As much as Kyrie Irving has already said he could’ve listed more names when he singled out which players currently on the Nets roster are part of the solution going forward, former NBA player turned-analyst Caron Butler thinks Brooklyn’s point guard said all the names he meant to.
But the two-time All-Star doesn’t mind Irving expressing this opinion, despite what some of his fellow retired-NBA players have said. That’s not to say Butler thinks Irving has the right approach when it comes to improving things in Brooklyn, he just feels the point guard should be able to speak “his truth,” as he explained during his recent appearance on RADIO.COM’s “Scal and Pals“:
This is my thing — and it’s a thin line, now that I’m on this side of the playing field — it’s like, we want sound bytes and we want guys to be honest. But when guys are honest, we don’t like their honesty. Like, what’s wrong with him telling his truth and him being completely honest, and all of a sudden, we critique his honesty. Just like any other individual, we have sweat equity in this game, and we make comments on things we see from our perspective. And he’s giving you an evaluation from his perspective.
Butler continued:
Now, the timing of it probably was [expletive] up, but it’s still a[n] honest perspective from his evaluation. He’s a champion, he’s a perennial All-Star and yeah, he had all types of other things that happened, whether it was in Boston or the way he exited Cleveland or whatever the case. And he might not be the fan-favorite or have the support of the narrative that’s been created around him. However, he’s still being honest in his face. And, look, I respect it. I don’t agree with some of the ways he [is] going about handling this business, but honesty, you’re gonna get his honesty a hundred percent of the time. We may not like it, but you have to respect it.
As for the exact pieces the Nets will add, Butler does not know specific names, but he does believe Irving and Kevin Durant already know who they want:
It’s already written. … Those guys know who they want to play with already. And when they’re saying the five names that means that the others guys are outta luck going forward.
If Butler is right, that would mean Joe Harris, Taurean Prince and Jarrett Allen’s days in Brooklyn are numbered.
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