Why Kyrie leaving the Celtics can debatably be worse than when KD left the Thunder (Unpopular Opinion)

Kyrie Irving was nothing short of disappointing in round 2 against the bucks. Kyrie’s ultimate goal was to win a championship with his “own team”. This is what caused the feud between Kyrie and the Cavs. He wanted to take on the leadership role and establish his legacy as the #1 option on a championship team.

Kyrie went down and missed the playoffs last year and we were able to witness the breakout of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier. We saw hints of a very solid young core in Boston (which very much still exists). Kyrie was asked before the season what his plans were for free agency. He responded by saying “this franchise is really built for the next few years of being at the top-tier of teams in the league. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that? What more could you ask for from an organization to really elevate your game?” He was also quoted saying “If you will have me back, I plan on re-signing here”. This was before the season started. Kyrie saw the potential in the team with such young players showing hints of potential in the playoffs taking Lebron to game 7 even without Gordon Hayward and himself. But who wouldn’t be confident after the run they had.

After the Celtics struggled during the regular season. As we all know there was much drama between Lebron and Kyrie. Many suspect a reunion between the two in LA. Kyrie texted Lebron, apologizing for being young and immature and not understanding what it takes to be in Lebron’s position as a leader. This caused lots of Free Agency drama. When asked midseason about what he was gonna do. He said “I don’t owe anyone shit.” Clearly showing frustration with the team.

The main reason this can be worse than KD leaving is because of the series that Kyrie had.

Kyrie Irving Eastern Conference Semis shooting splints:

Game 2: 4/18 FG 1/5 3PT 9pts

Game 3: 8/22 FG 2/8 3PT 29pts

Game 4: 7/22 FG 1/7 3PT 23pts

Game 5: 6/21 FG 1/7 3PT 15pts

Although points may seem like he played well in games 3 and 4, this was because in game 3 he was 11/12 from the line and game 4 he was 8/9. To say the least, he underperformed in the second round.

But what makes this worse than KD leaving you may ask other then the terrible series performance and the promises he made before the season? As I mentioned earlier, many are suspect of him going to LA to team up with Lebron, but also going to NY to team up with KD. This completely contradicts the reason he wanted out of Cleveland. To have his own team. This will be a serious blow to his legacy as he failed to deliver as a leader and #1 scoring option. He ultimately bit off more than he can chew. KD had the goal of winning a championship no matter how he did it. Weather it was the #1 option or not, he wanted to secure his legacy as a winner. Which he has. Some may not agree but I believe he is the best player on the warriors team (especially this playoffs). He has taken anything BUT the backseat with the GSW winning 2 Finals MVPs. KD May have different beliefs now however than he did in the 2016 free agency.

Just to clarify, I am not a warriors fan. I was not for KD going to the warriors at all. This is an unbias opinion from a Bulls fan. I just believe that if Kyrie were to leave Boston after such a tragic series, his legacy will take a serious blow. Let me know your guys thoughts.