Leonard a cut above
TORONTO — Kawhi Leonard, generally considered the best two-way forward in the game — maybe the greatest two-way player, period — takes a positional back seat only to the player he guards better than anyone else.
Now that LeBron James is a Laker, Leonard, now a Raptor, is the best in the East. Kyrie Irving knows both well, and hates the idea of comparing one to the other.
“Man, Brad Stevens told me a quote: “Comparison is the thief of joy,” Irving said prior to last night’s game against the Raptors. “So I’m going to enjoy Kawhi for who he is and what he brings to the game, and I’m going to enjoy what Bron brings to the game as well.
“I don’t think it’s fair for players to get into comparisons honestly, because just, who else are you going to compare him to? To (Michael Jordan), Kobe (Bryant), to skill sets of different players? I just don’t like it,” said the Celtics guard. “So I just respect him for who he is and how much improvement he has made over the course of his career, and where he is now. I think he’s paid his dues in terms of being that leader on the team, and now he’s in a position now in Toronto where he’s able to be that guy still, and grow into whatever role he decides. And for me, I think that’s a great thing for a player to figure out in his career and go forward.”
It’s also a great step forward for the Raptors, who with the additions of Leonard and his former Spurs teammate, Danny Green, have added significantly to their experience level — regardless of the talent they gave up in DeMar DeRozan.
“(Leonard is) a superstar, so obviously the Raptors giving up DeMar, a great piece they had for a long time that meshed well with Kyle (Lowry), obviously they had their years where they tried to get over the hump, and the Raptors decided to move in another direction,” said Irving. “When you get two veteran pieces like Kawhi and Danny, it adds some new dimensions to your team. Obviously we know how talented he is. We know he’s just not getting back into it, but it’ll be great to go against a great competitor like that and a great team.
“Their bench is still great,” he said. “They just have a superstar that you can throw the ball to any time and just go. Obviously, they have that in DeMar and Kyle, but now you just throw it down, you can post up Kawhi every single time down and run the offense through him every single possession. But they have such great pieces around him still.”
NY state of mind
The Celtics bounce into New York to complete their first back-to-back swing of the season tonight, and Irving understands what this means for him personally.
Not only did he grow up across the river in New Jersey — it’s been widely speculated in NYC that he wanted to join forces with Jimmy Butler as Knicks.
He naturally wants nothing to do with furthering the conversation.
“Man, who cares man. Who cares. Honestly, who cares,” he said about tonight’s inevitable line of questioning.
Monroe finds home
Greg Monroe has reached that age where each new season brings another team, and hopefully one good enough to give an experienced big man a role. Last year that team was the Celtics. This season he’s a Raptor. “I think it was great having him around,” said Stevens. “All we wanted was for him to have a great experience and be prepared to help us win. I thought he did a great job when he got the opportunity. As you know, in the playoffs, those opportunities can come and go based on the team you’re playing against. But nothing but great admiration and appreciation for his short time here. I was happy to see him land on such a good team.”