In the recent interview between a reporter and Kyrie Irving, Irving made a statement that he ‘needed new teammates’. The media perceived this as Kyrie saying that he did not like his current teammates and wanted new ones… and they were very wrong.
The media has constantly been making all Kyrie Irving interviews and reports not what they actually are, just to spark controversy.
Dating back to late October of this season, there was a report made that someone from the Brooklyn Nets organization made a claim that Kyrie Irving was having mood swings in the locker room.
Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson was asked about this in an interview and completely turned these rumors down.
In an Interview with Bleacher Report, when Kyrie’s teammate Jarrett Allen was asked about the mood swings, he asserted that,”he acts like a normal teammate. People say that he has mood swings, but that’s a complete lie”.
Nets commentator Michael Grady reported on live television that, “after a newsworthy week, Kyrie Irving and the Nets are on the same page in their first season together”.
Recently, it has seemed like another ‘incident’ has emerged based on Irving’s actions, as after the Nets’ loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, Kyrie explained in an interview how he thinks the Nets need more pieces.
Kyrie explained, “collectively, I think we have great pieces, but it’s pretty glaring we need one or two more pieces that will compliment myself, KD, [Deandre Jordan], [Garrett Temple], [Spencer Dinwiddie], [Caris LeVert{, and we’ll see how that evolves”.
This statement made the media believe that Kyrie doesn’t like the teammates he didn’t name and want to get rid of players.
That was all perceived INCORRECTLY.
Irving made that statement because earlier in the interview, he was explaining his concern on the Nets’ injury problems.
The list of players that are injured or have been injured this season includes: Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Caris LeVert, Garrett Temple, Joe Harris, Deandre Jordan, Wilson Chandler (who was also suspended), David Nwaba (a season ending injury that made Brooklyn waive him), and even Nicolas Claxton, who just finished recovering in the G-League.
The only 2 players that will still be in the rotation on the return of Kevin Durant that I didn’t name are Taurean Prince and Jarrett Allen.
The injuries not only make it hard for the players to come back with no rust, but it also makes the job very difficult for Kenny Atkinson.
Injuries make the job harder for most (if not all) parts of an organization, and Kyrie made the suggestion that the Nets should sign one or two solid players this coming free agency to add more depth for when injuries hit. With that, the Nets will have more players to work with.
Kyrie Irving is the leader of the Brooklyn Nets at the moment. Everyone around him in the locker room understands it, and knows that Irving intends to be a good leader and recognize what should be done in order to accomplish one goal; which is winning it all.
(P/C: Sports Illustrated)
