Kyrie Irving spoke with reporters on Tuesday while being introduced by the Mavericks for the first time, and said that he felt "very disrespected" by the Nets organization, leading to his trade request that was granted within 48 hours.
"There were times throughout this process when I was in Brooklyn where I felt very disrespected," Irving said. "I work extremely hard at what I do.
Nobody ever talks about my work ethic, though. Everyone talks about what I'm doing off the floor."
Craig Carton's reaction to those comments: what work ethic?
"He wants people to talk about his work ethic, Craig said. "How many games did he miss?"
Evan still wasn't kicking Irving out the door in Brooklyn, but even he agrees that if Irving is trying to change the perception he has around the league, how he left the Nets, and his comments afterward, wasn't the way to do it.
"When Kyrie Irving played basketball, he was a joy to watch…he just didn't play basketball enough. It couldn't be any simpler than that," Evan said. "I don't believe there's any team in the NBA right now that would give him that full max…Kyrie Irving had a chance to play basketball this season, win, get to free agency, and change the narrative that he was talking about…and he basically said, 'If you don't trade me, I'm not gonna play.' That's not gonna help him get what he wants.
"I can't say 'good riddance,' because that would imply that the Nets are better off. I don't think they're better off…they're not closer to a title today than they were a week ago."
Irving will now look to find a max contract elsewhere, but Craig is convinced that's not happening, and expects his time in Dallas to end much like it did in Brooklyn, Boston, and Cleveland.
"It's never good enough," Craig said. "He always finds a way to blow it up."
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