Jones: The Kyrie deal, a year later — hindsight and hypocrisy reign

It's amazing what the passage of time can do.

Take, for example, the trade between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics, which went down just more than a year ago, Aug. 22, 2017, to be exact.

That deal, of course, sent All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving to Boston in return for All-Star Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, Brooklyn's unprotected 2018 first-round draft pick -- which resulted in the Cavaliers selecting point guard Collin Sexton out of Alabama with the No. 8 overall pick in the draft June 21 -- and Miami's second-round choice in 2020.

A quick recap -- Irving wanted out and he and his representatives had a meeting with Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert to deliver the news. Of course, word got out. According to reports, Irving threatened to have knee surgery and sit out the entire season if his request to be dealt wasn't granted.

Eventually, new Cavs general manager Koby Altman -- thrust into the fire after Gilbert and former Cavs GM David Griffin, Altman's mentor, by the way, could not agree on a contract extension and parted ways -- put together the swap.

Here, courtesy of

The Kyrie/IT trade was announced one year ago today (August 22). Here’s just some select post-trade commentary #Cavs #Celtics pic.twitter.com/myc69tME7f

— Freezing Cold Takes (@OldTakesExposed) August 22, 2018

">Freezing Cold Takes, is how some talking heads across the country and NBA landscape reacted to the trade when it went down.

The Kyrie/IT trade was announced one year ago today (August 22). Here’s just some select post-trade commentary #Cavs #Celtics pic.twitter.com/myc69tME7f
— Freezing Cold Takes (@OldTakesExposed) August 22, 2018

Some of these same individuals have spent the past year crucifying Gilbert, Altman and the Cavaliers for the trade.

Talking about hindsight being 20-20, huh?

Or is it simply hypocrisy?

Of course, these are many of the same people who now spew about the Irving trade providing some of the impetus, greasing the skids, if you will, for James defecting from Cleveland for a second time, "taking his talents" to Hollywood, this time. (Sidebar -- say what you want about James, but he sure knows how to pick a climate once he feels his team has run its course or becomes inferior, huh?)

All the Cavaliers have to show for trading Irving is Sexton and Zizic, two promising young players.

The Celtics have Irving -- who missed the final portion of the regular season and all of the playoffs when he did indeed have not one, but two surgical procedures on his ailing knee -- for at least this season, but he has already stated his intentions to enter into unrestricted free agency next July by declining his player option.

Say Irving bolts out of Beantown, leaving the Celtics with absolutely nothing to show for surrendering what amounts to Sexton and Zizic, both of whom have shown potential to be solid NBA players, at least.

What will the "stars" of all these hot-take, debate-television shows have to say then?

The guess here is they'll make it up as they go... just as they did a year ago.

Stay tuned.