I was upset as soon as I saw the "Woj Bomb" from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter on Tuesday night: "Cleveland and Boston have moved into serious talks on a trade centered on All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, league sources tell ESPN."
I knew what was coming. There was no way the Cavaliers were giving up their four-time All-Star for nothing.
Moments later, my worst fears were confirmed, via another tweet: The two teams were working on a deal that involved trading Irving for Isaiah Thomas and others. My heart sank. My head hurt. I was devastated. It didn't take long for the teams to make an announcement.
In less than three seasons with the Celtics, Thomas has cemented himself in franchise lore with his on-court heroics. Despite his 5-foot-9 stature, he carried the team on his back and electrified the Garden faithful along the way.
When his sister died suddenly before the playoffs this year, he put together one of the most inspiring performances I've ever seen, scoring 33 points through his tears in a Game 1 loss to the Chicago Bulls. Two weeks later, he dropped an astounding 53 points in the conference semifinals on what would have been her 23rd birthday. In doing so, he allowed fans to mourn and celebrate her life along with him, in what felt like a generously intimate gesture.
While he didn't help the Celtics win the title, nor did he have an extended run with the team like some other franchise legends, Boston fans will always remember him fondly.
So, yeah, when I discovered the team traded away their best player and emotional leader for a guy who doesn't believe the earth is round, I was pretty disappointed. And don't get me started on the rest of the trade -- Jae Crowder (can someone tell me who's going to play defense in Boston now?), Ante Zizic and the 2018 first-round pick from the Brooklyn Nets were also included in the exchange.
I texted my dad the news and impatiently awaited his reply. Since he's not on Twitter and doesn't receive alerts on his phone, I knew he hadn't yet heard the news. He's a lifelong Celtics fan who made me a devotee as a baby, and I knew he'd be equally devastated.
But then I got this back:
I'm pretty sure I heard the record scratch-and-stop noise in my head as I read that. Did he really just call me sentimental? Was he really not upset? IS THERE NO SUCH THING AS LOYALTY ANYMORE?
After I got over the momentary disbelief, I thought about it. Maybe the trade isn't so bad. And I mean, I guess I can get over the whole "earth is flat" thing if Kyrie can hit another clutch 3-pointer like he did during Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals.
And I'll give my dad this, I really would make a horrible general manager. My team would be one of high-character guys who are beloved by fans and are a good 10 years past their prime -- well-respected by all but likely not winning many games.
At least I can admit it.
I'm not going to lie and say I woke up today and suddenly felt great about the deal. I didn't. I still feel like the team gave up too much, and I'll miss Thomas. But maybe his hip injury is worse than previously believed, or maybe Celtics general manager Danny Ainge feels like the combination of Irving, the newly signed Gordon Hayward (who Thomas helped recruit, by the way) and much-hyped rookie Jayson Tatum is truly the best bet for future Boston glory.
I have my doubts, but I'm trying to not let my sentimental feelings get in the way. SIGH. Professional sports teams are not successful because of loyalty and emotional attachment. The cold reality is that franchises are businesses and players and front-office staff have to make decisions that will put them in the best position to win -- whether it be now, like in the case of the Cavaliers, or a few years down the road, like the Celtics (hopefully).
We'll just have to wait and see what happens on both teams. Thankfully, we won't have to wait long to see how they fared with the deal, as they face off against each other in the first game of the season on Oct. 17. I'll be rooting for Thomas to drop 35 in a Cavaliers loss, in case you were wondering.
So, I guess, welcome to the team, Kyrie. Please prove my doubts wrong ... and maybe, I don't know, consider taking an astronomy class. Boston has some great universities.
