When asked about his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James, Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving has been consistent in his responses: He appreciates what he learned there, and he's ready to move on.
After reports came out that LeBron James explicitly told the Cavaliers not to trade Irving to Boston, however, questions about Irving's time in Cleveland re-surfaced.
Here's NBC Sports Boston reporter Abby Chin asking Irving prior to shootaround in Charlotte if he had any comment on the new report.
Here's Kyrie Irving's response when I asked him for reaction to LeBron's comments in the @TheAthleticNBA about his departure from Cleveland.
And if you want to know what @Scalabrine thinks check out our Periscope talk @NBCSCeltics. pic.twitter.com/MwyGDMJvff
-- Abby Chin (@tvabby) November 19, 2018
"Nah, I think I'm done commenting on anything in Cleveland, or anything that would be disrespectful," Irving said. "I feel like at this point where I'm at in my career, where I want to be, it seems like not a distant memory, but it's just something where I'm appreciative of the lessons I've learned, and I'm just ready to move forward."
Both the question and Irving's response are pretty fair. Any time James comments on Irving, or the Cavaliers' success over the years, it's newsworthy. It's fair to give Irving a chance to respond, and it's equally fair for Irving to politely decline that opportunity. He has every right to try to put it all behind him.
Last season, Irving often bristled when the topic of James and the Cavaliers was broached. He seems to be in a better place with it all now -- uninterested in talking about his views on the matter, but undisturbed by the existence of the discussion.