Tim Hardaway Jr. should have been preparing for a potential make or break game against the Kings but instead had to quash his own dad’s criticism of his Dallas teammates.
Tim Hardaway Sr. certainly didn’t hold back when he appeared on The Carton Show.
“That trade wasn’t for them, what isn’t broken doesn’t need to be fixed,” Hardaway Sr. said, referring to the Irving trade. “They’re missing a leader out there. Luka is not a leader, Kyrie is not a leader. Jalen Brunson was a leader.
“A leader shows by example too, by playing defense. When he says something, he does it also, and thats what a leader is. And like I said, those two guys are not leaders, they’re complimentary, dominant great basketball players. Great scorers.”
The former five time All-Star also called Doncic a “cry baby” because of his frequent complaints to referees during games.
“I disagree with it 1000%,” Tim Hardaway Jr. said. “I’ve come out numerous times and told you all how much leadership Luka has shown throughout my whole entire time here in Dallas. He shows it on and off the floor, and a lot of the situations we’ve been in as a team, we wouldn’t be in without him, so let’s just set that straight.
“And Kyrie has been nothing more than a leader since he’s been here, making sure that everybody’s good on and off the floor, texting everybody in our group, a player-only chat just to make sure everybody’s good, everybody’s holding together, everybody’s staying strong. Nothing but leadership there.
“It’s just hard just to deal with that. I love those guys. I love my teammates. I’ve loved every team and teammates that I’ve ever been a part of and been with, so just to be focusing in on this instead of the game, it’s disappointing that I have to come out here and say [this]. I love him to death, like I said, my dad. He made a mistake. It’s his opinion, not mine. We’re two different human beings, so that’s really all I can say.”
The Mavs need to win their last two games to give themselves the best possible chance of making the play-in.