Is Kyrie Irving worth the max contract?

[bksballer89]

If he is signing with a team without another superstar?

 

[bksballer89]

I don't think I could take that risk. He just seems like he is not the easiest guy to play with and he is far from a leader.

Look at the difference in him and Lillard.

Very similar playing styles but one guy is a leader and the other isn't.

 

[PickleRick]

No

I don't think I could take that risk. He just seems like he is not the easiest guy to play with and he is far from a leader.

Look at the difference in him and Lillard.

Very similar playing styles but one guy is a leader and the other isn't.

N0

 

[WiggyRuss]

Easily yes. Top 10 player in the NBA.

He is an asshole but the talent is undeniable. One of a handful of guys in the NBA that can win a playoff game for you by himself.

 

[msgkings322]

Easily yes. Top 10 player in the NBA.

He is an asshole but the talent is undeniable. One of a handful of guys in the NBA that can win a playoff game for you by himself.

Are you not even paying attention to the mess in Boston?

 

[WiggyRuss]

Are you not even paying attention to the mess in Boston?

Is Boston that good?

Horford is starting to get old.

Hayward is making 30M and hes not anywhere close to back

Morris has sucked big balls for the last 2 months

Tatum is good but hes 20 years old. He is not a ball handler and i think he bought into his own hype

Brown is solid but hes 22 and plays 25 minutes a game because of all the other guys

the Celtics screwed this up- they needed to make deals to cut the rotation down. These guys just dont like eachother.

Kyrie deserves plenty of blame but so does the coaching, GM, tons of the players, etc.

 

[bksballer89]

Check out their record without kyrie

 

[wildturkey]

The way the NBA works, yeah.

Ideally, probably not. The issue is the term "max guy" gets conflated with being a "franchise player". All franchise players get max contracts, but not all max contracts go to franchise players (again, that's just how the NBA market works).

Kyrie is a max player.

Kyrie is not a franchise player.

 

[broncosmitty]

Check out their record without kyrie

19-8 his last two years in Cleveland.

24-9 in Boston. 8-1 since New Years. But only one of those 8 W's was against a team over .500.

 

[tlance]

I don't think I could take that risk. He just seems like he is not the easiest guy to play with and he is far from a leader.

Look at the difference in him and Lillard.

Very similar playing styles but one guy is a leader and the other isn't.

Pretty clear I wouldn't want him leading my franchise.

But he is getting a max deal for sure. And it is more likely than not that he will never not figure out how to lead until it is too late and his talent fades.

Take notes KD. You don't know how good you have it right now.

 

[tlance]

Easily yes. Top 10 player in the NBA.

He is an asshole but the talent is undeniable. One of a handful of guys in the NBA that can win a playoff game for you by himself.

All the things that are currently manifesting in Boston are the reasons that I have always said Kyrie is overrated.

Great, talented player. One of the elite scorers in the game. Can singlehandedly win a playoff game.

But he disrupts offensive flow, does not always apply himself defensively, and he is a me-first guy. And those things greatly diminish his overall impact on the team.

#timevindicates

 

[seattlefan75]

The basketball answer is no but there are other things to consider if you already have another superstar to pair him up with then yes so maybe a Pelicans team, Detriot, Lakers, Minnesota, Dallas. Boston has won a lot of games last year and they have a ton of young talent but really no superstar. Also there is a business aspect that is a yes because he will sell your team jerseys and bring clout to your franchise. Im sure teams like the Orlando Magic or Miami Heat or Phoenix Suns would like to sign him.

But at the end of the day Kyrie is an all star and this is a league of convincing players to join your team so if an all star is willing to play for you and you have the cap space you should probably go for it. The worst thing that can happen is he walks away and you are back to square 1 or you trade him away and possibly get a pick or young player

 

[tlance]

Easily yes. Top 10 player in the NBA.

He is an asshole but the talent is undeniable. One of a handful of guys in the NBA that can win a playoff game for you by himself.

Is he though?

