Boston Celtics and Kyrie Irving are better off without each other

After a disappointing season, it’s clear that Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics are better off without each other

Despite having the most talented roster in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics finished as the fourth seed heading into the NBA Playoffs and fell in five games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Boston left so much to be desired that you could make the argument that the Celtics, without Kyrie Irving or Gordon Hayward, would have fared better against the Bucks in the Western Conference Semifinals.

For the entire series, the Celtics were not on the same page defensively. The Bucks had a balanced and consistent offensive effort that allowed them to roll through the Celtics haphazard defense. The Bucks remained organized and adjusted game to game. Boston has been a collection of parts all season and not a team.

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The Celtics just couldn’t seem to win consistently this season. However, in the 2018 playoffs, the Celtics wrecked the Eastern Conference in historic fashion. With two of their all-stars injured and unable to play, the Celtics were 11-1 at home and able to push the LeBron-led Cavaliers to a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals.

And the Celtics were able to eliminate an, albeit, younger and poor-coached Bucks in the first round last season.

To say the least, the Celtics started the 2018-19 season with high hopes. And with LeBron James leaving the Eastern Conference and the Raptors firing Dwane Casey, in the preseason the Celtics looked like they were going to dominate the 2018-19 season.

So, what is wrong with the Celtics this season? That is easy. Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward.

The Celtics are better off without Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, and getting another marquee player that better fits with the team. Or just developing the young talent that they have on their roster.

The Celtics, on their roster, have 15 players that are talented enough to be starters or at least rotation players on another team. And they are probably the first team in NBA history that has enough talent on their second and third units to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference without any of their starters. They are the first team

Many of players in Boston’s second and third unit could log at least 25 minutes a game if they were playing for another team.

If the Celtics second and third unit players could get more playing time, they would likely play with more unity, intensity, and be better defenders.

It is obvious this Gordon Hayward has not recovered from his injury and this disrupted the team offense. In the playoffs, Gordon Hayward was playing nearly 30 minutes a game and averaging less than 10 points per contest. And he was averaging nearly two fouls and two turnovers per game. Gordon Hayward detracts from the Celtics and logged valuable player minutes that could’ve been given to another player.

The Celtics suffered from a lack of team unity all season. To put it mildly, as Kyrie Irving did:

"Winning is hard. Team Environments are hard."

I guess more is not always better.

The Celtics’ woes are partly due to how the team is constructed. And the Celtics played much harder last season. The Celtics have too many parts and not enough chemistry with Kyrie Irving on the floor.

The current Boston Celtics team was more competitive without Kyrie and was not built around Kyrie. The Celtics have made it to two straight Eastern Conference Finals without Kyrie Irving. A team that included Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart, Marcus Morris, Al Horford, and Jayson Tatum nearly won the Eastern Conference last year.

The Celtics, in the past, have succeeded by being a tough defensive-minded team and relying on the depth of their roster. Not on the offensive prowess of one player. This is true going all the way back to the days of Bill Russell, Larry Bird, and even Paul Pierce.

The Celtics have always been a blue-collar team. However, Kyrie Irving is a show-stopper, not a blue-collar player. Simply put, Kyrie does not fit into the Celtics’ identity or the culture of the Celtics franchise.

The Boston Celtics are just not the franchise for Kyrie Irving.

However, Kyrie is worthy to be the face of a marquee NBA franchise. Kyrie has played in three NBA Finals and averages 27.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists in such games. Kyrie averages more points per game in the NBA finals than Karl Malone, Tim Duncan, David Robinson, or Dwyane Wade.

Kyrie Irving is better suited to play with a franchise that is more showtime and a team that is built around him. Maybe the Lakers? Maybe the Knicks? Kyrie has already won a championship and winning does not seem like Kyrie Irving’s primary focus in his career. For him, it appears, that it is about more than basketball at this point.

And the Celtics need to invest in their young talented players and make Tatum the face of their franchise moving forward. The young Celtics players are hungry and want to win. The Celtics young crew of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, and Terry Rozier can make the Celtics competitive for the next decade.

Jaylen Brown was huge for the Celtics in the semifinals against the Bucks. And Terry Rozier got little playing time during the playoffs. Rozier is worthy to be a starting point guard and could play with the Celtics for the next decade.

With how well the Celtics played last year, the franchise has many questions to answer. Are the Celtics better without Kyrie Irving? Yes. Is Kyrie better off without the Celtics? Yes.