J.R. Smith echoes anonymous quote on Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving’s trade demand has sent shockwaves throughout the Cavs organization and through the media landscape, and everyone is weighing in. Richard Jefferson reacted to the news live on his podcast, and an anonymous player chimed in on an ESPN report, indicating that he wanted Irving to stick around long-term.

"Sure, we've had our fair share of moments and kind of chaotic times, and that's obviously been well documented, but at the same time we've had a lot of joy," one Cavs player told ESPN. "I hope Kyrie is with us, that's all I got to say. At the end of the day, we're pretty f---ing good."

On Twitter, a fan indicated that he thought J.R. Smith was the source of the anonymous quote, and while J.R. denied it, he was quick to agree with the sentiment.

It makes sense that the team’s role players would be loathe to part ways with Irving. He’s a major part of a championship team’s core, and with LeBron’s free agency looming, it’s not surprising to be concerned that the team could be making an enormous change.

The original quote referenced that this team has had its fair share of drama, to be sure, but it’s also by far the most successful stretch in franchise history. It was noted by non-Cleveland-based reporters like Marc Stein after the team won their title that he’d never seen so many tears of joy.

This all appears to be headed towards a rather ugly divorce, but this team has certainly had its share of good times; one would hope that we can keep that in perspective moving forward.