Here Is Some Advice For Mavs Fans On How To Deal With The Kyrie Irving Drama

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On June 17th 2020, the Nets found themselves dealing with their first taste of Kyrie Irving drama. You may remember this as the time when Kyrie suggested the players create their own NBA because he didn't want to go to the bubble down in Orlando. What a wild time that was in the NBA, it feels like another lifetime ago honestly.

When this all broke, I decided that as someone who lived through a heavy dose of Kyrie drama and went through each stage of being a fan of a team that employed Kyrie Irving, that I would help Nets fans navigate their new life, so I wrote this blog

As I expected, a lot of Nets fans commented how I was just jealous that Kyrie left the Celts for the Nets (lol) and that I had no idea what I was talking about because things would be different now that he was on THEIR ream (LOL), and honestly I didn't blame them for acting that way. Myself and other Celtics fans did the exact same thing when he became a Celtic. I never had a problem with Nets fans being stubborn about Kyrie, because we were all stubborn about Kyrie while he was pulling all his shit in Boston. It's one of those things where you don't want to hear it from other previous fanbases that had to go through the Kyrie Experience because his talent is so great that you would rather pray it somehow would be different.

But it never is. Ask those same Nets fans now in 2023 if they understand what I was talking about and I feel confident in saying they would.

So I'm going to do the same thing for Mavs fans. You just signed up for the craziest rollercoaster of your life when it comes to your favorite basketball team, so I want to do my part and help prepare you. As I said to the Nets fans, this does not come from a place of jealousy or bitterness that Kyrie is no longer a Celtic. I just think you need to know what is inevitably coming your way and how to prepare for it.

First, we must go through the stages of the Kyrie Experience

It begins with excitement. There is no doubt that when Kyrie is engaged and is motivated, he can be an absolute force on the basketball court. As a fan, you love the idea of Kyrie and Luka playing together, a pairing that has the potential to be one of the best backcourts the league has ever seen from a talent perspective. For a while now as a Mav fan I imagine you've been begging Cuban to find a guy who is an elite shot creator to play next to Luka, and that is exactly what Kyrie is. The dribbling will mesmerize you, and he is someone who can go out and create his own shot at an extremely high level, something the Mavs certainly haven't had during Luka's tenure.

Because of this, you might find yourself already ready to spinzone everything that comes with Kyrie. There's a history of this with each of his previous spots. Cavs fans made excuses for him, Celts fans spinzoned his "fuck Thanksgiving" drama and the flat earth bullshit and the "ask me July 1st" comments, and at its highest, they even spinzoned the KD/Kyrie "2 max slots" video or getting a nose job instead of being with his team for a Game 7. Nets fans spinzoned the vaccination bullshit and the Amazon video bullshit all because his talent intoxicates you. 

When something comes up in Dallas, Mavs fans will want to do the same because deep down you want it to work. Every negative report is fake news put out by people with an agenda. You may not even realize you're doing it, but it's going to happen. But you have to remember how this usually goes

- Shows flashes offensively with intoxicating performances that make you feel like you have a real championship piece….check

- Gets injured and misses games in the playoffs….check

- Says outrageous shit that turns into a media shit storm and a huge distraction….check

Happened in CLE, BOS, and now BKN. This is the reality of signing up to get into the Kyrie Irving business. Save yourself the stress and try and resist the urge to spinzone whatever happens. It's exhausting.

This is tough because when you saw that Shams bomb that Kyrie was coming to YOUR Dallas Mavericks, I know you immediately blocked all that history out. I know that because I did the same thing 6 years ago. I didn't care how things ended in CLE, the Celts were a different organization. Nets fans didn't care how things ended in CLE and BOS, the Nets were a different organization. I'm sure you as a Mavs fan do not care how things ended in CLE, BOS, and BKN because the Mavs are a different organization. 

My advice would be to not get defensive about this. When people tell you things are most likely going to end in disaster, understand that there is a large body of work to support it. The same Celts fans that clowned the Cavs soon understood what they meant. The same Nets fans that did it to the Celts eventually understood. There's no doubt that Kyrie/Luka might work in the short term and get the Mavs into the Finals, but at this point, it's not worth pretending all the prior stuff is just made up. It's not.

The Mavs were in a tough spot in the sense that they had to do something to bring Luka some help and try and maximize his season. They did that in Kyrie Irving, but they also made a deal with the devil in order to do it. Maybe that means they gave up real assets for a 4 month rental that still doesn't bring them a title. Maybe that means they commit long term to Kyrie and immediately regret their decision. Maybe it means that eventually, Luka has enough of Kyrie's bullshit and leaves.

This is the price teams are willing to pay because of Kyrie's insane basketball talent. It can be blinding to both organizations and fans. I just want to make sure you know what you've signed up for over these last 4 months and potentially longer. There will be drama, there will be bullshit that you don't want to believe, and there's a strong chance Kyrie won't be available when you need him most. Save yourself the stress when it comes to trying to spinzone the drama and just hold on for dear life instead. 

Maybe it works out and things will actually finally be different in Dallas. It's certainly possible, but history suggests you probably shouldn't bet on it. Good luck.