Los Angeles, July 27 (AFP): Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert and general manager Koby Altman downplayed reports of tension between superstar LeBron James and Kyrie Irving Wednesday, but neither confirmed nor denied that Irving had requested a trade. "These things are fluid," Gilbert said of Irving's situation at a press conference at the team's Ohio training facility, Altman's first since he was confirmed as the team's new general manager on Monday. Numerous US media outlets have reported that Irving has requested a trade, indicating he wanted to join a team where he could emerge from James's shadow and become the focal point of the offense. "We think that Kyrie Irving is one of the best guards in the NBA," Gilbert said. "He was part of a championship, three years straight to the Finals and we value his talent significantly." Irving played the last three NBA Finals alongside James with Cleveland, winning the title in 2016.
