Jackie MacMullan hints that Kyrie Irving may be bringing more of the same to Brooklyn


Photo of Kyrie Irving courtesy of Mike Lawrie/Getty Images (No, not Bad Boys Mike Lowry)

Jackie MacMullan is one of the best basketball writers in the world. When she puts her fingers to the keyboard, you should be reading. In her most recent piece on ESPN.com regarding the Brooklyn Nets, she mentions that Kyrie Irving may be bringing his mood swings to his new digs.

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.


I don’t want to talk about Kyrie as much as I don’t want to watch him drop 50 points in his first game with the Brooklyn Nets. The story is old. We were thrilled when the Boston Celtics had one of the best players in the world on the team. Then Kyrie did what Kyrie does and kind of ruined everything. Not because he isn’t a great basketball player, but because he is a unique guy to say the least.


We all wanted to embrace the player around here, but he made it impossible. He wanted to leave Cleveland and LeBron James to have his own team. When he got the keys to the car in Boston, he ended up unhappy. And now that he has another fresh start in a new city, he already seems to be rubbing people the wrong way. The honeymoon period couldn’t even make it to month two of the regular season.

I don’t know if it is a mental health issue where he has some depression going on. If he does, then I hope he’s able to figure it out. It seems that he’s not satisfied unless he is unhappy and bringing others down with him. It’s a miserable existence, really. He’s kind of like the most attractive person at the party that you can’t stand. You like looking at them, but can’t wait for them to leave.

Oh by the way, how cringe-worthy was him addressing the Brooklyn crowd in their opener? Maybe its narcissism. I don't know, I'm not a doctor.


MacMullan goes on to explain the Nets program that general manager Sean Marks and head coach Kenny Atkinson have enlisted. It is explained as very regimented similar to a college program. It was easier to get young bums like Joe Harris to buy-in when he was trying to stay in the league, but they’ve discussed the difficulties with getting established veterans to follow suit. It’s not exactly apples-to-apples, but I’m sure Brad Stevens can relate to some of the Nets potential growing pains.

The Celtics are in a better place without Kyrie. It would have been addition by subtraction even if the Celtics didn’t sign another All-NBA point guard in Kemba Walker. Team chemistry is oozing out of every orifice on this team. There’s no room for a negative Nancy bringing everyone down. It’s refreshing to watch and follow thus far.


Because I feel like Kyrie Irving did me and my fellow Celtics fans dirty, I hope the Nets crash and burn with Kyrie leading the way. Maybe I’m an asshole, but since we’re in a trust tree, I want to be honest. With MacMullan’s article, it feels like it may be starting sooner than we could’ve imagined.