Getty Kyrie Irving told ESPN Monday morning that he never told former teammate LeBron James that he wanted to leave Cleveland
With all of the trade discussions of Anthony Davis joining the Los Angeles Lakers … Guess what gets lost in translation?
Today at 3 PM ET, the two teams rumored for months to acquire Davis — the Celtics and the Lakers — actually play against each other tonight in Boston.
Even crazier, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving, former Cleveland Cavaliers teammates may play against each other tonight.For weeks, fans and media pundits have stated that the two could become teammates once again if Irving decides to not re-sign with the Boston Celtics.
Is this too far-fetched? Is the media going overboard? “I don’t think the media is making too much of it at all,” FS1’s Chris Broussard told me two weeks ago on the Scoop B Radio Podcast.
“I mean, you demanded a trade from LeBron James and his team and, you know, then, two years later, you call him up and you admitted, unsolicited, you brought it up yourself to the media that you called him and apologized to him for being that stubborn, young teammate, so I think that’s a big story.”
Broussard likened it to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook’s ugly departure in Oklahoma City when Durant left the Thunder for the Golden State Warriors.
“It would be like if Kevin Durant called up Russell Westbrook and apologized for leaving the way he did or Westbrook calling up Durant and apologizing for being upset and posting cupcake Instagram posts and things like that,” he said.
“So I think it was definitely legitimate and a big story, and while I don’t think Kyrie will end up playing with LeBron, with the Lakers, I do think that, what two weeks ago was not even a remote possibility of those two playing together, is indeed a possibility now.”
While our interview via the Scoop B Radio Podcast was two weeks ago, Broussard cited Irving’s productivity back then.
“He averaged about 30 points and 11 assists in a four-game win streak and it looks like Kyrie is embracing the role of leader,” he said.
He set the pecking order in Boston now, whereas earlier in the season it was kind of, “okay, are we the equal opportunity team on offense that we were last year when Kyrie was hurt, or are we Kyrie’s team offensively?” I think now it’s Kyrie’s team clearly, and he’s dishing the ball, you’re scoring the ball and they’re winning. And so I think Kyrie’s played tremendous basketball since his revelation about calling LeBron. I also think that it was a message to his teammates that, you know, “hey guys, I get where you’re coming from, but don’t be like I was and don’t listen, not listen to the veteran leader who’s been there, who’ won a championship”, but I think, overall, what Kyris has learned is that, “let me just lead through my play and my example off the court, and not declare I’m the leader and these are the young guys, I’m the veteran”, no, you don’t have to declare it. I’m not saying he can’t lead with words because he’s going to have to speak, but you don’t have to declare yourself the leader, declare them the young guys and role players. You just lead, and I think that’s how he’s been playing lately.”