Kyrie Irving talks LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers

Kyrie Irving continues to open up about everything from LeBron James to how his time in Cleveland went.

This piece by Jackie MacMullen is probably one of the best in-depth pieces I have read regarding behind the scene stuff on James and Irving. The two Cleveland Cavaliers’ stars have obviously parted ways after Irving’s trade demand this summer.

This piece pretty much does sum up a lot of stuff we had thought had happen, but not a lot of people knew Irving was unhappy. I thought, included a lot of people that they had a close relationship, but Brian Windhorst of ESPN was right on the money by saying they didn’t have a close relationship at all. He even stated this before the summer of 2014.

The two most surprising things to come out of the story — (1) Trade talks between Cleveland, Phoenix and Indiana; (2) Cavs owner Dan Gilbert seeking a commitment from James.

If the trade was completed, it would have sent Irving and Frye to Phoenix, and Bledsoe and George to Cleveland with the number four pick in the draft most likely going to Indiana.

That would have been a heck of a trade by all three teams if the trade went through. This would have worked out well for Cleveland. However, they still got the best possible trade with Boston by getting the Brooklyn Nets unprotected first-round pick.

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I think everyone knows this for a fact, James is not going to commit until the off-season. This shouldn’t be shocking news to anyone. James loves to use his leverage to his full advantage. Don’t expect him to commit to the Cavs now.

I still expect James to stay with the Cavs beyond this season.

"“[Leaving] was inevitable,” he says in his first extensive comments since the trade. “I could feel it.”"

In a piece written by the awesome Jackie MacMullen of ESPN, she sits down with Irving to talk about LeBron and Cleveland. In the piece, teammates said when James talked about Irving as “little brother,” he felt disrespected.

"Together, over three years, the duo played in two All-Star Games and three Finals. They weren’t particularly close, nor were they openly at odds. Teammates say LeBron’s habit of referring to Irving as “the kid” and his “little brother” was eventually viewed by Irving as a subtle lack of respect. Another player, advised by the Cavaliers not to discuss Irving publicly, noted that LeBron also predicted Irving would be an MVP one day."

One former teammate said Irving wasn’t happy in his last year with the Cavaliers.

"“Ky wasn’t as happy last year,” says one of his former teammates who talks with Irving regularly. “He wasn’t disruptive — just a little disconnected.”"

Another critical aspect in the piece was how Cavs owner Dan Gilbert asked for a commitment from James.

"When Gilbert, who declined to be interviewed for this story, was presented with the Celtics as a trade partner for Irving, he went to LeBron and tried to secure a pledge from his franchise player to remain beyond the 2017-18 season. James, team and league sources confirm, wouldn’t commit."

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Overall, this piece uncovered quite a bit of news that we didn’t know about, nor was most of it ever leaked.