finding his destiny, on the road he took to avoid it by leaving James a couple years back.
-Simon Brady