DALLAS — Tim Hardaway Jr. expected to spend Wednesday preparing to face the Sacramento Kings and help the Mavericks salvage their waning play-in tournament hopes.
Instead, he watched footage of his dad, former Maverick and Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway Sr., criticizing Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving’s leadership and knew he needed to focus on settling a potential riff with his superstar teammates instead.
After his dad’s appearance on an FS1 debate show, Tim Hardaway Jr. requested to speak with reporters from The Dallas Morning News and ESPN to “set the record straight” about his stance on the comments.
”I disagree with it 1,000 percent,” 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.”
For those who missed Tim Hardaway Sr.’s takes on “The Carton Show,” a summary of his thoughts:
— He called Doncic “a crybaby” because of his behavior and frequent complaints with officials during games.
— He disagreed with the Mavericks’ trade for Kyrie Irving because it cost them Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith as “defensive anchors” of a Mavericks team that ranked sixth in the Western Conference when news of the trade broke Feb. 5.
— He said Dallas is “missing a leader out there.”
“Luka is not a leader. Kyrie is not a leader. Jalen Brunson was a leader,” Hardaway Sr. said. “Those two guys are not leaders. They’re complementary, dominant basketball players, great scorers.”
Hardaway Jr. addressed the comments in the Mavericks’ players-only group chat and talked with Doncic, Irving and general manager in-person.
He also called his dad to “give him a little piece of my own [mind], saying that’s not right.
”I will own up to it and deal with it and take it to the chin and make sure I can set the record straight,” Hardaway Jr. said. “What he said out of his mouth is not me. I’m not my dad. We drew up in two different eras and two different worlds. That’s not me as a person at all.
“I apologize on his behalf and my family’s behalf, don’t want nobody focusing in on that. I’m here to play basketball. I’m here to do my job to the best of my abilities, and that’s what I want to focus on.”