Because I am taking all of these guys for sure before I take Kyrie:

Giannis
LeBron
KD
Curry
AD
Harden
Embiid
Kawhi
Russ
PG13
Lillard
Jokic
KAT

If I had a rebuilding team and wanted to build around a star, I would prefer to build around these younger cheaper players:

Simmons
Doncic
Mitchell
Zion

And if I had an elite creator listed above and wanted to make sure my pieces fit, I might prefer a guy like Klay or Middleton who I know wouldn't create chemistry issues.

Kyrie is really good. Worth a max contract. But you have to be real intentional about who you pair him with.

 

[The Q]

He's getting the max.

he's a much better player than he was in CLE right now. Much better.

But he is not a leader.

But the best player doesn't have to be the leader, he just has to not be the cause of dysfunction.

Or, if you're lebron, be good enough that it doesn't matter.

Kyrie isn't bron, but he is a max player. But 5 years with his injury history does add some risk to it.

 

[PEOPLESCHICKEN]

NO

He is a little vagina

 

[Shanemansj13]

Are you not even paying attention to the mess in Boston?

Yeah but I think Boston is overrated. Tatum is a stud. Jaylen is a good young player but not really thriving this year. I've never been a fan of Horford. Hayward isn't himself after the injury. All that isn't including how they just can't seem to find chemistry, is it Kyrie's fault...maybe some of it but he is still a max player and some team will pay him max. He just needs to be in the right situation.
A guy like Lebron was actually perfect for him, it's so funny he thought he could be the man. Wow was he wrong and he fucked up bad.

 

[msgkings322]

Yeah but I think Boston is overrated. Tatum is a stud. Jaylen is a good young player but not really thriving this year. I've never been a fan of Horford. Hayward isn't himself after the injury. All that isn't including how they just can't seem to find chemistry, is it Kyrie's fault...maybe some of it but he is still a max player and some team will pay him max. He just needs to be in the right situation.
A guy like Lebron was actually perfect for him, it's so funny he thought he could be the man. Wow was he wrong and he fucked up bad.

Oh sure everyone is now saying they always knew Boston had problems. Except no one said that at season's start. I think @flyerhawk gets some credit for saying he didn't think adding Kyrie and Hayward to the mix would be as great as everyone thought. But the rest of us had no clue.

Again, this is what makes the NBA fun. No one knows the future, and even if the Warriors win another title as expected there are still surprises like the Lakers, Celtics, Nets, Kings, Nuggets etc to enjoy (or hate)

 

[trojanfan12]

Oh sure everyone is now saying they always knew Boston had problems. Except no one said that at season's start. I think @flyerhawk gets some credit for saying he didn't think adding Kyrie and Hayward to the mix would be as great as everyone thought. But the rest of us had no clue.

Yep. I had the Celtics coming out of the East and flyerhawk and maybe @tlance are the only ones that I remember casting any doubt on the Celtics.

 

[Shanemansj13]

Oh sure everyone is now saying they always knew Boston had problems. Except no one said that at season's start. I think @flyerhawk gets some credit for saying he didn't think adding Kyrie and Hayward to the mix would be as great as everyone thought. But the rest of us had no clue.

Again, this is what makes the NBA fun. No one knows the future, and even if the Warriors win another title as expected there are still surprises like the Lakers, Celtics, Nets, Kings, Nuggets etc to enjoy

When Boston was on that special run last year I said multiple times, just bc they have some great players injured doesn't mean they will be better. We haven't seen Boston play great bball since last years playoffs. I remembering some giving no credit to Cleveland as well for barely getting past the injured Boston team but in actuality they seemed like a team that had great chemistry...now it seems the total opposite. I did think they would be better with Kyrie and Hayward but wow has this completely surprised me. Like you said, totally unpredictable except the GS Warriors lol

 

[trojanfan12]

I think that Kyrie getting the max depends a bit on the team. I don't think he's worth a max to a team like the Warriors, Celtics, Sixers, Raptors, etc. as those teams are pretty well set.

But to teams that aren't there yet, but have some pieces, I think he is definitely worth a max deal. I certainly wouldn't have an issue if the Lakers gave him one.