It is safe to say that, by now, almost every NBA fan has learned about the latest drama in Cleveland. As we all well know, Kyrie Irving requested to be traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers and it seems like everybody has an opinion about it. Many former and current NBA players and stars have commented on Irving's trade request and apparently only Kyrie Irving himself hasn't said anything about it yet. There have been many rumors and speculations so far about Kyrie's new potential team, but no official deal has been made yet. The Cavaliers' point guard reportedly said that he doesn't want to play with LeBron James anymore, and it seems like this particular detail has caused many reactions around the NBA.
The latest person to comment on the situation in Cleveland is Hall of Famer Charles Barkley.
"I don't understand the Kyrie situation"
Barkley was recently interviewed by NBA TV, and among other things he was asked about the Kyrie Irving trade request. When Barkley was asked what is his take on the scenario with Kyrie Irving and LeBron James, he said that he doesn't understand the "Kyrie situation". He went on to say that he thinks players in today's NBA should want to play with other great players as it would make things easier for them. He also added: "This notion of where you want to be 'the man', I just think it's so stupid." Barkley was obviously referring to Kyrie as Irving reportedly said that he wants to be the vocal point and 'the man' on some other team as he is tired of playing in LeBron James' shadow.
Charles also said that he doesn't understand why Kyrie Irving doesn't want to play alongside LeBron James since he is still the best player in the world. "Listen, I wanna play with LeBron now!" Barkley said.
Charles has a point since it is hard to believe that the Cavaliers would be as nearly as good as they've been for the past three years, if LeBron wasn't there.
But it is also true that Kyrie Irving has been one of the key players for the Cavaliers over the past few years, and it will be hard for them to compete for the championship if Irving leaves the team after all.
Hall of Fame career for Barkley
Barkley's words shouldn't be taken lightly even though he didn't win an NBA championship.
Charles was drafted as the fifth overall pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1984 NBA Draft. He played 16 seasons in the NBA and holds career averages of 22.1 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. His best season was during the 1992/1993 campaign when he won the MVP award as he averaged 25.6 points, 12.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game that year. Barkley was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
