"He's never received an MVP vote" - Nick Wright rebuffs the claim that Kyrie Irving should've been in the NBA 75 list
Kyrie Irving's 60-point performance against the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night has sparked much debate regarding his omission from the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. He is arguably one of the most skilled players of all time, but his resume is not that impressive. So whether he deserves to be amongst the NBA's top 75 players of all time is disputable.
Fox Sports Analyst Nick Wright doesn't believe that Irving is one of the NBA's 75 greatest players. On "First Things First," Wright mentioned Irving's lack of individual accolades as a reason for his omission from the coveted team. He said:
"But he didn't make the Top 75 list because he hasn't played enough. Kyrie Irving, for as great as he is, as he could be and can be ... just once in his career has been first or second team All-NBA. He's never received a single MVP vote."
"Kyrie was utterly phenomenal — 60 points at 6'2", come on now. ... But he didn't make the Top 75 list bc he hasn't played enough. Kyrie, for as great as he is & can be, once in his career has been 1st or 2nd Team All-NBA. He's never received an MVP vote." — @getnickwright https://t.co/O9efo3Eic9
Irving's omission from the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team wasn't well received by many members of the league. Andre Iguodala tweeted instantly after the complete list was revealed that he believes Irving is top 20 all-time.
So y’all saying @KyrieIrving ain’t top 75? I agree… he top 20 at least…
However, Irving's resume is simply not on par with anyone who is a member of the 75th anniversary team. He can dance his way around defenders, and his game is absolutely mesmerizing to watch. But he arguably doesn't deserve to be listed alongside champions and MVPs.
Irving has never been in the running for the league MVP award and is also never been a member of the All-NBA first team. A single second-team selection and two third-team selections is not enough to edge out some of the Hall of Famers on the NBA 75 Team.
He won the 2016 championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James. He was also the 2011-12 Rookie of the Year and a seven-time All-Star.
Chris "Mad Dog" Russo also believes Kyrie Irving is not an all-time great
Chris "Mad Dog" Russo is also on the same page as Nick Wright. He also doesn't believe Kyrie Irving deserves to be mentioned alongside Hall of Famers and all-time greats. Russo said Irving isn't worthy of being a member of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team because he has never been the main option on a championship team. On ESPN's "First Take," he said:
"He is not an immortal. To be an immortal in the NBA, you're going to need to do some special, transcendent things. To put him in that, guards (category with) Oscar (Robertson), (Jerry) West, (Michael) Jordan, Magic (Johnson) ... to put him on that level is outlandish."
"Kyrie Irving needed LeBron (James) to bail him out in Cleveland. The team stunk before LeBron got there. And then he went to Boston, and they were better without him. The year he got hurt, they went further. ... Kyrie is perfect when he can play with that secondary guy with him who's better. In this case, (Kevin) Durant (and) in Cleveland with LeBron."
As outrageous as some of Russo's takes can be, he is right on this one. Regardless of his individual accolades, Kyrie Irving has never been able to be the main option on a championship team. During his first few years in Cleveland, he was an All-Star, but the team never made the playoffs and, in fact, had a losing record each season. Moreover, his venture in Boston ended horribly, and the team was better without him on the floor than with him.
Irving is, without a doubt, one of the most entertaining players of all time, but his resume doesn't hold up to the category of all-time greats. He is almost certainly going to the Hall of Fame, but whether he is immortal will depend on his future career.