The Celtics guard on Tuesday deferred when asked about the prospect of the team pursuing James this summer. The 33-year-old James has a player option to remain in Cleveland next season but could opt for free agency.
”In this business , I’ve kind of experienced it all and I’ve seen a lot, so we’ll see what management decides,” Irving said when asked if he would be open to playing alongside James again.
Irving was drafted No. 1 overall by the Cavaliers in 2011 and played three seasons with James, from 2014-17. The duo made three straight trips to the NBA Finals, winning a championship in 2016.
”Obviously, it’s a business at the end of the day,” Irving said. ”Ownership and management, they’re going to feel what’s best for our future and I’m fully supportive of (them). We’ll see what happens.”
Irving was traded to Boston last August and averaged 24.4 points and 5.1 assists over 60 games in his first season with the Celtics.
The five-time All-Star missed the last 15 games of the regular season and the entirety of the playoffs after undergoing left knee surgery.
”To kind of have something like that unexpected , it was hurtful, because just a lot of what I wanted to accomplish with our guys and individually as one of the leaders of the team,” Irving said.
Irving also had a separate surgery in May to repair a deviated septum, a procedure that kept him away from the sidelines for Game 7 of the Celtics’ Eastern Conference Finals series against James and the Cavaliers.
”Obviously, it wasn’t going to feel the same (not being there), but I was just so proud of our guys and what they did,” Irving said. ”They passed a lot of expectations, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Cleveland beat Boston 87-79 in Game 7 to send James to his eighth consecutive Finals series. The Cavaliers were swept by the Golden State Warriors , dropping James’ personal Finals record to 3-6.
The Celtics expect Irving to be completely recovered by the start of training camp in the fall.
”I’m feeling good,” Irving said. ”It was going to be a process coming back, just making sure I’m healthy enough for September. Just trying not to push it too hard.”
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A man whose bullet-riddled body was found dumped along a rural road in Alabama apparently was killed in retaliation for the slaying of a former Green Bay Packers player, authorities said Wednesday.
A statement from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Department said Darryl Thomas, 21, of Center Point appeared to have been killed in retribution for the shooting death of former Packers defensive lineman Carlos Gray, 25.
Thomas' body was found along a road near Birmingham on Tuesday, the day after Gray's body was found in his home , also near Birmingham.
No charges were filed immediately in either death, but four suspects were in custody following Thomas' slaying and at least one was believed to have been a close friend of Gray, authorities said.
Gray, who played at North Carolina State University, signed with the Packers in 2014 and was living in Alabama after being released in 2015.
Authorities said Gray's girlfriend returned home from an outing to find him dead and called police. Officers discovered marijuana, scales, a handgun and an AK-47 rifle with a high-capacity magazine in the home, the statement said.
The next morning , according to authorities, deputies received a call about a reported kidnapping at a convenience store. A man who wasn't identified by police said he and Thomas had been abducted at gunpoint by several men. The man told officers he escaped at an intersection but that Thomas did not, officials say.
A passer-by later found Thomas' body along a dirt road, and authorities determined he had been shot more than once.
Police said murder charges and kidnapping charges were likely.
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.Статистика: Публикувано на от panxing18 — 30 Авг 2018 09:39
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