Morning sports update: Stephen A. Smith says Kyrie Irving ‘should never consider playing with LeBron James again’
The ESPN analyst said Irving should keep the limelight he's acquired for himself, to himself.
Chris Sale took a two-hitter into the seventh inning before being ejected as the Red Sox beat the Orioles 5-1 on Wednesday. Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez homered for Boston to complete the three-game sweep. The World Cup kicks off Thursday at 11 a.m. when Russia takes on Saudi Arabia.
Stephen A. Smith: Kyrie Irving ‘should never consider playing with LeBron James again’
In Cleveland, Kyrie Irving and LeBron James reached three straight NBA Finals and raised one banner together. That string of success ended when the Cavaliers traded Irving to Boston last summer, a surprising deal that was reportedly spurred by the point guard’s desire to escape James’s shadow.
Now, as James appears set to enter free agency with Boston a possible destination, Stephen A. Smith says Irving should keep the limelight he’s acquired for himself, to himself.
“He should never consider playing with LeBron James again because he wanted to leave LeBron James,” Smith said on ESPN’s “First Take”. “So the reasons that you wanted to leave LeBron James have not changed.”
The NBA analyst noted Irving is trying to get a super-max deal in a city where he can be the face of the franchise and the team’s No. 1 option. The point guard, who averaged 24.4 points per game this year before knee surgery sidelined him for the playoffs, is the Celtics’ primary scorer and can make more money by signing with Boston next year than anywhere else.
Why then, Smith asks, reunite with James?
“In the end what it comes down to is this: Kyrie Irving has established himself as a superstar in this league,” Smith said. “He’s a champion. He’s a big-time guard. We all know what he brings to the table and we firmly believe that if Kyrie Irving were healthy, Boston would have been in the Finals this year instead of Cleveland. We’ve seen that now. So when you look at it from that perspective, why pair again with LeBron James? For what? It defeats everything that you went through in order to get out.”
Smith’s comments came the day after Irving was asked about the possibility of the Cavaliers star following him to Boston.
“In this business, I’ve experienced it all and I’ve seen a lot,” Irving answered. “So we’ll see what management decides.”
Smith’s cohost, Max Kellerman, said Celtics general manager Danny Ainge needs to “seriously consider” moving on from Kyrie Irving for a player like Anthony Davis or Kawhi Leonard. Kellerman reasoned that Irving must have serious thoughts of leaving Boston, or else he would look at how the team is primed for success and say, “I want to be here.”
Brad Stevens spent his Monday motivating a different group of Celtics: At the Celtics’ practice facility on Monday, Boston’s head coach gave some advice to the players representing the team in the NBA 2K League. Stevens highlighted the importance of allowing players to be themselves, unplugging, and tying performance to the individual. (Boston.com)
One way to get a White House visit? Have Sean Hannity’s son on your team: Last month, Donald Trump welcomed the Wake Forest men’s tennis team to the White House after they won the national championship. Fox News host Sean Hannity, who’s son is a redshirt freshman on the team, “helped instigate the talks” that led to the visit. (Boston.com)
Former Bruins enforcer Nick Boynton details the personal demons he’s fought since retirement: In a piece for The Player’s Tribune, Boynton writes about his struggle with depression, anxiety, substance abuse, “and just… pain.” The defenseman, who won a Stanley Cup with Chicago in 2010, says he’d hand his ring back if he could avoid the pain and sorrow that followed.
“In so many ways, my life after hockey has been a living hell,” Boynton writes. (Boston.com)
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