STAMFORD, CT – I know what you’re thinking and you’re right. Defending Kyrie Irving would be a tough way to make a living. The man has left two teams in ashes and is watching a third team burn. But, if you’ll allow me, I’d like to argue that this one is not all his fault. Other culprits, like former NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, and teammate Kevin Durant, have lighter fluid on their hands as well. Allow me to explain.
Bill de Blasio
*The former mayor’s vaccine mandate was never based on solid science. When our president and heath officials said the vaccine would stop you from getting the virus, it was “based on hope,” according to a recent interview of Dr. Deborah Birx. Yikes. The Giants winning the Super Bowl and bedding Jenny Mendlebaum in tenth grade are things that I hope(d). It is important to separate what you hope from what is actually based on science, if you’re a top health official or politician.
No man should be forced to take an experimental injection against his will to keep his job. There never should have been a mandate in the first place. But once it became undeniable that the jab doesn’t stop transmission or infection, and may increase your chance of having a heart issue, the NYC mandate should have been immediately scrapped. It was strictly punitive at that point and helped to undermine our confidence in our health officials.
If you were aware of the real risk reward ratio, you might have felt differently about getting it. Especially if you’re a fit, young athlete like Kyrie. His body, his choice. If not for the useless mandate, perhaps Kyrie would have missed less time and the Nets would have made a playoff run. It’s possible.
I for one, salute Kyrie Irving on this Independence Day for standing up for our bodily autonomy. Thanks bud.
Kevin Durant
Let’s not forget about the sailor who heads for the life boat the second the water gets choppy. The villain from Titanic hung around the boat longer.
Russell Westbrook and Kyrie are probably not the easiest guys to play with, to put it mildly. But to head for the door before you’ve even played one minute of your contract extension? The man has no heart.
Depending on where he lands, it seems somewhat likely that his only titles will have come with Golden State. A team so good, they might’ve been able to win without him. His stop in Brooklyn will go down as an air ball in his legacy.
Interestingly, the Lakers’ odds to win the title next year dropped all the way to down to 10 to 1 on the possibility that KD will end up there. I would’ve been excited to see Durant and LeBron play together a few years ago, but I don’t know about now. It would be like watching Christy Brinkley and Kathy Ireland model swimsuits now. Sure I’ll watch, I’m just not sure how to feel about it. Or it might be like the year Karl Malone and Gary Payton tried to steal a cheap title with the Lakers in the swan song of their careers. Probably not that bad, I know KD is only 33 and has some good tread left on his tires, but I would still feel like it would end badly.
Phoenix and it is supposedly his preferred destination, and I could see him getting them over the hump. He sure could use a non-Warriors ring for his application to the GOAT Club. But he would still be joining one of the league’s best teams and will never have won one without hitching to a wagon that was already pretty close to the promised land.
That’s it for me. Come back tomorrow for Angry Ward. Follow us on Twitter at @BenWhit8, @MeetTheMatts, @Matt_McCarthy00, Instagram @MeetTheMatts and like our Facebook page, Meet The Matts.
*The opinions above are those of the author. MTM Management allows contributors to sometimes blur the line between sports content and the real world.
