It was announced earlier this summer that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving signed deals with the Brooklyn Nets. Now, it looks like Irving has accepted the role of the face of the franchise, especially since KD will remain inactive during the 2019-2020 season due to his Achilles injury.
On Friday, during the Brooklyn Nets' media day, Irving spoke on KD’s injury and how he would be treated as a player on the Brooklyn team.
“We all know K was not ready to play in that environment,” Irving said. “We all know that, whether people want to admit it or not. He was out 31 days and we put him on a national stage on finals, to end up selling a product that came before the person, Kevin. And now, I’m here to protect that.”
He continued, saying he won’t allow “anyone to infiltrate that circle of ‘Hey K, do you. Get right—we’ll be fine.’ We have expectations for our team, we obviously know he’s an integral part, but we’ll wait for that. I’m very patient—I’ll be over-patient with Kevin because I don’t want anything like that to happen to anyone again, especially on that type of stage where it happened and then him having to answer questions about whether or not he’s coming back or not.”
Irving added, “I want him to be one hundred and one percent healthy.”
At the beginning of last season, Irving announced that he was planning to re-sign with the Boston Celtics. However, things changed when his grandfather died in late October and basketball was less of a concern.
“A lot of the joy I had from basketball was sucked away from me,” Irving said. There was a facial expression I carried around with me throughout the year and I didn't allow anyone to get close to me. It really bothered me. I didn't take the necessary steps to get counseling or therapy. I had to acknowledge that fact.”
His attitude took a toll on his relationship with his team, as Irving became more unpredictable. The Celtics then lost during the second round of the playoffs, and by then, Irving had distanced himself from his teammates.
“A lot of those battles I thought I could battle through (in Boston's) team environment, I wasn't ready for,” Irving said. “And I failed those guys. I didn't give them everything I could have during that season. In terms of me being a leader and bringing everyone together, I've failed.”
Now, with the Nets, he is ready to move on with a “fresh mindset.”
