“Yeah Those Dudes Were Trash Especially Richard Jefferson”: LeBron James ‘Carrying’ The 2018 Cavs Has Channing Frye Reacting

During the intense discussions over ‘the best version of LeBron James‘, his 2018 run with the Cleveland Cavaliers often comes to the forefront. Recently, Channing Frye added volume to this never-ending debate, outlining the basketball prowess of the 4x champion. In the process, the 41-year-old unexpectedly called out Richard Jefferson, raising eyebrows all around.

During a recent turn of events, Fyre initially undervalued the contributions of James’ then teammates in their run to the NBA Finals. While doing so, the 2016 champion specifically diminished Jefferson’s contributions. He hilariously claimed on X (formerly Twitter), “Yeah those dudes were trash, especially Richard Jefferson”.

His comments circled a fan post on the platform that highlighted the struggles of the 2018 Cavs roster in the NBA Finals. During a warmup, the players failed to make baskets consistently, missing shots from long, mid, and even close range. This underwhelming reality led to the supporter mocking those Cavs players, stating, “LeBron really carried these guys to the finals”.

Ironically, Fyre used to be a part of this roster before he left for the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2018. So, even though he sided with the fan on the surface level, his comment carried an underlying tone of mockery. So, it’s likely that he intentionally validated the supporter’s stance on this debate solely to carry forward the amusing nature of the discussion.

Additionally, he meant no harm with his dig at Jefferson. The former Cavs teammates continue to share a strong bond to this day, and even host the podcast show, Road Trippin’ together. So, the intentional callout was meant to spark a reaction out of RJ as part of one of their funny exchanges as friends.

That said, it remains difficult to raise question marks over the credibility of Fyre’s statement surrounding James.

A closer look at the 2018 masterclass from LeBron James

Following a heartbreak in the 2017 Finals, James was determined to reach basketball’s pinnacle once again. To ensure this, the Akron-born was unwilling to let anything mitigate his prowess, even the shortcomings of his teammates. So, the 4x MVP spearheaded the roster in every facet of the game, giving rise to an iconic individual postseason.

During the 2018 playoffs, James led the league in total points (748), assists (198), and field goals (275) as per Basketball Reference. He also ranked third in total rebounds (200) and steals (30), and fifth in blocks (23). This paved the way for his unfathomable stat line of 34 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 9 assists in 22 games in the postseason.

Despite his best efforts, the weakness of the Cavs side eventually caught up to him. They had to face a humiliating 4-0 sweep in the Finals, resulting in a forgettable series in James’ career.

However, the ones who lived through this continue to appreciate the value of James’ run. Interestingly, Jefferson was one of the leading names on the list as he once stated, “Which version is the best?…Let me tell you this — the Cleveland LeBron…Those couple of seasons. That was the best basketball I’ve ever seen a player play in my entire life”.

Understandably, in Fyre’s mind too, the value of James’ efforts holds a high place. That’s why, even while mocking the 2018 team, his display of respect for the 4x champion remained intact. This further underlined just how dominant the player was during this era of the NBA.