In the aftermath of his latest scandal, Nets guard Kyrie Irving is still trying to work his way back into the good graces of the Nets organization and back his way into the Nets lineup.
Since being given the suspension earlier this month, the Nets have done a good enough job holding their own, but they could really use Irving’s scoring to lighten the load on Durant.
In the initial report, the Nets set the suspension at five games, but not it seems like he’ll be out for longer. After the Nets announced Irving would not re-join the team on their current road trip,
Not long after, team owner Joe Tsai came out with his own update on Irving.
Asked #Nets owner Joe Tsai if Kyrie Irving would be back on this road trip: "He still has work to do." #NBA
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) November 12, 2022
Kyrie can only blame himself for the mess he finds himself in, but there has been an increasing number of people advocating for the Nets to just let the man play.
Calls For The Nets To Let Irving Play Are Growing Louder After A Statement From LeBron James
To fight the growing number of Kyrie detractors, LeBron James did his best to defend his former teammate in a statement on Twitter, telling his millions of followers what he really thought of Kyrie’s ‘punishment.’
While people are waiting to see what’s next for Kyrie, one of his former teammates, and still the face of the league, opened up about this situation. LeBron James has broken his silence and given his two pennies on this situation, criticizing the list of conditions Kyrie must complete returning to the court.
“I told you guys that I don’t believe in sharing hurtful information. And I’ll continue to be that way but Kyrie apologized and he should be able to play. That’s what I think. It’s that simple. Help him learn- but he should be playing. What he’s asked to do to get back on the floor I think is excessive IMO. He’s not the person that’s being portrayed of him. Anyways back to my rehab session.”
Shortly after those Tweets, Stephen A. Smith and Paul Pierce have come out with a similar take.
What do you think of this Kyrie Irving situation? Are the Nets handling this right, or have they gone a little too far trying to punish Kyrie? The answer will vary depending on who you ask, but the Nets have to come to an agreement on what to do with him soon before it all blows up in their face.