Takeaways from Kyrie Irving's appearance on First Take

Monday marked one of the first times we've been able to hear from Kyrie Irving since his introductory press conference with the Celtics last month. The All-Star point guard was on the receiving end of some less friendly questioning this time around in an extended appearance on ESPN's First Take program with Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman.

The pair of pundits grilled Irving for several segments (painfully at times) on his decision to move on from Cleveland as well as what lies ahead in Boston. Rather than force you folks to watch the entire appearance in full (Irving participated in non-NBA talk segments as well), here is a collection of notable takeaways from the lengthy interview.

1. Kyrie Irving doesn't care about offending LeBron James and didn't tell him he wanted out of Cleveland: Irving kept it classy in his intro presser and tried to do the same here, but repetitive badgering questioning from Smith and Kellerman revealed a few interesting nuggets from Irving on his departure from Cleveland. Take this exchange as an example with Smith:

Smith: "Did you speak to LeBron James or talk to LeBron James before you or your representatives met with ownership to let them know that you wanted out?"

Irving: "No."

Smith: "Why not?"

Irving: "Why would I have to?"

Smith: "If you don't speak to someone about it, they might take it personally."

Irving: "Yeah."

Smith: "Do you care about that at all?"

Irving: "No."

That exchange could be interpreted as a veiled shot at James in some circles, but Irving actually did well to artfully dodge criticizing James during leading questions from Kellerman throughout the rest of the hour-plus appearance. Like his press conference, there was a lot of deep philosophical talk about his changing role and being at a crossroads in his life journey. While he handled things diplomatically, the above exchange showed he's not afraid of stepping up any toes either.

2. Irving didn't like how the Cavs handled his trade request once it leaked: The trade demand by Irving was made weeks before it became public in July and it ended up being reported about while the 25-year-old guard was away on a promotional appearance in China. While one would think the Cavs would have no interest in the trade demand becoming public knowledge (since it would, in theory, hurt Irving's trade value) the four-time All-Star thought the timing of the leak was curious, to say the least.

"I felt like the timing was impeccable if you ask me," Irving explained. "I think how ironic it was that I was on my China trip and how my trade rumors all of a sudden just came out publicly. And it was hurtful because I knew how professional I had kept it throughout the whole entire process, and how strategic it was. Because I knew it was going to be madness, and it turned out to be like that. And when you're living in a reality-based (world) and I'm a very awake individual and you have all these exterior forces trying to change or skew everyone else's opinion, and I'm not able to say anything, and I'm sitting back and being very, very patient, it became something that I didn't understand because of the amount of moments that we had together as a team. .. It was hurtful to see that a lot of the reports, and a lot of things that were happening, there was minimal truth to it."

Irving also hinted that the lack of trust in that culture in Cleveland played a part in him asking out in the first place.

"When you think about the journey, and you also put things into perspective for what they really are, it's a truthful environment. And I wasn't getting that (in Cleveland). And that's where it really stands," he explained.

With one of Irving's biggest advocates in Cleveland (ex-GM David Griffin) getting the boot from the franchise in June, it makes more sense that Cleveland's front office thought their relationship with Irving that wasn't going to be repaired and wasn't worth waiting out until next season. He didn't seem to trust the team and that mindset wasn't going away.

3. Irving was very appreciative of the risk the Celtics took to land him: I've been beating this drum since the trade was initially announced last month. The Celtics paid a very high cost in assets to land Irving, even after you account for the health concerns surrounding Isaiah Thomas and Irving showed an acute awareness of this during his appearance. Danny Ainge has made a big bet on Irving and the 25-year-old guard is eager to make Ainge look smart for it.

"I'm truly appreciative of them taking the chance," Irving said.

The Duke product also repeatedly raved about getting the chance to play point guard, something that was not a regular option for him in Cleveland with James regularly running the show as a point forward.

The former Cavs star wasn't ready to put a set goal for the 2017-18 Celtics on the record but knows the long process that awaits the team during training camp.

“That’s the kind of difficult question that will be asked throughout the entire season until we form our identity," Irving said when asked about expectations. "Only four guys from last year’s team are returning. It’s totally a new journey. I have high expectations and we share that as a group."