Kyrie Irving had a chance to set the record straight on Friday about a report from one day earlier indicating he was threatening to opt for surgery if the Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t trade him last offseason. Not surprisingly, he absolutely denies having made such a threat.
Kyrie Irving on report he threatened knee surgery if Cleveland didn't trade him: "No. No. It's kinda crazy the amount of things that are still coming out. … Just ready to move on. Not true." pic.twitter.com/RKWWnY8LmS
— Chris Forsberg (@ChrisForsberg_) January 26, 2018
He also cracked a joke about it all.
Kyrie Irving denied report he threatened knee surgery if the Cavs wouldn't trade him. Said of claim he'll need minor surgery, "Sounds like a HIPAA violation" https://t.co/2wP6DucUE6
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) January 26, 2018
Whether he did or didn’t make the threat, nobody can deny that Irving jumped ship at the right time. Cleveland is in a complete tailspin right now, having lost six of its last seven games and seven of its last 10, falling to third place in the Easter Conference, 6.5 games behind the Celtics.
Meanwhile, Irving and the Boston Celtics are sitting pretty in first place, 1.5 games over the Toronto Raptors. Though, the Celtics will be tested in the next couple of weeks without Marcus Smart, who committed a serious no-no that has him on the shelf.