It's not completely hypocritcal; it's just criticism for different reasons.

People criticize Durant not because he left, but because he joined a turn-key champion and the competitive drive we want to see from our athletes says we'd prefer seem them blaze their own trail. The whole 'to be the best you gotta beat the best' thing is a staple of athletic competition. Durant didn't have to beat the best - he just joined them.

That same competitive instinct makes us look at a guy in Irving who wants to leave a winning team to go...well anywhere he can be a more clear #1 option (including shit teams like the Knicks) makes people take pause. It certainly makes me wonder why his motivation is.

But then I remember that Kobe didn't want to go to a team, chuck up shots and lose. He wanted to go to a team, chuck up shots and prove that he can kick ass without Shaq. It was still pure ego at work, but it wasn't pure ego without competitive drive (and yeah, the league has plenty of those guys; Carmelo Anthony, for one). So maybe that's what Irving's looking to do. He's not looking to go pile up hollow offense, get a shoe deal and show that he can score from behind. He's looking to prove that he can go somewhere and be 'the man' and win still.

I don't fault him, but I also don't think it's fair to say anyone that criticizes both him and Durant are being hypocritical.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Cleveland and Boston have moved into serious talks on a trade centered on All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, league sources tell ESPN.</p>&mdash; Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/900119503203438594">August 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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That'd be interesting to see Isiah's scoring with LeBron's passing. They'd be very tough to stop offensively but that wasn't the Cavs problem last year and Isiah's D isn't the best because of his height.

Fail trade for the Cavs but hey at least they get rid of the crybaby Irving.

Well you are a well known dumbass so it's no surprise you think its a fail trade.

The only reason people on here think I am a dumbass is because I don't follow the opinion that Alex Smith is a terrible QB yet most NFL GMs and players would agree with me. So some delusional fans posting on a message board calling me a dumbass doesn't bother me.

Second all the details of the trade have not been finalized, if it even happens. Maybe it will turn out to be the greatest trade in the history of the NBA but as of right now I don't see it.

Third we all know if the Spurs stay healthy they are winning the NBA Championship anyway so who cares right?

lol all the guys who went to Boston to help rebuild/win/revive their careers are going to get traded away so good.

The deal is done.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Cavs agree to deal Kyrie Irving for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and 2018 Nets pick, source told ESPN.</p>&mdash; Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) <a href="https://twitter.com/GoodmanESPN/status/900135459510243332">August 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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Looks like a good deal for both teams

That's a really good trade for Cleveland. Irving is a better player than Thomas, who is literally the worst defensive player in the league, but Kyrie is a terrible defender in his own right. Thomas is a legitimate scorer who is only slightly less efficient than Irving.

Key to the deal is Crowder, who is a good enough defender to take the primary scorer, resting LeBron. That, along with a 2018 first from the Nets that is unprotected (and likely a top-5 pick) is a hell of a haul for a guy that everyone knew wanted out.

Now Irving can fulfill his destiny of being a miniature Dominique Wilkins.

Your basketball takes are just as bad as your Alex Smith takes.

Fair trade for both teams. Celtics get their "star." Cavs get players to help LeBron this season, plus they get a good shot at Michael Porter or Bagley in their post LeBron rebuild. Win for both teams.

The 2018 Nets pick too? LMAO

Horrific deal for the Celtics. They just got worse now and in the future for what may not even be a upgrade at PG (Kyrie remains the most overrated player in the league, a complete ISO player offensively who doesn't play defense). I have no idea why Ainge felt compelled to bail the Cavs out here after all these years of hoarding assets, they did not have to make this move.

I can't believe Boston gave up that pick. Gives Cleveland a ton of flexibility. They can try to build around LeBron, or if he leaves, they can just tank and have a lottery pick to start it all off.

What makes it a win for the Celtics? LeBron is going to beat them easily this year. After he leaves for the Lakers in 2018, they still would have been the best team in the conference (with or without Kyrie) but now they'll do it without Porter or Bagley. They'll almost certainly never have enough pieces to win a championship now. What is the point of this?

IT was even more efficient than Kyrie last year. Of course, that was probably a career year and IT has choked repeatedly in the playoffs, but I don't think the difference between these two players merited this package.