7 bad takes this year in sports made by LaVar Ball, Kyrie Irving and more

This year has been a doozy, and some things need to stay in 2017 — like these really bad takes (and I’m not just talking about the ones from Stephan A. Smith and Skip Bayless).

From President Donald Trump’s relentless attack on the NFL to Kyrie Irving’s “flat earth” conspiracy, here is a list of some of the worst takes in sports this year:

1. Kyrie Irving: “This is not even a conspiracy theory. The Earth is flat.”

During an appearance on a podcast in February with his then-teammates Channing Frye and Richard Jefferson February, Kyrie Irving said the world is flat. And since then, Irving won’t let anyone tell him anything different — even Bill Nye, the Science Guy.

Irving’s controversial “flat-earth” theory has created a riff between “flat-earth truthers” vs. those who believe the earth is round (aka “round-earth truthers”?).

Irving’s idea has frustrated elementary science teachers and even Mr. Science Guy himself.

In a recent interview with Complex News, Nye sounded off on Irving’s ludicrous flat-earth theory.

Science doesn’t lie, people.

2. LaVar Ball: “I would kill Michael Jordan one-on-one”

LaVar Ball has been running his mouth all year, but his hottest take came from an interview with USA TODAY Sports.

Ball said: “Back in my heyday, I would kill Michael Jordan one-on-one.”

Jordan originally shrugged it off, but at a basketball clinic when a young attendee asked the GOAT about Ball’s threat, he couldn’t help himself but to address it.

“You got to understand the source. I think he played college … maybe? He averaged 2.2 points. Really?” Jordan said. “It doesn’t deserve a response, but I’m going to give it to you because you asked the question. I don’t think he could beat me if I was one-legged.”

Ball wouldn’t drop it and challenged Jordan to a pay-per-view basketball game.

Jordan never responded.

3. Stephen A. Smith calls Jay Cutler a “disease”

Stephen A. Smith is one of those commentators whose takes usually go in one ear and out the other. He took one take to the extreme, calling former Bears quarterback Jay Cutler “a disease” after he signed with the Miami Dolphins.

Here’s a snippet of what Smith said during his rant:

The Chicago Sun-Times has had its fair share of hot takes regarding Cutler but calling him a disease crosses the line. It shouldn’t be surprising though, given that it was coming from Smith, who previously called Cutler “a joke” and “the worst quarterback in the NFL simply because he has no leadership skills.”

Who could also forget that time in 2011 when Smith mocked Cutler for leaving a playoff game with what turned out to be a sprained MCL?

You can watch the full segment below:

4. Fansided: Stephen Curry for Rajon Rondo is a good trade

The idea of the Warriors even thinking about trading Stephen Curry — who has basically become the face of the franchise over the last few years — is laughable.

In an article titled, “Five crazy NBA trades that need to happen,” contributor Roge Smith tried to suggest the Warriors trade Curry to the Bulls in exchange for — wait for it — Rajon Rondo.

Via Fansided:

Is it safe to assume Smith is a Bulls fan?

The take was hot but got absolutely destroyed on Twitter. It was so bad that Fansided replaced the slideshow with a “We make mistakes too” column, which clarified that the list was meant to be lighthearted.

5. Skip Bayless says Aaron Judge is better than Lebron James in ridiculous comparison

We get it, Skip Bayless. You’re kind of obsessed with LeBron James.

In the last two months, Bayless has mentioned LeBron in more than 60 times. Most of the time, Bayless rags on James any chance he can get.

Here’s one ridiculous take from Bayless:

“Aaron Judge is already way beyond LeBron … After 14 NBA seasons, he still hasn’t participated in his 1st Slam Dunk Contest.”

Because that’s comparable.

Here’s a bonus bad Bayless take:

6. President Donald Trump on NFL anthem protests

Since mid-September, President Donald Trump has tweeted more than 20 times about the NFL national anthem protests. Trump has been relentless in attacking the NFL and its players for the protests, which he said he believes are disrespectful to the military, flag and this country. He even called for players to be fired for expressing their First Amendment rights.

But the main problem with Trump’s “anthem protests are disrespectful” take is that he’s missing the point of why so many athletes have decided to sit or kneel during the anthem. The protests stem from free-agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s protest last season when he took a knee to protest against police violence, specifically against African-Americans and people of color.

7. Jerry Jones on players for kneeling: “Disrespects the flag, then we will not play.”

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones went from cold to hot about the anthem protests in the matter of one week.

Jones linked arms with the team and kneeled before the Cowboys “Monday Night Football” game against the Cardinals on Sept. 25. Then later that week, Jones, who has been a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump, said if his players “are disrespecting the flag, then we won’t play.”

Bonus bad take about Jones comes from MLB.com correspondent Richard Justice:

OK.

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Cheers to a new year and let’s hope 2018 is full of more ridiculous takes that we can all laugh at together, too.

Follow me on Twitter: @madkenney