Apparently that has changed.

Listen to Kyrie today.

Well, like I said, the focus is on what's going on in the task here.

You know, my job and I wanted to make sure that that was clear.

There are no distractions, nothing about dispelling anything.

Nothing about going back and forth, knowing about calling out one person or another, not even refer to you guys as pawns.

You know what I mean or media.

It's just really how I felt about the mistreatment of certain artists.

When we get to a certain platform of when we make decisions within our lives that I have full control and ownership, you know, way go through the rigorous season way.

Do everything we're asked to do, you know, and we want to perform in a secure and protected space.

And if I can't have my voice protected on this platform where I offer myself in my art, just inviting everyone to it because this is what I've been blessed to do, then you have you got a two time MVP coaching you, man, I'm like, you know, I think I got to take back my comment in terms of head coach back in a few months ago, but it's just like, man, we have such a great synergy.

Everyone feels like we're coaching one another to be better.

So I'm grateful for that.

Coach is what's your reaction when you see him there?

Well, that's the right thing to say, obviously to clarify.

But at the end of the day, the media is just part of the deal, and especially in New York City, get used to it.

I've lived it on, but for the most part in New York, you have really big time sports journalist.

But you do have those writers who are sensationalist and want to poke at you and kind of tabloid it, and so I see how that could get annoying toe a player at times.

But you just kind of kind of prepare yourself that that's what it's gonna be.

They're gonna always be trying to pull out your three.

It's always trying to pull out your culture, especially in a big media market like that, and you're just gonna have to find the common ground on a good level of respect.

Toe walk that line with them.

Dave, Well, speaking as someone who covered him day in, day out for three years and didn't really feel like I had a different advanced relationship with them at the end of those three years that I did on Day one, all I ask is someone as a speaking on behalf of the media corps and advocate for the job we do.

It's just fulfill your obligations, don't have to be friends with us, but speak to us after games because if ultimately what you seek is understanding for the art that you are putting out there, the best way we can understand it is if we hear it directly from you.

Because otherwise we got to talk to other people who could interpret what you're doing and then put those quotes and that information our stories versus getting it straight from the source.

And so today, I hope, was an olive branch, because listen, the Nets were gonna be one of the most fascinating teams all season long.

Kyrie is one of the most fascinating characters in that group.

So let's hear it directly from the horse's mouth.

It's interesting to me watching him speak just now.

The best advocate for Kyrie Irving is Kyrie Irving.

He is telegenic.

He is charming.

He is smart when he wants to have a real conversation.

He he's a he's winning in every kind of way.

And he could be his own advocate in so many ways, with the people that he feels are causing him distractions or taking away from him, he could actually be helpful in changing that.

It's when he does The Big Instagram sort of, you know, treatises that I think allows people to sort of read into it to Dave's point.

I was also interested to hear him make his comment about Steve Nash saying, Oh, I got to take back what I said a few months ago.

That was, of course, in reference to the podcast that he and Kevin Durant it together where he said, 01 day he's gonna be the coach.

One day I'm gonna be the coach.

We're all gonna be coaches, and it's funny in the moment again, some people said, and that That's a great thing to set up your new coach, Steve Nash.

Legendary Steve Nash with, And he was upset that people were quote taking out of context.

Or why do I live in this media world and all of that?

Well, today, he said himself, I got to take back what I said, Eh?

So clearly he knows now that was not the right thing to say.

Yeah, and I just think that he's gonna learn fast.

They're gonna have to put a nice little bubble over their team.

Same thing we did in Miami, you know, don't say too much.

You just give him enough.

You don't let him in your locker room from the standpoint of information, because the biggest issue they're gonna have this year, people trying to tear them apart from the outside that teams got great.

You could see the relationships are there.

Steve Nash is the kind of guy that's a team builder, so they do have to be aware of what could tear them apart outside.

But you need to understand, you have to deal with the media and you can use the media to your advantage if you you know approach it with the proper level of respect.

The media is a conduit to the fans.

That's just that's just how it is.

That's why that is part of the collective bargaining agreement.

Kevin Durant returning to action last night.

Man.

Let's get back to the court because this was so great.

First time since tearing his Achilles in Game five of the 2019 finals.

15 points, three rebounds, three assists, two blocks, 24 minutes of action.

But most of all, coach, he just looked like himself having fun.

It looks great with having one of our superstars back on the court.

It makes the league exciting and interesting.

And the things I look forward, how many times did you shoot inside the restricted area to for three inside the paint?

He was five or six from the free throw line, which means he is attacking.

That is, putting pressure on that leg to do the things that has always done for him and over the time that he plays this year, as his minutes grow, he'll get stronger.

And I think playing next to a guy like Kyrie who can really get him some easy buckets is just gonna allow him to progress at his own pace because I love seeing Katie play above the rim 17 months after playing his last game in the finals.

To be out there on the court and to show that that level of elasticity is back in that leg of his and obviously have the confidence to go for plays like that shows me that he's progressed to a really strong level entering this season.

We looked at guys in the past, we've had the Achilles tear, basically No one that I can recall.

That was at his type of level return to that type of level.

So he's trying to accomplish something that's unprecedented here, but certainly like, I think part of the reason Kevin Durant hasn't had the best relationship with the fans and with the media is that maybe he hasn't gotten his proper do, is being one of the greatest players of all time and certainly one of the greatest of his generation.

And I think perhaps, you know, this could be a reminder to everyone of just how great of a basketball player he is.

If he can stay healthy on the court this year.

look, we haven't seen a guy with his body type in his prime of that skill level have this kind of injury, So he could really be rewriting the book on what an Achilles injury can and can't do to you.

And the chemistry he had with Kyrie on the court was remarkable.

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