On Monday, it was reported by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith that Kyrie Irving was unhappy with his current playing situation. That night, however, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ point guard denied those rumors, saying he was only focused on winning in Cleveland.
Following from Dave McMenamin of ESPN:
“There’s nothing to really address,” Irving said after putting up 22 points, six assists and an 11-for-11 mark from the free throw line against the Pacers. “Obviously there’s going to be some misunderstandings; it’s part of being on a team. For me, as a maturing young player in this league, I know what we have and the opportunity we have in order to be something special. My communication is open with all of my teammates, just knowing what’s going on and how I feel about things.
“For me, all that other stuff, what everyone is going to say, they’re going to pick one player, it’s going to change every single week. When they think that we’re down and out, they’re going to choose one player, so, for me, it has no effect on my life or what’s going on. It’s all about winning and winning a championship for Cleveland.”
The report given by Smith seems to make use of an ever-growing anxious league. With the massive success of the Warriors, it seems that a great team like the Cavs cannot be pleased with the success they have had. Cleveland has not been perfect this season by any means and their issues are well-known and well-covered.
However, they are 42-17 on the season and the heavy favorites to get to the Finals from the Eastern Conference. Whatever issues they may have come second to the winning that they have been able to do over the past two seasons.
Irving played on some of the worst teams in franchise and league history before last season. There is little doubt that he is happy to finally be playing on a winning-team that has a chance to win the championship if everything breaks the right way.
