Kyrie Irving’s temperament has been an ongoing storyline early in the NBA season, and according to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, Irving’s attitude could be an issue in Brooklyn, where the Nets have gotten off to a 6-8 start.
On October 28th, Jackie MacMullan published an extensive piece on the Nets that included a controversial tidbit from Nets team sources. According to that source, Irving is prone to mood swings, and can “shut down” on the team.
Via ESPN:
“When Irving lapses into these funks, he often shuts down, unwilling to communicate with the coaching staff, front office and, sometimes, even his teammates. Nets team sources say one such episode occurred during Brooklyn’s trip to China, leaving everyone scratching their heads as to what precipitated it.”
Irving responded to the report by noting that he’s a human being, and that everyone goes through mood changes. Kevin Durant defended his teammate during an appearance on First Take, and said that the Nets have had no problems at all with Irving as a teammate.
On Thursday, though, Smith said on First Take that he’s continuing to hear negative things about Kyrie Irving’s attitude from sources.
“I am not hearing good things about Kyrie in Brooklyn. I’m talking about you’re hearing [things]… you’re just hearing about the mood. People are putting stuff out there. I don’t think it’s fair, I don’t know accurate it is. But I am telling, if Kyrie’s listening, I’m telling you there is stuff circulating out there about him from an attitude perspective.”
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