https://www.google.com/amp/s/fivethirtyeight.com/features/when-to-sign-an-nba-player-to-the-max/amp/ It raises interesting questions here, albeit the context has shifted. Kyrie has established himself as more than a Steve Francis per se, but is he Russell Westbrook-like? I can't say with certainty that's the case.
I think that is exactly the problem. They believed the hype and expected to just cruise through the season. Classic example of how it doesn't work that way.
I get what you're saying but there was a ton of questionable calls that went the Lakers way in game 7 as soon as the Blazers built their lead. That team could have gone to the finals and beat the Pacers if not for those calls going the Lakers way that fueled their comeback. As for the Celtics honestly I am baffled at their regression. They have significantly better health than last season and there should really be little reason that they aren't competing for the best record in the NBA. At least with the Rockets the injuries are a real thing for the cause. The Celtics you could argue they are trying to get Hayward in the mix, but he was willing to come off the bench and has played better as the season went on. Stevens has always been an amazing coach imo but right now its like the team isn't listening to him. I feel like you have the young guys who still want to prove themselves vs the vets who demand the young guys to fall in line. Not many games left for them to get together chemistry wise and they will have a harder job getting on the same page compared to a team like the Rockets whose issues were injuries - the Celtics pretty much had the entire season to gel together and still have not. Its a shame too because quite honestly they are most talented and deepest team in the east right now. They should not be the 5th seed at all.
Stevens and Walton seems to have similar problems Their lead horses are not leading The others seem to tune out Walton's players tune out completely Stevens only when Kyrie plays IN both cases I think it is a point of Young Stars 'feeling some type of way' because of the actions of the old star Lebron's tough love aka SUCK IT UP YOU ARE SUPPOSE TO BE PROS is as effective as Kyrie's , ,, F*CK THEM OTHER GUYS . .ITS ALL ABOUT ME . .. AND THEY BETTER GET IN LINE Rocket River
The Celtics have made the conference finals 2 years in a row...without Kyrie Irving. The Cavs also made the NBA finals again without Kyrie. I imagine I would be pretty pissed as well if a guy who couldn't even make the playoffs without LeBron, and who was only a few years older than me, came in expecting everybody to "know their role" and talking down to them about how they didn't know how to win.
I keep hearing about how Ainge and Kyrie are seen having a conversation after every other game. I wonder if Ainge is flirting with the idea of trading for AD and chasing a Durant in free agency. It sounds impossible but I think it’s actually pretty doable (may be wrong, haven’t done the math). You’re already trading most of your players for Davis. Say it involved all of Tatum, Brown and Smart. That pretty much leaves Kyrie, Hayward, Horford and Davis on the books. If Hayward is traded to say the Atlanta Hawks with a pick attached to him (which isn’t all that hard to do if it’s a lottery pick), then all it would take is Horford opting out. If Horford opts out with a plan to re-sign on a longer contract, is there still a cap hold on him? If not then maybe you’d also have to trade him to a team with space or for someone with non-guaranteed salary. I may have missed something that wouldn’t allow this. And also, Durant may have no interest in Boston, but even if it’s another free agent, say Jimmy Butler.
Irving is the most overrated player on the planet dude is like Kemba Walker without the hype I bet if Kemba played with Lebron in Cleveland he'd have a much better career than Irving. As far as the Celtics go Ainge is messing up by chasing all these stars he should be building around Rozier and Tatum instead he keeps chasing these 2nd tier stars like Hayward and Irving lol. If I was AInge I would trade for Zion instead of a ready made star like AD I mean Zion and Tatum would make the Celtics a contender for more than a decade instead he is ready to blow it all up chasing a dream. Not that I'm mad or anything I don't give a crap about that team.
Every non-Lebron team Kyrie has ever been on has underachieved. In the past it was with him taking poor shots and playing no defense. Now with him scoring somewhat efficiently and acting like he's trying on defense. Still not working. The team is 9-2 this season and 14-8 last season for a combined record of 23-10 over 2 regular seasons when he doesn't play. Made the conference finals without him, nearly made the Finals. When he is off the floor, everyone's individual stats improve, and those improved stats lead to team wins. The effect is close to undeniable at this point. People acting like the Celtics young guys or coach are overrated are not paying attention. Kyrie Irving is making everyone around him worse, and the moment he felt like people can see it he backtracked on his promise to re-sign. Celtics would be smart to get something back for him this summer and parlay that into Anthony Davis, who would essentially be a star version of Horford while the rest of the Celtics can play their game the way it's been successful. These guys can flourish, especially if Marcus Smart makes one more small improvement to his 3pt shooting this summer. Tatum and Brown deserve to start at the 2 and 3 spots. With Hayward on the cap, they shouldn't commit themselves to a guy who doesn't make them better for the max price tag.
Celtics will never be top five team with Irving and Hayward. Trade for Durant. Durant want 2 things Teach him improve Earning
maybe we should ask permission from Kyrie before we post here? Kyrie is 26 years old. Almost 27 in a few days. He is not a kid but a grown man. At this point we have to admit this is not some puberty he will grow out of, but just his character.
For all the digs LeBron takes, he did a decent job of covering up the fact that Kyrie is a bit of a headcase. He and KD would be lovely together.
What did Ainge give up to get Kyrie? Isaiah Thomas Jae Crowder Ante Zizic 1st Rounder that turned out to be used on Collin Sexton Basically, in 2019 currency, Ainge got an All-Star for crap and a question mark in Sexton. This being said, Ainge/Boston should just let Kyrie leave--not because he's a headcase or a prima donna (all of those things) but because he's not a franchise player. He's not a Kawhi in Toronto, a Giannis in Milwaukee or even an Embiid in Philly. Is he supposed to be the big bait to lure AD? Great, I'd like to see what 2 Second Bananas on the same team can do together. Here's a crazyass plan: Boston should just let Kyrie walk this summer, coax Al Horford into opting out of the last year on his contract ($30 million) and re-sign a smaller deal (3 years, $45 million). Trade Hayward, scraps, and a couple of their 1sts to Washington for Beal and Mahimi. Bring back Morris and have him convince his brother to come to Boston. Work at S&T with Phoenix for Rozier that nets you Josh Jackson and Melton (~$10 million worth of salary which should be around what Rozier can hope for as an average salary). Horford/Mahimi Morris/Morris Tatum/Jackson Brown/Smart Beal/Rozier No starting point guard? Who cares. Beal has enough ball handling abilities to be their de facto play maker.
I think they have too much talent. I think you need more role players. If everyone thinks they are a superstar its going to be hard to work.
