At this point it feels like everywhere Kyrie Irving goes, he’s not happy. In Cleveland with the Cavaliers, he didn’t want to be in the shadow of LeBron James. With the Boston Celtics, his grandfather passed and he blamed it on that the whole season. Now with Brooklyn with the Nets, he’s already started to show signs of it.
According to ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan, he started showing signs in a Nets trip to China this summer:
“Yet Irving’s infamous mood swings, confirmed by his ex-teammates, which followed him from Cleveland to Boston to Brooklyn, are the unspoken concern that makes Nets officials queasy. When Irving lapses into these funks, he often shuts down, unwilling to communicate with the coaching staff, front office and sometimes, even his teammates. Nets team sources say one such episode occurred during Brooklyn’s trip to China, leaving everyone scratching their heads as to what precipitated it.”
With Kevin Durant already on the team as one of the most sensitive players in the league, it’ll be interesting to see how these two emotional players mesh once KD gets back healthy. That is, if it doesn’t happen sooner and Irving destroys the culture with the young players in Brooklyn like he did in Boston.
The Nets are currently 1-2 to start the season.
UPDATE: DeAndre Jordan responded to the article and Irving’s mood swings:
“Kyrie’s a bad guy. He’s terrible. He’s moody. I don’t like to be around him. He’s horrible in the locker room. He’s a selfish player. I don’t like his haircut. I wear his shoes only because they’re comfortable and because he makes me. Is that good?”
This is the full quote from the Jackie MacMullan ESPN story that is being aggregated.
On the Nets, Kyrie's mood swings and it includes quotes from Kevin Durant.
Story: https://t.co/K2Jghg2uqK pic.twitter.com/dG2wImEgH9
— Bryan Fonseca (@BryanFonsecaNY) October 29, 2019
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