Dion Waiters says the Cavs have the best backcourt in the NBA

Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving and Washington Wizards point guard John Wall will always be compared to one another. They were drafted a year apart, were both No. 1 overall picks and play the same position. The same goes for Cleveland's Dion Waiters and Washington's Bradley Beal, who were both lottery picks in the 2012 draft and play the same position.

This had led to comparisons between the two backcourts about which one is better. Then, at the Wizards' media day, Beal had the following to say via the Washington Post:

"I think we're definitely the best back court in the league," Beal declared at his team's Media Day at Verizon Center Monday. "Just in terms of what we're capable of doing, the confidence that we have in that. At the same time we got to prove it."

Waiters was asked about Beal's quote today after Cavs practice and said the following.

Dion Waiters on John Wall and Bradley Beal proclaiming themselves the best backcourt in the league: "That's nonsense"

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) September 30, 2014

After Dion Waiters shot back about Beal/Wall he left the scrum with a smirk and added, "You already knew I was going to say that"

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) September 30, 2014

Here is Waiters' full quote from ESPN's Dave McMenamin's article:

"That's nonsense," Waiters said after practice Tuesday. "(Beal is) supposed to say that, but I know deep down, he's not messing with me and Ky (Kyrie Irving). I think me and Ky are the best backcourt, young backcourt. That's all."

And then Wall responded to Waiters.

Wow Wall just went hard on @dionwaiters3 saying they dont have the best backcourt.. The gist of his message: make the playoffs #WizardsTalk

— J. Michael (@JMichaelCSN) September 30, 2014

The story here, however, really isn't what either player said. To paraphrase Waiters, there wasn't any chance he was going to say the Wall and Beal are a better duo than himself and Irving. The story here is that there seems to be some growing heat between these teams, who both happen to be among the top teams in the Eastern Conference heading into the 2014-15 season.

As Amin Vafa of Bullets Forever pointed out in his post, Cleveland and Washington were rivals from 2005 to 2008 during LeBron James' first stint as a Cavalier. If you recall, Papa Johns sold 23-cent pizzas in the Cleveland area during the 2008 playoffs due to crybaby shirts with the Papa Johns logo on the back being distributed at a Wizards game. At that time, then-Wizards guard DeShawn Stevenson and rapper Soulja Boy were allied against James and Jay-Z.

And in case you were wondering, the Cavs play the Wizards four times this season.