Danny Ainge pulls the trigger on a blockbuster deal.
I have always loved Irving’s game. I thought that the case could have been made to give him the MVP in 2016 above James. I am sorry that the Celtics have to pay such a heavy price for him. I’m (a Celtics fan) cautiously optimistic that this will leave the Celtics better off. Thomas and Crowder well both fantastic pieces to last season’s success and they will be missed.
What do you all think? Is Kyrie Irving a franchise player to build a championship around?
I’m not convinced Irving is a good fit in a Brad Steven’s offense, since Kyrie is a ball-dominant player. And Stevens has a flow and movement offense. Kyrie has tremendous skills and an all star, but he doesn’t strike me as a floor leader either. And he’s not a good defensive player. ANd I wonder how his knee is doing. I think it’s fine and can be managed, but I wonder about it.
As for the heavy price, IT has a hip issue. I’m willing to lay odds that he’ll never be the same player. A hip problem doesn’t always go away. IT is a liability on defense, he’s just too short to guard the taller guards. And he’s only under contract for next year. Kyrie has two years remaining on his contract. Crowder is a good player because he can score and play defense. Zizac is young (20) and could be a good player in the future, but who knows. He could also be used as a trade piece for CLE later. The 1st round draft pick is nice, but they don’t always pan out either.
I know the experts think CLE got the better of the deal, but if Kyrie stays healthy, then I like the deal for the Celts. Plus, they have another 6 or whatever 1st round draft picks in the next 3 years.
I’m a Dubs fan and the Celts have always given us problems. In the Dubs 73-win season, two seasons ago, I took my D18 to the Celts game late in the season and Avery Johnson and IT just lit the Dubs up and won the game. They were unstoppable that game. And of course, I/we had the only Celts fan in our section directly behind us and he yelled obnoxiously non-stop the entire game. ~X(