When people theorize why Kyrie Irving wanted out of Cleveland, one name comes up more than any other: LeBron James.

But what about Tyronn Lue?

By all indications, the Cleveland Cavaliers head coach had a perfectly fine relationship with Irving. But during a recent appearance on the first episode of Geno Auriemma’s “Holding Court” podcast, Irving, while praising Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens, seemed to simultaneously bash Lue.

“Brad fits perfectly in terms of that because he has an intellectual mind and is an intellectual human being,” The Celtics guard told Auriemma. “It was something I was unbelievably craving in terms of what I wanted for my career.”

Is this a direct shot at Lue? No, it’s not. But it’s also not a stretch to surmise that Irving doesn’t consider Lue to be the “intellectual human being” he so desperately craved.

Of course, given his comments about the Earth being flat and a new court being old, its strange to hear Irving throw around a term like “intellectual.”

Thumbnail photo via Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports Images