tlance
Kyrie Hater
KD is responsible for this. Hear me out.
It was KD's decision to want to team up with Kyrie. Kyrie for all purposes is an all-world player. But everyone is well aware of the external factors surrounding him. Now no one could have expected what happened with Covid and the bubble. That in no way is KD's fault. But the decision to pair up with a wild card as a teammate ultimately rests with KD. It's like you're the boss who elects to hire someone who has a history of embezzling money. When the employee embezzles money, who is to blame? It's the boss who hired them. Another way to look at this is what if you needed someone to help you move a large piece of furniture. You only had a small time frame window otherwise you'd lose out on it. If you ask your friend who you know is notoriously unreliable and they eventually never show up, who's fault is that?
On court, KD absolutely has done his thing. But the Nets were either going to be flaming ball of success of an eventual burn out. You took a risk and it didn't work out. KD had it made with the Warriors. He wanted out to start his own team. The Nets were going to get whatever player KD wanted to team up with. Organizationally they did their thing.
KD was stupid to team up with Kyrie.
But the failure of the trio ultimately rests with the two player who caused locker room turmoil, sat out games when healthy and are no longer there because they quit on the team.
KD made a bad choice.
But nothing he did after choosing to sign with NJ caused the group to fail.
In fact, he very nearly carried them to the ECF when Kyrie and Harden were both injured.
Blame KD for making a bad choice.
But he in no way is most responsible for the dysfunction.
Had he not been there, it would have surely been worse, not better.