With the Cleveland Cavaliers off to a 1-3 start, fingers have been pointed in several directions for the reason behind the slow start. One guy who has received his share of the blame is Dion Waiters, who may not be happy with his current role.
Waiters started Cleveland’s first three games of the season. On Wednesday, he came off of the bench against the Utah Jazz. Prior to the game, it was noticed Waiters was not with his teammates during the national anthem or player introductions. Obviously, questions of his whereabouts came fast and furious.
As it turns out, Dion Waiters wasn’t making a statement in his own way about not being in the starting lineup, although that theory was tossed around. He was simply following Muslim beliefs.
“It’s because of my religion,” Waiters told North East Ohio Media Group. “That’s why I stayed in the locker room.”
Waiters has been a lightning rod since LeBron James and Kevin Love joined the Cavaliers. While this instance doesn’t appear to be one that should draw criticism, NEOMG did note Waiters was with the team during the national anthem ahead of Friday’s game against the Denver Nuggets, which he also came off the bench in.
UPDATE: Waiters claims the report about him skipping the national anthem for religious reasons is a lie.
