It cannot be denied that Kyrie Irving is one of the elite point guards in the NBA right now. He after all helped the Cleveland Cavaliers end its title drought after sinking that clutch shot right in the face of Stephen Curry. Still, at the end of the day, he is only second to LeBron James’ greatness.
In a report from CBS Sports, Michael Jordan’s former teammate in the Chicago Bulls named Scottie Pippen shared his own thoughts. He was basically referring to Kyrie Irving’s request for a trade, as he plans to venture to an organization where he is the focal point.
Here is everything about it in a nutshell.
Pippen on Irving’s decision to leave
First and foremost, Pippen is perhaps the most interesting player to comment on the All-Star point guard’s decision. After all, he knows a lot about playing alongside an all-time great. It is worth noting that Pippen was part of the historic Chicago Bulls team of the late 1990s. He helped the group win a total of six NBA titles, allowing him to become a Hall of Famer.
James and Kyrie Irving, on the other hand, are somewhat similar to Jordan and Pippen. They may not be the same in terms of the numbers involved, but the dynamic duo they possess is. In an interview with ESPN, Pippen talked about Irving’s current situation and defended him.
“I am a very strong supporter of what he’s doing because I’ve watched what has happened to him in his career,” he said. Pippen said that Irving, in one way or another, is at the kind of superstar level where he can “control his own destiny.”
Go and take the opportunity
Pippen even pointed out how some players in the league tend to neglect the opportunity of leading their own team.
For him, Kyrie Irving is in the right position to take advantage of it. “I think it’s the perfect timing,” he continued. Pippen also mentioned about James being not responsible with his teammates. According to the Hall of Famer, The King fails to give his guys the security that they really need. He must be there to guarantee his team that the superstar will be there.
Instead, he went the other way around and planted doubts. Pippen continued that what Irving did was sort of running before James could even run.
ESPN notes that in the past, there were rumors about James taking his talents to the Los Angeles Lakers. This reportedly disturbed Kyrie Irving, who also wanted to leave if James did. But it turns out, Irving is actually leaving to pursue a career of his own.
