On Wednesday morning, ESPN TV personage Stephen A. Smith involved Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving to retire from basketball.
“Clearly you don’t want to play basketball bad enough,” Smith said during a lengthy tirade on ESPN’s First Take. “… Kyrie Irving has not prioritized basketball. I’m not saying he doesn’t want to play altogether. I’m saying he hasn’t prioritized it. How fair is that to the Brooklyn Nets? How fair is that to Sean Marks? How fair is that to Steve Nash, an administrator that he endorsed bringing on board? … How fair is that to his brother, Kevin Durant?”
The situation in Brooklyn has rapidly deteriorated. Brooklyn’s dominant convert the Celtics, which caused many observers to crown the Nets the favorites within the East, is fading into the rear-view mirror. Now, Brooklyn is 4-6 in its last 10 games and just seventh within the East. The Nets have added time mortgaged their future to gamble on this, acquiring James Harden in exchange for nearly all of their draft capital.
So how did things get so bad so quickly, to the aim that a high-profile sports pundit involved one of the NBA’s most compelling players to retire?
A timeline of modern events.
Jan. 5: Irving scores 29 points as Brooklyn beats Utah.
Irving shot 12-for-19 from the bottom because the Nets rolled over the Jazz 130-96.
Jan. 7: Kyrie Irving misses a game because of personal reasons.
Irving sat out a game for personal reasons at some extra point a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Some tied the two events together. Other rumors have suggested his anger at the Nets organization has been building for a brief time.
In either case, Nets head coach Steve Nash told reporters he reached bent Irving and hadn’t heard back, but that Irving’s absence was a “private matter.”
Jan. 10: Nash came in-tuned
On Sunday, Nash told reporters he wasn’t certain when Irving would return.
“Ky’s still on personal leave and each one the communication with Ky, between the organization, I’m going to keep private,” Nash told reporters. “I’m sure you’ll hear from him at some point.”
Later that evening, Durant told reporters the Nets support Irving “100 percent.”
Jan. 11: Irving ruled out again vs. Denver
Once again, the team managed Irving out every day before a game. As COVID cases spiked around the league, some wondered if Irving was simply trying to avoid infection.
Jan. 12: Irving is spotted at a club alongside his sister
On Tuesday, Irving was seen partying alongside his sister at a club for her birthday without a mask. That violated the NBA’s COVID protocol and — pending an investigation — could force him into quarantine, curtailing the variety of his salary this season.
Nets GM Sean Marks released a handout regarding the video, saying “We are aware of a video on social media featuring Kyrie Irving at a family gathering. We are reviewing the circumstances with both Kyrie and thus the NBA so on computing compliance with health and safety protocols.”
Marks added that Irving remained distant from the team for personal reasons which an account date is yet to be finalized.
“Kyrie will have an opportunity to affect his absence when he's ready to do so,” Marks wrote within the statement.
Nash was asked if he’s confident Irving will return this season.
0 Comments