“Why should they not lose their vote?… He was the opposite of good for his team” - NBA analyst reacts to Kyrie Irving getting an All-NBA vote, says he’s the reason Harden wanted out
Although Kyrie Irving did not make the All-NBA team, he, to the surprise of many, got a vote. NBA analyst Nick Wright is dumbfounded that someone voted for Kyrie, and believes that person should lose their vote.
So far, most sports commentators have been content with the final list. Some have revealed that they would make some changes if given the opportunity. One of them is Shannon Sharpe, who believes LeBron James should have been ranked higher than Kevin Durant.
'On What's Wright? With Nick Wright' the topic was raised. While Nick was happy with the general selection, he was perplexed as to what made a voter believe Kyrie deserved a vote. He believes whoever that person is should lose their vote, and suggests he takes the spot.
"Someone voted Kyrie Irving All-NBA this year. Now, the votes are public, we don't yet have the list yet but we will. Someone made an argument that that person shouldn't lose their vote. No, I'm deadly serious. Why should they not lose their vote? Of course, they should lose their votes. He played 29. He played 29 games, he's the biggest reason (James) Harden wanted out, he was the opposite of good for his team.
"Even if he had just played 29 games," he continued. "Dame (Damian Lillard) played 29 games, no one is voting for him. So, I'm serious, that person should lose their vote.
"In general, I actually think the All-NBA voters did a really nice job. I might have made the argument Jimmy Butler should have gotten the final guard spot over Trae Young or the final forward spot over Pascal Siakaam. But in general, I think the All-NBA voters did a really nice job with it. The one person that voted for Kyrie Irving, to me that's indefensible."
Kyrie was not available for the Brooklyn Nets for the better part of the season, which is why it was shocking that he was considered by a voter. He featured in only 29 games, most of which were on the road before New York eased their COVID-19 mandate.
Jalen Rose has admitted to voting for Kyrie Irving
As the NBA countdown team was anticipating the tip-off of Game 5 of the Boston Celtics-Miami Heat matchup, former NBA player Jalen Rose admitted to voting for Kyrie. On the show, he said:
"I need to fall on the sword because I'm the lone person that voted Kyrie Irving third-team All-NBA. Yeah, I'm the lone person to do that. I get mesmerized by his talent, but it was a mistake to put him on third-team and I'm glad that didn't cost Trae Young his spot, who deserved it more. So, I'm gonna own that."
Jalen Rose admitted on NBA Countdown that it was a mistake to put Kyrie Irving on the All-NBA 3rd team.
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Stephen A. Smith, who has been critical of Kyrie throughout the 2021-22 season, could not hide his displeasure with the information. He has called out Kyrie throughout the season for refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine and leaving his teammates hanging.