The NBA doesn’t dwell on ‘what if’ scenarios, but there are many interesting ones to discuss.
One of the most common is, ‘What if Kevin Durant never joined the Golden State Warriors?’ Would he have won the league? Would the Warriors have won three titles in four years?
What if Kyrie Irving hadn’t left LeBron James alone in the Cleveland Cavaliers to battle the Warriors dynasty?
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesTy Lue believes Kevin Durant’s arrival on the Warriors changed the future of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving
Tyronn Lue has the answer. The former Cavaliers coach believes that his ex-team would have dominated the NBA if Durant hadn’t gone to San Francisco.
Lue also believes the situation might be different if Irving had stayed. He reveals that the moment Irving was traded to the Boston Celtics crushed LeBron.
Without that superteam formation, Lue envisions three consecutive championships with James and Irving leading the Cavaliers.
“If KD doesn’t go to Golden State, I think we win three in a row. And I think Kyrie stays, because you can’t leave after that, right?” Lue explained.
“Like I said, if he stays, we could have had a chance to win two or three. He made his mind up. That’s like another Kobe and Shaq situation.”
LeBron’s emotional reaction captured during foundation autograph signing
Lue provided intimate details about James learning of Irving’s Boston trade. The scene unfolded during a charitable event, making the emotional response more poignant.
“Bron’s doing an autograph signing with jerseys and stuff for his foundation. So I come sit next to ‘Bron. We sitting there, handed the phone, SportsCenter: Kyrie Irving has just been traded to the Boston Celtics. Bron dropped the marker. Just lays back in his chair for about 10 minutes, doesn’t say a word, like just p___d off, and Bron was crushed.”
When asked if James would have stayed in Cleveland had Irving remained, Lue responded definitively.
“Yes, I think so. I don’t think it was any ill-will against Bron, it was just something he wanted to do for his career.”
However, after losing to the Warriors twice in a row in 2018, LeBron decided to leave and go to Los Angeles, where he won one title with the Lakers.