Dion Waiters Reportedly Accused Kyrie Irving of Not Passing Him the Ball


by Marcel Mutoni @ marcel_mutoni

Earlier this month, the sputtering Cleveland Cavaliers held a players-only meeting that turned heated.

Players confronted each other, and according to ESPN, Dion Waiters — who is reportedly on the trade block — ignited things by calling out Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson for playing “buddy ball”:

Waiters, whom the Cavaliers drafted with the No. 4 pick in 2012, has a contentious relationship with several teammates, including star point guard Kyrie Irving, and sources say he is open to being traded. In fact, although Waiters has not demanded a trade, he brought up the subject in a three-hour meeting last week with coach Mike Brown and general manager Chris Grant, according to sources.

Sources described the following account: Irving called the meeting after the game, and every player spoke. When Waiters was given the floor, he criticized Thompson and Irving, accusing them of playing “buddy ball” and often refusing to pass to him. Thompson took umbrage with Waiters’ words and went back at him verbally. The two confronted each other, but teammates intervened before it could escalate into a fight.

Dion Waiters, according to the report, feels that Kyrie Irving is allowed by the Cavs coaches to get away with taking bad shots and loafing on defense.

He scored 24 points in a 95-84 loss to the Miami Heat last night, and Waiters denied any source of tension with his star teammate. He also said that he’s happy in Cleveland. Per the News-Herald:

He disputed the reported “three-hour meeting” he supposedly had with Cavs general manager Chris Grant. “That’s nonsense,” he said. He said he doesn’t want to be traded anywhere. “I’m happy,” Waiters said. “I’m not happy we’re losing. But I’m happy here.”

The Cavs are said to have reached out to New York, Chicago and Philly about the second-year shooting guard.