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Kyrie Irving may have wanted the media to “stop distracting me and my team,” but his choice of a press boycott and remarks has led to a distraction for Brooklyn, a coach Steve Nash has had to deal with. .
Nash was asked on Saturday if he had talked to Irving about his media boycott, but Nash said he’s been too busy learning his new job to delve into that, and then he got Irving back. Via Net Income and Chris Milholen on Nets Daily:
“I haven’t broached it with him,” Nash said… “He’s been amazing at camp. He has been playing at an extremely high level. He has been a leader.
“While it may not be in your boy’s good books, he is in my good books, so I enjoy training him. It’s been amazing, but if he sees my thoughts or wants to discuss it, I’m more than happy to discuss it with him. I haven’t had that conversation with him. “
The locker room politics in Brooklyn will be something to watch: is this a Kevin Durant team, a Kyrie Irving team, or is there some balance of power between them? How does Nash negotiate this, especially when it comes time to boost his stars? Challenging Irving directly on media is not how he beats a player who needs to be healthy and return to an elite level to compete for a title. Nash has the proper demeanor for this job.
Irving’s name still holds up in James Harden’s trade negotiations: Houston allegedly wants Irving (or Durant) in any trade for The Beard (Caris LeVert as the biggest name in a trade package doesn’t work for the Rockets). The feeling in the league is that Irving and Durant came to Brooklyn as a package and cannot be divided, that the Nets want to add Harden to their superstars. But if things don’t go well during the first half of the season in Brooklyn … that’s something to watch out for.
