Speaking to Vic Lombardi on Altitude Sports 950 AM in Denver, Billups revealed he was aware Kyrie Irving was upset with his situation in Cleveland. As we found out Friday, Irving has requested a trade from the Cavs because he reportedly doesn’t want to play alongside LeBron James anymore.
Billups said when that report dropped, he wasn’t as shocked as the rest of the NBA community.
“You’re getting everything you want. You’re getting all the shots you want, you’re playing for a great coach, when the game is on the line they’re coming to you, you’re playing on national TV every week. To me, I don’t get it. Everybody has their own desires. Maybe he wants to be Russell Westbrook and go try to win the MVP and get all the shots. That’s the only thing sense I can make of it and to me that doesn’t make sense.”
Billups went on to explain why he shot down the Cavs job. While reports claimed money was the issue (ESPN reported the Cavs’ offer was $1.5 million, which is well below the typical starting point of about $4 million), the former NBA star said it had to do with the team’s roster.
Yes, they have James, but if he leaves next season (which has been highly speculated), then the Cavs don’t have much to work with. Billups isn’t one to turn down a challenge, but it just wasn’t worth it considering everything that’s involved.
Billups’ decision makes a lot more sense now than it did when he first turned them down. Instead of trying to revive a dying franchise, he has a job as an analyst at ESPN where he gets to remain in the sport.
