Kyrie Irving praises LeBron James in Celtics introductory press conference
By Mark Gunnels
When Kyrie Irving requested a trade from Cleveland, many assumed it was because he was tired of being in the shadow of LeBron James.
Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge finally decided to roll the dice this offseason. In what was a busy summer, Boston finished with a bag after trading for Kyrie Irving.
Despite making the Eastern Conference Finals, Boston was fortunate enough to land the No. 1 pick. However, Ainge decided to trade it away and draft Jayson Tatum. In addition to that, Boston traded away their best defender in Avery Bradley to the Detroit Pistons for Marcus Morris. Furthermore, the Celtics were able to land All-Star Gordon Hayward in free agency.
In the midst of the Kyrie hoopla. there appeared to be some tension between the former Duke star and LeBron James.
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The consensus around the association is that Kyrie is determined to be the man. While LeBron is a great teammate, whenever you’re on his team, be prepared to take a backseat. The four-time MVP not only runs the floor, but he has the power within the front office.
Irving elaborated on the topic during his introductory presser.
"“I haven’t spoken to [James], and my intent [in asking for a trade], like I said, was for my best intentions,” Irving said. “To look back at the amount of ground we covered in the last three-year span … to really realize how special that was and how much stuff happened in that amount of time, I’d be sitting up here and telling you guys a lie if I didn’t tell you I learned so much from that guy."
The four-time All-Star is saying all of the right things, but when he faces LeBron in Cleveland on opening night, you better believe he’ll have something to prove.