The Nets have been under a microscope all season, and Kyrie Irving especially has been a lightning rod – not just this year, when he played just 29 games because of his vaccination status, but also last year when he took a “hiatus” and in 2020 when he decided not to play in the bubble as the Nets closed out the first season of the Durant-Irving era without KD.
So, it’s almost ironic that this was his take when asked about how the Nets performed this season, given minutes after Brooklyn was swept out of the playoffs Monday night.
“I think we just face the facts that it was a heavy lift for us all season. I was out, Kev was out, James (Harden) gets traded – I’m not using those as reasons why things didn’t go well, but just a culmination of things this season you feel emotionally. Guys were in and out of the lineup, and there’s so much attention and things that get into our locker room. It’s hard to just turn on the switch and say, ‘we’re a great team today.’”
Mental health is no joke, especially as the Nets have had to navigate not only their own mercurial guard, but also Ben Simmons after his acquisition from Philly in that Harden deal.
But that said, it’s even more curious how Irving feels, given this season, he put his own personal quest for social justice ahead of the job that pays him $36.5 million a year – and it wasn’t just a one-off, as this was his comment when asked if this season was a lesson that you can’t, indeed, just turn it on and expect to win on natural talent.
“It’s about having a team balance and how much trust we have in each other when things get uncomfortable we just have to be tested more. It’s been a long season, and I felt like toward the end, just tough for us to find that groove. I think we found it in pockets, but going into the summer, we know what we need to be a great team, instead of it just being about what we can accomplish individually or with a few guys.”
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Wait, what? The guy who missed 10 games last season and 53 this season based off nothing but his own whim, is upset because his team couldn’t find chemistry?
“I just think it[s important when you can start as a team in October and just really build relationships outside the game, so when you’re on the floor it becomes a trust environment,” Irving, who wasn’t even allowed in Barclays Center until February based on personal choice, went on to say. “When you’re playing with a bunch of new guys, the realistic viewpoint is things happen in the NBA. When you’re building camaraderie and a franchise you want to be successful with, you really want to put your stamp and ego on it. Eighty-two games and the playoffs really matter. Sometimes the outside noise can seep in, and I’m not the kind of person to let that happen, but we need to be tougher mentally and more honest about what we want to accomplish and stick to the mission.”
Huh, it’s hard to win when you don’t play as much? Interesting concept! Also rich on the “outside noise” tip from a guy who just lost 50 large for flipping off fans he dashed on in Boston.
At least, as he went on, it seemed Kyrie took…uh, responsibility?
“I’m grateful because the experience and lessons are there, but it was emotionally heavy this season. We all felt it. I felt like I was letting the team down, at a point where I wasn’t able to play. I was trying to exercise every option to play, but I didn’t want it to just be about me. It became a distraction at times, and as you see, we just had some drastic changes.”
And the “Captain Obvious” Award for 2021-22 goes to…Kyrie Irving!
By the way, the one thing not used out of all Kyrie’s quotes was a back-handed jab at the media for being part of that outside noise, as if us doing our job is affecting how he does his. But, then again, it may be hard to understand what it’s like to do a job day in and day out when you have a convenient caveat to not show up and still get paid.
Unless, you say this to finish your final media session of a season:
“I’ve done things individually and been recognized for my greatness, but at this point, I just want to be part of a great team and build something special.”
The clock is already ticking on 2022-23, Kyrie, and as a recently-deceased Hall of Fame professional wrestler once sort of said, it’s now time to bring it, not sing it.
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