Koby Altman, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ newest general manager, says the reported rift between LeBron James and Kyrie Irving is “overblown.”
Altman, however, was tight-lipped about Irving’s trade request in his introductory press conference Wednesday.
Cavaliers execs reject Irving trade talk, deny team in chaos (from @AP) https://t.co/b59S8uM363
— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) July 26, 2017
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert says he expects the All-Star point guard to report for training camp in September.
Per the AP:
“These things are fluid,” Gilbert said. “We think that Kyrie Irving is one of the best guards in the NBA. He was part of a championship, three years straight to the Finals and we value his talent — significantly.”
Despite several direct questions about Irving’s status, Gilbert would not provide any specifics about recent conversations with him or his agent. Gilbert said he expected the 25-year-old, whose jumper in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals propelled Cleveland to its first championship since the Browns in 1964, to be at training camp with the team in September.
“Right now Kyrie Irving is under contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers for two or three years, depending on the last year,” Gilbert said. “As of now he’s one of our best players and sure, we expect him to be in camp.”
Altman dismissed any Irving-James rift.
“I think a lot of it has been overblown,” he said. “I think the people who are in this building every day haven’t seen any of that animosity. This is, along with Kevin Love, this is a group that got us to three straight Finals and won an NBA championship together. They play great together on the floor and a lot of that I do think is overblown.”
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