Kyrie Irving's shock trade request from the Cleveland Cavaliers has become the biggest news this offseason.The point guard is reportedly unwilling to continue playing with LeBron James and is keen to join a franchise where he becomes the centerpiece.At the age of just 25, Irving is a star in the league and one of the most popular and most recognisable players off the court.Kyrie is an All-Star, an Olympic Gold Medalist and an NBA champion and almost blossomed into a bonafide superstar ever since LeBron returned to Cleveland in 2014.Following Irving's trade request, there have been debates over how much James has had to do with the rise of the silky guard.ESPN writer Tom Haberstroh decided to address that issue and used some interesting numbers to back him up.His stats showed that without LBJ on the court, Irving led the Cavs to a dismal 4-13 record and explained how he has struggled to be 'the guy'."As a player, (Isaiah) Thomas and Damian Lillard are probably the best comparisons for Irving, who has struggled to win as the guy," Haberstroh wrote. "In the 17 games that James has sat the past three seasons with Irving starting, the Cavs’ record is a woeful 4-13 (.235)."Haberstroh followed up his story by posting a tweet that again compared Kyrie to Lillard and described him as "more Dame than Kobe", which appeared to paint the Portland guard in a negative light.

The Blazers star took exception to this and decided to hit back on Twitter.

"Bro I'm really gettin tired of y'all throwing my name around. Maybe you should check my track record. Over 500 and in the playoffs every yr," Lillard wrote.

In his three seasons in Cleveland, before LeBron arrived, Irving had a 64-117 record, whereas Lillard has a 216-180 record through his five seasons in Portland.

To put it simply, he isn't comparable to the losing Irving has suffered.

He has led the Trail Blazers to the playoffs in every season apart from his rookie year and has excelled as the team's focal point and go-to guy.

Having been overlooked for the All-Star team for multiple years, Lillard is now taking exception to people slating his reputation and has every right to hit back as the article didn't really portray Dame in the best way.

It's maybe time he got the respect he deserves for his loyalty to Portland and his underrated performances.