Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie took what he mentioned might be his final shot at his ex-teammate, Wizards ahead Kyle Kuzma on Thursday, calling the previous Lakers ahead “blessed” to be a part of a LeBron James’ led 2020 championship workforce.
Not the participant who led the workforce to a title.
“Some people are blessed to be in situations,” Dinwiddie mentioned after Nets observe on the HSS Training Facility on Thursday. “We don’t get mad at Rick Fox for winning a championship with Kobe and Shaq. Like some people are blessed and that’s great, but we can’t act like Rick Fox led them to a championship. Like let’s not do that.”
Here’s a timeline of how Dinwiddie and Kuzma discovered themselves in an unlikely, however spicy social media feud.
JAN 24: THE FIRST JAB
Dinwiddie negotiated a three-year, $60M sign-and-trade to the Wizards in the summertime of 2021. Midway by the season, the Wizards traded him to the Dallas Mavericks in a deal for Kristaps Porzingis.
But earlier than his midseason commerce to the Nets, Dinwiddie’s Mavericks suffered a 127-126 Jan. 24 loss to Kuzma’s Wizards in what was thought of one in all their worst losses of the early season.
After the sport, Dinwiddie mentioned the loss was disappointing as a result of the Wizards gamers are “over there trying to get paid; they’re not over there trying to play winning basketball.”
“If you come in here and get in a shootout with, you know, the Warriors last year, right, or the Celtics this year or something like that, it’s a little bit different tone, right? Like, not exactly stalwarts over there,” Dinwiddie mentioned postgame.”They’re not enjoying for nothing for actual. They’re simply popping out right here firing. Like they’ve bought individuals coming off the bench simply firing. Cause on the finish of the day, it’s a showcase. They’re over there attempting to receives a commission. They’re not attempting to play successful basketball. You know what I’m saying? So for a workforce that has actual aspirations and has an MVP and went to the convention finals final 12 months, we now have to be higher to a person.”
Kuzma responded on Twitter to a tweet of Dinwiddie’s quote.
“The funny thing is they don’t play winning basketball,” he wrote, with laughing, peace signal, waving away and clown emojis.
APRIL 12: “INSECURITY IS LOUD”
Dinwiddie made an look on FanDuelTV and was requested immediately about Kuzma’s tweet.
“Didn’t I just say I was petty?” he mentioned to start his reply.
Dinwiddie mentioned his agent instructed him not to answer Kuzma’s tweet.
“My agent told me to stand down, that we had bigger fish to fry, things to do, get to the playoffs, etc.,” he mentioned. “Now I’m not in that environment. I’m in the playoffs, he’s [Kuzma’s] not.”
Dinwiddie then lit into Kuzma, saying his solely motivation was incomes a max contract — not successful basketball, an remark Dinwiddie mentioned he made as his teammate for a season in D.C.
“To address a socialite, there are a lot of guys in the NBA that really pour their heart and soul into basketball, are willing to do whatever it takes to win. There are a lot of guys that have different things that drive them and motivate them,” he mentioned. “I think if we look at him and the way he approaches life, fame, all that stuff, then we can see that his priorities tend to vary. That’s why he dresses the way he does, he approaches basketball the way he does, the comments he makes.”
Dinwiddie referenced a preferred line from Golden State Warriors ahead Draymond Green.
“Like I said with the Draymond quote, insecurity is loud. You know that you’re there shooting shots to try to get a contract,” he continued. “You’re most likely not even a 3rd star actually on an excellent workforce, as a result of for those who have been, the Lakers would have stored you, proper? Part of the explanation that you just left is to make more cash. These are all issues which can be information.
“And so at the end of my career, one thing that I wanna be known for besides a guy that did whatever it took to win in whatever spot he was at, is a guy who was also very honest. And so my complete response to Kuz and all that other stuff to address it directly, I mean: I played with the guy. We know what the priorities were.”
Dinwiddie additionally clarified that he was not speaking about Wizards’ star Bradley Beal when discussing gamers on Washington who have been enjoying for a contract.
“A lot of times people thought I was talking about Brad. I look at Brad in the same light as like a [Damian Lillard],” he mentioned. “I believe he’s Lord of DC. I believe most likely on a championship workforce he’s gotta be paired with a [Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo]. He’s most likely 1B, which is not any shot. I do know on a championship workforce, I’m most likely the third man kinda like a Jrue Holiday with a Khris Middleton and a Giannis or no matter. I’m very safe with who I’m in my profession. I do know on a extremely good workforce I could be a No. 2 kinda like we’re proper right here with the Brooklyn Nets. We’ve bought Mikal, we’ve bought me, we’re nonetheless a playoff workforce. We’re capable of preserve the ship proper.
“But if you’re in DC and you’ve got three max dudes — Porzingis, Brad and Kuz — like how do you miss the playoffs? Like none of these things make sense: unless your priorities aren’t in order.”
APRIL 12: “DINSHI—IE ISLAND”
Kuzma made a thread of tweets to answer Dinwiddie’s look on FanDuelTV. In the thread, he responded particularly to 6 factors Dinwiddie made.
“1.) insecurity is loud? The wizards & I have so much real estate on Dinshi—ie island,” he wrote. “This guy got signed by a team 60ms and was traded before the following season was over.”
“2.) what in the world have you won in this league? Lol you’ve been bounced around like a basketball my boy.”
“3.) You can thank KD & Kyrie (sic) for spearheading 34 wins before the all star break (11-13 after the break) for your playoffs.”
“4.) 2nd option??? More like 2nd point guard Lol my man I watched you for two months at the end of your Wizards tenure (being the second option) average 8-4-4. Sounds good but glad you’re hooping now!”
“5.) and yup! I got a bag coming. stop hating lol.”
“And last but not least! 6.) The only way you’ll ever be worth your contract is if the NBA finally gives you your wish of getting paid in crypto *check the markets* Enjoy the clicks! Go @sixers!!!”
APRIL 13: DINWIDDIE DOUBLES DOWN
After Thursday’s observe, Dinwiddie doubled-down on the claims he made about Kuzma on FanDuelTV. He additionally responded to being known as ‘Dinshi—ie.’
“The funny part about it is there were a lot of contradictions. He resorted to name-calling: ‘Dinshi—ie,’ things like that, which I haven’t heard since I was probably about 10 years old. Things of that nature,” he mentioned. “I think at the end of the day, the biggest piece here was, it’s like a theory from 8-Mile, the way Eminem approached the final battle: If you approach it with truth, what do you have to hide? There’s nothing there, right? So that’s probably the last time I’ll address that because I want to focus on Philly, the team and what we’re doing. But at the end of the day, I spoke truth and got rebutted with 10-year-old insults.”
Dinwiddie then in contrast their two profession arcs.
“If we were gonna talk about my career and things that I’ve done that are unique and possibly different: I led a team to the playoffs when their max players were hurt back in 2020 averaging over 20 a game. So, won a lot of games there,” he mentioned. “I’ve been to the Western Conference Finals with Luka Doncic and the Mavs. Been to the playoffs every year for the last five or six years.”
The subsequent matchup between Dinwiddie and Kuzma might be heated to say the least.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com