Wyc Grousbeck might not have known it, but the Boston Celtics governor/majority owner’s comments about Kyrie Irving’s departure might have also served as a backhanded swipe at Kemba Walker.
Tensions are admittedly high in “Titletown”, with Tom Brady showing up Bill Belichek’s New England Patriots with a Super Bowl victory in Tampa Bay (with Rob Gronkowski to boot) and the Boston Red Sox falling to the bottom of the American League East.
That said, Grousbeck’s comments came from out of left field–and no, I don’t mean the Green Monster.
I present to you the comments in question:
Celtics CEO and Governor, Wyc Grousbeck says Kyrie Irving's departure is one of the main reasons for Boston's struggles this year. pic.twitter.com/v2t9BmeZyt
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 25, 2021
A domino effect, eh?
So Grousbeck believes that Irving’s departure was not only a bad thing but also the reason they are 15-17 right now. Got it.
Grousbeck’s comments oddly ignore an extremely successful 2019-20 season that saw the Cs come within two games of the NBA Finals. Miami took the Eastern Conference crown, but you could make a case that no team had a more complete season in relation to postseason success to go along with regular-season seeding.
Kemba Walker has been in numerous mock trades written by yours truly, but I will freely admit he has been a better compliment to Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum than Kyrie Irving ever was and has undoubtedly facilitated their growth more than Irving ever did.
These comments from the Boston Celtics governor could come off like a passive-aggressive attack on Kemba Walker, and it glorifies the Brooklyn Nets this season. Irving is now playing with two former MVPs, and Boston is currently sitting outside the playoff picture.
That said, this could easily also be the boost the team needs to snap their current three-game losing streak.
Indiana is on the schedule tonight. Let’s see if Walker and co. can bounce back before major changes to the roster are considered…if they aren’t already.