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Cavaliers' Waiters on Beal's claim Wizards have NBA's best backcourt: 'That's nonsense'

Howard Smith / USA Today Sports

Media Day wouldn't be Media Day without the requisite trash talk, and Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal got the ball rolling on Monday by anointing he and point guard John Wall the league's best backcourt.

On Tuesday, Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Dion Waiters answered fire with water, dismissing Beal's claim out of hand and volunteering himself and backcourt mate Kyrie Irving for the mantle of NBA's best. 

"That's nonsense," Waiters said. "(Beal is) supposed to say that, but I know deep down, he's not messing with me and Ky. I think me and Ky are the best backcourt, young backcourt. That's all."

Back came Wall with a pointed rebuttal:

A year ago that call-out might've sent Waiters into a spiral of anxiety and self-doubt, but it has to do wonders for his confidence that he now has LeBron James in his corner. 

Asked about the ceiling for the Cavs young backcourt, James responded: "It's really, really high." 

"Obviously we know what Kyrie is capable of doing and I believe Dion can do some great things as well. His ability to shoot the ball, handle the ball, his strength, his athleticism," James said.

This conversation probably won't end here, as there are, as you can read about in the story below, several worthy candidates for this meaningless title. 

Unsurprisingly, New York Knicks shooting guard J.R. Smith would love to throw his hat into the ring, too. 

"I think there’s not a team in this league that has what we have at the shooting guard spot, and that’s very unique," Smith told the New York Post, referring to the trio of himself, Iman Shumpert and Tim Hardaway Jr. "Some people look at it as, 'You've got to treat it as one or two of them.' I don’t think you should look at it like that. I think you should look at it as a dynamic trio like people do with running backs in football."

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