“I would never give him a long-term contract again, he cannot be trusted” - Stephen A. Smith sounds off on Kyrie Irving as rumors about Nets star's contract emerge
ESPN's Stephen A. Smith believes that Kyrie Irving should not receive a long-term contract due to his consistent lack of availability. Smith stated:
"I would never give him a long-term contract again! He cannot be trusted."
Irving is among the best players when available. However, the Brooklyn Nets star has missed so many games that giving him a long-term contract is inadvisable, according to Stephen A. Smith.
With the Brooklyn Nets trailing the Boston Celtics 3-0, speculation about the Nets' offseason plans has begun.
An important decision will pertain to Irving's future, who can opt out of his contract after the season.
If Irving chooses to do so, he could re-sign a new super-max that would establish him as one of the league's highest paid players over the next four years.
Only the Nets' front office and locker room truly know whether Irving can be trusted, but there is some data to back up Stephen A. Smith.
Kyrie Irving has only played in 47% of the Nets games since joining Brooklyn
He has played 60 or less games in 7 of the 11 seasons he has been in the NBA
Incredibly talented basketball player with such a complex personality
Availability is a critical component of success, and Irving has been available for less than half of his games as a member of the Nets.
However, Stephen A. Smith did compliment Irving and believes he still deserves to get paid, just not on a long-term contract.
.@stephenasmith didn't hold back on Kyrie Irving 😳
"I would never give him a long-term contract again! He cannot be trusted. ... He is one of the absolute professionals at missing work." https://t.co/50iREUinkH
Kyrie Irving's comments that led to Stephen A. Smith's rant about the Brooklyn Nets star
While Stephen A. Smith is known for his spirited rants, his rant about Kyrie Irving was prompted by comments made by Irving.
During a recent press conference, Irving spoke about why Brooklyn is struggling in their playoff series against the Boston Celtics.
Kyrie Irving says the Celtics have been "gelling since Christmas" and the Nets are "in a new experience as a group, and we just have to respect that."
Adds he doesn't know how you make up time that the Nets lost.
Irving highlights the team's struggles with chemistry, but chemistry is only formed by playing together.
In addition to Irving, several other Nets players have missed substantial time over the past two seasons.
I've thought of about 10 different ways to phrase my thoughts on Kyrie Irving saying the Nets are a "new team" and "haven't had time to gel", while the Celtics have.
Boston added 7 new players since trade deadline day. They changed basically half of their roster.
C'mon man.
Irving is not exempt from his role in the current state of the team, but their chemistry issues go beyond just him.
Still, Brooklyn will need to evaluate how they want to proceed with Irving, otherwise, they may never solve their chemistry issues.