Given their current situation, the Mavs would have done well without this episode. Tim Hardaway Jr. had to defend his teammates, Luka Doncic And Kyrie Irvingtargeted by criticism from… his own father.
“They lack a leader. Luka is not a leader, Kyrie is not a leader. These two are not leaders”, repeated Tim Hardaway Sr., passed briefly by the Mavs during his 13-year career in the Big League. Believing that Jalen Brunson had this profile, the former playmaker regretted the transfer of Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith, in particular the latter, ” defensive pillar of the Mavs by his ability to defend in several positions, to recover the former Nets player.
Luka Doncic is a “crybaby”
Also calling the Slovenian ” crybaby “, for his tendency to complain to the referees, the recent Hall of Famer added all the same: “ They are players who dominate, great scorers. “But for him, they do not lead by example, especially in defense, and do not give confidence to their teammates.
“That trade wasn’t for them, what isn’t broken doesn’t need to be fixed. They’re missing a leader out there. Luka is not a leader, Kyrie is not a leader.”
— @HardawaySr on the Mavs: pic.twitter.com/5IfbQHmHYg
— The Cardboard Show (@TheCartonShow) April 5, 2023
His son had little taste for these comments, especially on the alleged lack of leadership of the two stars. ” I disagree, 1000%. I’ve said many times how much leadership Luka has shown since I arrived in Dallas. He shows it on and off the pitch […], so let’s clear things up. And Kyrie has been nothing but a leader since he’s been here, making sure everyone’s okay on and off the pitch, texting the group », retorts the rear.
According to the Dallas Morning News, Tim Hardaway Jr. addressed his father’s comments in the team’s player-only chat group and spoke with both All-Stars, as well as the GM.
” It’s hard to deal with that. I like these guys, I like my teammates. I appreciated all the teams and all the teammates that I met. So it’s disappointing to have to focus on that rather than the game. I love my father to death. He made a mistake. That’s his opinion, not mine. We’re two different human beings, that’s all I can say “, Continues the former Hawks and Knicks shooter.
He finishes : ” I apologize on his behalf and on behalf of my family, I don’t want us to focus on this. I’m here to play basketball, do my job to the best of my ability, and that’s what I want to focus on. »
