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At about the same time last year, the Boston Celtics felt Kyirie Irving in the long run.
But before that, Irving Friday was in Brooklyn, wearing the Nets uniform and addressing the media for the first time since stepping back on his commitment to the Celtics. That came after his statement in October, before the season he had planned to sign back with the Celtics.
In the following months, it was clear that the Celtics had mistreated him, but during Nets Media's media day on Friday, he addressed, to a certain extent, what exactly past. It should be noted that he takes some tangents, but he speaks frankly about the end of his stay in Boston.
Below is a transcript of his Celtic responses.
Why he chose the nets
For me, it was simply to clarify what was important and to come home. That's the staple I had in mind, you know, it took months and months, it took almost a year and a few changes for me to make that decision because nine months ago I was sitting in front of the Boston crowd saying I wanted to sign again. And after that, a lot of things happened in my personal life that really changed the landscape of how I felt about basketball and how I really played as a team, and it really touched me as a human being .
I did not share it with anyone, I did not mean that it bothered me or that I was depressed because of my grandfather's death, so when all of that happened past and that the NBA and the pressures, I put in quotation marks, since this basketball match came into free competition and what I was doing with my future, I wanted to dispel all these things, but I do not think you've done it the right way. to be honest about how I felt. So, I just wanted to come here with a very fresh mind and make sure to be honest with my teammates and come back to the guys with whom I 've summer and with whom I was teammates to make sure they know it, "hey, it's a game, but our lives are also going into that." And when it affects our livelihood and happiness of playing basketball, the product or our service in the field is not fantastic. And that's what it is, that's what it is.
On what has changed between his statement that he would remain and free will
Well, I think at that time, the energy we were building seemed incredible to us, especially for the future of Boston. It was something that I could not really explain at that time because, personally, I did not think to recognize the things that surrounded my life too and how to lead this group of people to whom I had been exchanged. I was not retained by Boston, I did not have any type of affiliation with Boston before leaving Cleveland. There was no (nothing in the works), whatever happened, Boston was a surprise team with Wyc and Danny who took the risk of negotiating for me. And when they did and the way our first season took place, and then also how the end of the season went on and having so much youth and so much exuberance and so on. Goals set personally, I think that some of the actual knowledge that had to be acquired to be a championship team takes more than two years.
It takes more than just an environment in which you feel comfortable. "Hey, you know I think I want to sign up here again if you've got me", the Boston crowd was huge, it was crazy, they loved me in Boston, J & I I loved the Boston fans. And then two weeks later, things went bad for me: when I left, I think you know, after the match against Phoenix, I went to my grandfather's memorial, and he died on October 23 . past, basketball was the last thing I thought about. So a lot of basketball and the joy I got from it was taken away and there was a facial expression that I carried with me all year long, which did not allow anyone to get close from me in this example and bored me.
I did not take the necessary steps to get counseling, therapy or anything to deal with the death of a loved one. I have never had anything to do with it. So for me, I reacted in an unusual way and, as I said, I had to acknowledge that fact. And I had to first recognize this fact to the organization because it was our internal link and the trust we had. I spoke to Danny, I wanted to sign again, so throughout the year it became increasingly clear that my relationships within my home life have a much higher precedent to that of the organization or anyone. And I hardly had the opportunity to talk to my grandfather before he passed (because I was) at basketball. So, tell me if you want to go to work every day, knowing that you have lost a loved one, doing a job every day for which everyone, outside or inside, protects you. Like "Hey, keep playing basketball."
That's why, throughout this year, I thought I could fight through a lot of battles and the team environment, I was just not ready. And I missed these guys in the sense that I did not give them everything I could have during this season, especially with the number of pieces we had. My relationship with them was excellent, but as far as I'm concerned, I drove them in this environment and gathered everyone, I failed. So for me, it's a very rewarding experience to slow down and acknowledge that I'm human in all of this, and then take steps to go to Danny and talk to these guys, to Wyc and to them and to letting them know, look, basketball can end tomorrow. I want you to be human beings. I know we live in a competitive environment, but let's move on and move on in the future. Marcus, Terry, all these guys just want to be awesome. Internally, we were all trying to be excellent and I did not think we were trying to be great as a team that would meet at the top. And this happens all the time in a team environment, whether people want to admit it or not.
Everyone has personal goals, family, friends, media, telling everyone, "You have to do that, you have to do it." In reality, nothing of this shit counts, so everyone has a role to play. You see that the most experienced teams end up winning the championship because they accept and sacrifice. It is usually the oldest teams in the league who go there every year, because they do not have to face the same unrealistic expectations as those of the youth. for the players who really have to win different things in this league to be at this level, including myself.
The Celtics replaced Irving by Kemba Walker, while bringing in Enes Kanter following the departure of Al Horford. Even with Irving, Kevin Durant and DeAndre Jordan together in Brooklyn, the Nets are by no means a bolt to scare the Celtics this season, as Kevin Durant could miss the entire campaign because of a rehab for the injured.
Celtics Media Day will be held on Monday.
Photo thumbnail via Justin Ford / USA TODAY Sports Images
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