Boston Celtics big man Enes Kanter was not alone in his disappointment that he and the rest of his team would not get the chance to face off against now-Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving on his old home court.
The letdown was a point of conversation on a recent episode of the “Enes Kanter Show,” a new series hosted by NBC Boston where the outspoken Turkish center shares his thoughts (as he is known to do).
Recently returned from an extended absence resulting from a knee contusion sustained in the Celtics’ loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in the season opener, Kanter says that Boston had been “waiting for this moment for a long time.”
🗣️ "I'm disappointed. I'll be honest."
Enes Kanter gets real about Kyrie Irving's (non) return on the @EnesKanter Show 🍿https://t.co/a9eKP7AlyS pic.twitter.com/V0hTNC3N6A
— NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSBoston) November 27, 2019
“I’m disappointed. I’ll be honest,” Kanter offered (via NBC Sports’ Justin Leger). “We’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time, and now he’s hurt and not playing? I’m really disappointed.”
“From what I’ve heard from the fans, it’s going to be very interesting,” he explained, alluding to the heavily-anticipated moment when the capricious point guard finally steps back onto the Garden parquet as an opponent.
With Irving’s shoulder impingement likely to have him out into the month of December, that matchup will have to be put on hold for the moment, though not forever and certainly not as long as some Celtics fans are suggesting.
The tilt — sans Irving — was by all accounts interesting despite the former Celtic’s absence, with Boston’s new starting point guard Kemba Walker stealing the show with a 39-point, 6 rebound return from a scary neck injury on Friday.
The Nets put up a fight without their star floor general, leading for much of the contest before falling 121-110 as Boston pulled away late in the game.
“There’s two games, of course, and he’s going to come back,” Kanter considers, referencing the fact the team will play Brooklyn at home one more time in the regular season, on Mar. 3; “We’re going to welcome him somehow.”
Knowing Enes the Menace, he’s probably not talking about a video tribute.