Robin Leaves Batman
Kyrie’s ego was in question the moment he announced his departure from the Cavs. Not because of him wanting to slither out, but because he wanted to be the main fiddle. If I could ride the sturdy, muscular back of LeBron James to multiple Finals while being paid millions, I know I’m not leaving. But, hey, it’s not like he wasn’t successful before LeBron. Oh, wait.
Flash forward through his first year in Boston (ECF without him, lol), and we’re faced with a new situation. When the video of Kyrie talking to Kevin Durant about a possible team up during free agency released, it set the internet ablaze. Rumors are tumultuous, but videos validating those rumors are catastrophic online. It set NBA fans i
No person could answer that for sure besides the two millionaires on tape (that doesn’t prevent pundits from discussing though), so it was obvious a reporter would question the Celtic about it. It could’ve been easy for him to simply play it as a joke, as the players’ moods in the video were light-hearted. Instead, he chooses to dodge the question and challenge the i
Entangling Interview
Q: Kyrie, when folks are trying to dissect kind of a private conversation between you and Durant before the game, does that bother you? Did you see kind of the war sort of that starter? How do you dissect that?
Kyrie: “I don’t dissect it at all. I disconnect. So anybody’s stories or social media, like, I’m completely off it. I just don’t have the care for it. It ruins locker rooms. It ruins like confidence in people. And it’s just a fictitious way of feeling validated in the world. So it doesn’t really matter to me?”
That’s an appropriate answer to a decent question. The rumors shouldn’t bother Kyrie, and he shouldn’t dwell on them.
Rumors Are Fun
(Multiple questions later)
Kyrie: “What does that matter to me? Somebody who was – I don’t have a private life when I’m out there in the NBA. Somebody want to take a video and, I mean, it is what it is. Pour water on it? I’m a human being talking to another best friend of mine. Like, it’s just crazy. This is the stuff that just doesn’t make the league fun. Like, it doesn’t make the league fun. Nobody helps promote the league even more by doing bullshit like that. Of just fictitious putting things on what we’re talking about. It’s just, it’s crazy. I guess that’s what you wanted, huh?”
This is where he appears out of touch. Rumors and news are exactly what brings NBA fans to have fun with the league. The soap opera-esque shenanigans shape some of my best NBA memories. I’ll never forget the day Kevin Durant picked the Warriors. S
These situations are exactly what fuel the large engine that is the NBA’s relevancy. Basketball is beautiful, but not everyone watches to drool over a perfect pick-and-roll. Just listen to a crowd roar when a scuffle starts, and you’ll know it’s not all about the basketball. His point on privacy was valid, which he should’ve stuck to.
For What?
Kyrie: “Is the internet real for you in your life? It’s my life, right? It’s two people talking, having a conversation. If this was the real world would it be anybody else’s business? But it’s a video of somebody assuming what we’re talking about, right? Making an opinion about it. So why would I care about it? Why does that have an impact on my life? Why are you asking me those types of questions? About cooling it off? For what? I don’t get it.”
There’s a lot to talk about here. His seemingly fake-deep “is the internet real” intro is laughably illogical. You’re talking to a reporter who makes money from the internet’s propensity to consume his content. Yes, the internet is as good as real to plenty.
He addresses privacy, which he has the right to do. Following that, he asks why he should actually care, and that’s another valid point of his. For his sanity’s sake, he probably shouldn’t care, but he still needs to have the ability to address rumors. Lastly, he asks the reporter why he asked him the question, and it’s blatantly obvious. It’s the reporter’s job to address issues and hot topics for fans.
Separation
Kyrie: “That’s where we started off the conversation. What I do with my life is my business. So it’s none of yours, it’s not anybody’s business, right? So it’s a video of me and one of my best friends talking, and it turns out to be a dissection of a free agency meeting? Do you get that? … And then I’m asked questions about it? That’s what disconnects me from all that shit. Like, because I have no connection to that. Over a video I’m asked a question about the fans, and you brought up the fans? Come on man. You do it for the likes and clicks. Everybody does. (They) wants to hear me talk like this. Everybody wants to hear an athlete talk about bullshit like this. A video though? To pour water on it? It makes no sense… It’s not real life.”
Kyrie has a right to be frustrated with media. Dealing with obvious questions and rumors would be provocatively obnoxious to do every day. He can voice that frustration, but he can’t act like he’s separate from the rumors. You’re a public figure along with a basketball player. There are politics in sports, and playing along is part of the gig. You aren’t above the internet and the fans that pay for your house. Repeatedly saying “I’m just here so I don’t get fined”
Bucks In 4
It was only a few months ago that Kyrie was buzzing about his choice to leave Cleveland for Boston. Now, frustration seems to be at the forefront. His consistent intolerance and lack of rumor-addressing
We’re watching a Boston team that’s had a rollercoaster season. They’ve seen triumphant wins/performances and slumps. Leadership for a young team that made it all the way to the ECF doesn’t sound terribly difficult, yet Kyrie makes it look like differential equations. If the Celtics somehow pull it out, then the “30 for 30” about this team will be fantastic, and I’ll look like an idiot. But, I’m going to stick with my gut. Bucks in 4.
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