“Kyrie was the product that he was because he had your support” - Stephen A. Smith says he’s totally against player entitlement, believes Joe Tsai should force KD to give him one more year
The Brooklyn Nets used to be one of the best teams in the NBA. When they formed a trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving, many fans believed they were one of the favorites to win it all.
However, the situation hasn't been great and the greatest success they've achieved was a second-round exit. The team is falling apart this summer as Durant wants to leave and Irving is also likely to be traded.
Stephen A. Smith believes that Joe Tsai, the Nets owner, should force Durant and Irving to give him another year. Smith shared his thoughts on ESPN's "First Take" show, explaining what Joe Tsai should say to his players.
"Next summer, I will take care of you. I will take care of you and I will move you anywhere you wanna go. But you're gonna give me this year. I got you four years, I'm only asking for one," Smith said.
The NBA analyst believes that the Brooklyn Nets could win it all next season, but they need to have all of their players to compete.
Brooklyn Nets gave too much power to Kevin Durant
The Brooklyn Nets formed a super team, but they've made a few big mistakes along the way. The team gave too much power to Kevin Durant, which backfired.
Durant now wants to control the entire organization as he asked Joe Tsai to choose between him and Sean Marks and Steve Nash. However, Tsai sided with the general manager and head coach.
Smith pointed out how the situation with the Brooklyn Nets was mostly caused by Kyrie Irving. However, the former NBA champion had Durant's support, which made things worse.
"But remember all of that stuff that happened around you was a product of Kyrie, but Kyrie was the product that he was because he had your support," the NBA analyst pointed out. "You signed off on it and we rode with you, so you're giving me this year."
Nobody knows exactly what's happening within the Brooklyn Nets. Chances are that the two of them had a falling out, which is why Durant requested a trade.
Player empowerment is cool, player entitlement is not, says Smith
The Brooklyn Nets have found themselves in a bad situation because they let their players control the organization. Stephen A. Smith spoke about player empowerment, but said what Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have done is not empowering.
"Player empowerment is cool, I support that. I'm totally against player entitlement," Smith said on the show. "Empowerment is cool, but entitlement is you feeling you get without giving."
The NBA analyst pointed out how Kevin Durant gave a lot to the Nets as he was one of the top MVP candidates before he got hurt.
Games played for the Nets last year:
Kevin Durant….55
James Harden..44
Kyrie Irving…….29
Joe Harris……….14
Ben Simmons ..0
Don’t see how Steve Nash and Sean Marks are to blame but if you say so okay.
Unfortunately, the situation with Kyrie Irving is different. In three seasons with the Nets, the point guard has appeared in only 103 games, which is simply not good enough.