Kyrie Irving is one of the best isolation players of this generation. Unfortunately, due to his polarizing nature off the court, he’s spent limited time on it. Irving was also supposed to be a key piece of the Boston Celtics for years to come. And his decision to leave Beantown left local fans filled with rage. 

On Friday’s Toucher & Rich program—Kendrick Perkins, on-air personality for ESPN and NBC Sports Boston, called in to discuss the nature of Irving’s off-court actions. Fred Toucher also asked Perkins whether Irving’s departure ultimately screwed the future of the Celtics franchise. 

Parts of conversation are abbreviated for clarity.

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  LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 08: Kyrie Irving #2 of the Dallas Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena on February 08, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

• Fred: What do you think about Kyrie Irving? If you were a teammate of his, do you think he has overstepped his bounds?   

  Perkins: Well, I was a teammate of his for a short period of time. Let me tell you something. When Kyrie Irving is available, playing between the lines, he’s one of the most phenomenal basketball players to watch. He is straight-up box office material. He’s one of the best isolation players in the game today.   

  There are things that have transpired over the last three or four years when it comes down to his availability. You have two situations when it comes down to Kyrie. Him not getting vaccinated, which is his personal opinion and right. Then you have the situation where he got suspended this season. That is something that happened to be his belief. We don’t need to dive into that.   

  Other times, he just didn’t show up to work. That’s the problem. Those were the times I had to call him out, not being at work and not communicating with the organization.   

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  PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JANUARY 25: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets looks on during the first quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on January 25, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

• Perkins: Deep down inside, I genuinely think that Kyrie Irving really cares. If he didn’t, he would walk away from the game of basketball.  

  When it comes down to Kyrie, I just want to feel hope. I want to feel hope. I want to see him hoop and be available.  

  To be honest, I didn’t get into the media to talk about all the outside stuff Kyrie has going on. I want to talk about Kyrie as a basketball player. But he makes it so hard for us because [the off-court stuff] is all we have to talk about.  

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  June 8, 2018; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Kendrick Perkins (21) during the second quarter in game four of the 2018 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors at Quicken Loans Arena. The Warriors defeated the Cavaliers 108-85 to complete a four-game sweep. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

• Fred: Do you think he screwed Boston? When he made all the comments about staying here? It’s his prerogative, but do you think he screwed the Celtics?  

  Perkins: I think he actually helped them by not staying, to be honest. He did sell them dreams, though. His leaving was the best thing that happened for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. They were able to come out and be the best version of themselves. His leaving was the best thing that happened for Marcus Smart.  

  When you look at it, [Tatum and Brown] were able to grow. They learned how to play through the mistakes and how to be THE guys. 

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  CANTON, MA – SEPTEMBER 24: From left, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward talk together during a photoshoot on Boston Celtics Media Day. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

• Full Segment

• Ryan Beaton is a producer for 985thesportshub.com. You can follow Ryan at @ry_beaton on Twitter.

  Follow @Toucherandrich on Twitter, @Toucherandrichofficial and @fredtoucher on Instagram to keep up with the show!

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