“I don’t know why other teams would be so motivated to get in bed with him” - NBA analyst says Kyrie Irving is a bad partner, says it’s asset management for the Nets
Anthony Davis Davis and Kyrie Irving both had disappointing seasons. Davis' LA Lakers failed to qualify for the playoffs, while Irving's Brooklyn Nets were swept in the first round by the Boston Celtics.
Both are fantastic players and potential future Hall of Famers. The problem, however, is that they don't play often. Davis appeared in only 40 games, missing more than half of the season with injuries. Irving, on the other hand, was healthy but refused to get vaccinated, and played in just 29 games.
Analyst Ryen Russillo recently spoke about the difference between Davis and Irving. Even though they are similar in terms of games missed, the biggest difference is their willingness to play.
"Here's the biggest difference with Kyrie and A.D. Anthony Davis actually still wants to play and be on your team. He gets hurt and his value's never been lower, and that's why I would try to ride it out. I still think there's a second act coming for Anthony Davis. This Kyrie stuff has been going on five years."
Anthony Davis is better than Kyrie Irving
The LA Lakers and Brooklyn Nets are in tough situations this summer. Both are expected to be competitive, yet their futures are cloudy.
The Lakers have hired a new coach, Darvin Ham, and will have to make some big roster moves to improve. The Nets have to decide what to do with Kyrie Irving.
Ryen Russillo pointed out that Irving's stats didn't matter much last season since he got a lot more rest than many other players. Irving shot 41.8% from the 3-point line, but the analyst dismissed it, saying:
"One of the reasons why he shot it so well is that stretch where he had an absurd scoring stretch. I think he played one game in nine days and then another game once in 12 games."
Russillo finds it hard to believe that other teams would give Irving a chance, saying:
"Kyrie's a bad partner. ... I don't know why other teams would be so motivated to get in bed with him immediately when he's shown multiple seasons of not quite being a guy you can bank on."
The Nets might lose both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant
If the Nets don't play their cards right this summer, they could lose both Irving and Kevin Durant.
According to reports, Irving is using Durant as leverage during his contract negotiations. Basically, Irving believes that if he doesn't stay in Brooklyn, Durant will leave the Nets as well.
, per @wojespn
There are teams rooting for Kyrie Irving to opt-out and walk away from the Nets, believing it would give them a chance to cobble together trade packages to acquire Kevin Durant 👀, per @wojespn https://t.co/zUYmUWDJko
Other teams would be happy to trade for Durant since he is still a reliable elite player. As for Irving, his market value is much less, and another team needs to be willing to take risks by signing him.