KEMBA’S NEW CHAPTER
Former UConn star Kemba Walker shakes a hand after his introductory news conference at the Celtics’ practice facility on Wednesday in Boston. Walker signed a four-year, $141 million contract earlier this month.
BOSTON — Enes Kanter took a playful swipe at him.
Kemba Walker will try to replace him.
Kyrie Irving is no longer with the Celtics, but his brief flameout in Boston is still on the minds of fans in the city and even, apparently, players who have yet to play a minute for the team.
On the day that the Celtics introduced Walker, the former UConn all-time great, as their point guard of the future, Kanter said he chose the No. 11 last worn in Boston by Irving in part because it was his number in Oklahoma City in 2016-17. But he also quoted a commercial in which Irving aspired to have the number retired in his honor.
“I want to be the reason no one else wears it,” Kanter said, cracking up himself and the media at the introductory news conference he shared with Walker. “I had to say it.”
Irving was the Celtics’ big free agency splash two summers ago, when he asked the Cleveland Cavaliers to trade him and they shipped him to Boston for the immensely popular Isaiah Thomas. The Celtics, who had just lost to Cleveland in the conference finals, returned to the East finals the next year — when Irving was injured — but bowed out in the second round this season, when he was healthy.
General manager Danny Ainge took pains to stress that he doesn’t blame Irving for the team’s disappointing season.
“The last point guard, it didn’t end like we wanted this year, but it certainly wasn’t his fault,” Ainge said.
Irving, who had spoken about his desire to finish his career in Boston — and have his number retired — opted out of his contract and signed with the Brooklyn Nets. Fans were mostly glad to see him go, and Walker played along on Wednesday, joking with a reporter about the Earth being flat — a reference to another famous Irving comment.
Al Horford also jumped ship, meaning the Celtics had lost their biggest acquisition from two of the last three offseasons.
Instead of adding role players to