Kyrie Irving: We would have won more championships with Cavs if I had been more mature

Kyrie Irving — who has a decision to make next month on whether to opt-in to the final year of his Brooklyn contract — sat down for the latest “I Am Athlete” episode. He lifted the lid on a host of topics, including saying the Cavaliers would’ve stayed together longer and won more if he’d been more mature. “If I was in the same maturity line and understanding of who I am, and I look back, we definitely, definitely would’ve won more championships, because there would’ve been a better man-to-man understanding about what I’m going through. I didn’t know how to share my emotions,” Irving said. “I didn’t know how to do that. So instead of sharing, I isolated myself.”
Source: Brian Lewis @ New York Post

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Brian Lewis @NYPost_Lewis
Kyrie Irving: My immaturity, isolation cost Cavaliers ‘more championships’ #Nets nypost.com/2022/05/16/kyr… via @nypostsports – 8:34 PM

Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU
Interested to see how tomorrow’s lottery goes for Clippers pick.
Thunder have it as a result of 2019 Paul George trade. Last time LAC shipped what turned out to be lottery pick away was 2011 in Baron Davis for Mo Williams/Jamario Moon trade.
Cavs got #1, picked Kyrie Irving. – 6:39 PM

Kyrie Irving @KyrieIrving
🌒🌑🌘🌗🌖🌕 – 11:27 PM

Christian Clark @cclark_13
Celtics were 25-25 going into their Jan. 29 game against the Pels. They’re 34-9 since. Swept KD and Kyrie. Knocked out the defending champs. Things change quickly. – 6:07 PM

Aaron J. Fentress @AaronJFentress
Hypothetical: Nets balk at bringing back Kyrie. KD wants out but Portland can’t land him. However, Ben Simmons becomes available.
Would you trade a good player not named Lillard or Simons AND the 6th pick (assuming it remains there) for Ben Simmons?
Me: In a heartbeat. – 12:53 PM

Brian Lewis @NYPost_Lewis
Sports+: How Amar’e Stoudemire delivered a #Nets warning to Kyrie Irving. #nba nypost.com/2022/05/14/net… via @nypost – 11:08 AM

Danny Leroux @DannyLeroux
New @RealGM Radio podcast! @DanFeldmanNBA and I talk about all four second round series, Harden/Irving offseason negotiations and much more : basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/266935… – 10:41 PM

More on this storyline

Kyrie Irving: “I just started pouring myself more into the game — I had one of my better seasons but I wasn’t connecting with everybody as much during the championship year. So 2017, it was a different year for us. We went against Golden State, we went against a great team. When you’re not a great team and not clicking on all cylinders and together, you’re easily defeated. You’re defeated before you can get to the arena.” -via New York Post / May 16, 2022

While Irving has a $36.5 million opt-in decision to make, he’s at a different place in his life than he was when he asked out of Cleveland at 24. In hindsight, he regrets not speaking to LeBron James beforehand. “We didn’t talk during that time,” Irving admitted. “When I look back on what I was going through at that time, I wish I did, because it would’ve been a good understanding of what the future will hold for both of us and we know how much power we both had together. Me and him in the league together running Cleveland, and then being able to put a better team together every single year would’ve definitely been worth it.” -via New York Post / May 16, 2022

Asked for lessons learned from the Simmons off-again, on-again saga. Marks used the opportunity to critique the critics. “It’s a little bit of a testament that 1) he tried to get back out there and tried to help his teammates and secondly, we have to be careful not judge people. And if you’re outside that medical profession, when you’re chiming in from afar. You just have to be a bit careful of what you’re saying because you really don’t know,” said Marks. -via NetsDaily / May 16, 2022