Kyrie seeks privacy on LeBron
CANTON — LeBron James sounded like the father in the parable of the prodigal son when, during the Cleveland Cavaliers’ media day yesterday, he spoke of letting go of his now former teammate Kyrie Irving.
“I was ready to give him the keys. I tried to help him be as good as he could be,” the Cavaliers star told ESPN. “I don’t have any advice for him now, you’re either with us or against us. It was a gratifying three years together.”
Yesterday, Irving acknowledged during Celtics media day that he hasn’t talked to James since demanding a trade out of Cleveland. And though James wondered what he could have said to make Irving want to stay, the Celtics guard wouldn’t let on about what might be said in such a conversation.
“If we ever have that conversation, I don’t think it’s for anybody else but me and him,” said Irving. “Even if there are things, it’s not anybody else’s business. It’s really between two men. As much as everyone here would (like to hear about it), that’s between two men.”
Pressed on the matter, Irving said, “I mean, like I said, if it happens or not, I’m pretty sure you guys won’t know about it. It’s not whether or not, it’s really just about having the respect of two men and having that conversation be accepted. That’s all.”
Morris on trial
Marcus Morris, currently in Phoenix standing trial with his twin brother Markieff on assault charges, won’t join the Celtics until the trial is completed. Proceedings resumed yesterday. The brothers are charged, along with three other men, two of whom have pled guilty, in the 2015 beating of Erik Hood, a former family friend.
The Morris brothers defense team claims that Julius Kane and Christopher Melendez, the two who pled guilty, administered the beating, and that Hood implicated them in an attempt to get money.
If convicted of the felony, the new Celtics forward faces an NBA minimum 10-game suspension, not to mention the possibility of incarceration.
But Danny Ainge said yesterday the team is hopeful that their new forward will soon return.
“His teammates and (coach) Brad (Stevens) and myself have all been in contact, and (assistant GM) Mike Zarren was out there during the trial last week, so we’ve been in touch with Marcus throughout the process,” said the Celtics president. “Right, so no plan B. We’ll just wait like everyone else to see what happens there, but we feel good about what will happen. At the same time we understand what possibilities exist, but we’ve been keeping close tabs on the trial.”
Giddy Horford
There’s no hiding Al Horford’s delight over sharing the floor with Irving.
“Man, he’s special. He’s special. I was watching him work out on Tuesday and I was just blown away,” said the Celtics center. “I’ve played against him over the years. You see him on the court, you see some of the moves, you’re impressed like, yeah, he’s an All-Star player. He’s a really good player. But when you see him work at what he does in practice and how easy he’s able to score the ball and handle it and do certain things, it just really blew my mind. I don’t think people really understand how good a player he is. He’s gonna showcase that this year. He needs time to get acclimated and to catch up to speed with everything we have. His ability is unreal. I’m very intrigued to see how the season’s gonna develop. He’s gonna be great for us.” . . .
Jayson Tatum, after a starring turn with the Celtics summer league team, received an interesting welcome from Irving during recent workouts.
“I tried to switch on a pick-and-roll against Kyrie. It wasn’t summer league,” said the rookie forward.