Kyrie Irving's bizarre second season with the Boston Celtics holds plenty of skeletons in the closet. Among them is his shocking tiff with head coach Brad Stevens, unsurprisingly among the many rifts he had with coaches and players alike.
Sports Illustrated insider Chris Mannix went on The Odd Couple podcast with Chris Broussard and Rob Parker, giving a glimpse as to how Irving's disconnect with Stevens played a part in a subpar 2018-19 season:
“Kyrie’s leadership skills were lacking and it's fair to say that he failed at it,” said Mannix. “He was the first player to be coached by Brad Stevens that didn’t really enjoy being coached by Brad Stevens and that relationship wasn’t solid for most of the season, didn't stay solid at the end of the season.
“Brad Stevens is a coach that believes in the process, that likes every regular season game to mean something and to build toward the postseason. Kyrie Irving, his formative years were spent in Cleveland, where the regular season wasn't more than an annoyance to them, they just wanted to be done with it, so they could get to the playoffs and get to the championship. He said it repeatedly throughout the year. That's not how Brad Stevens operates.”
Mannix warned that Irving would face a similar problem if he indeed winds up in Brooklyn, as the Nets are a facsimile of the Celtics, equipped with young players and a coach who believes in the process of building momentum through the regular season.
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