Getty Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant against Knicks
The Brooklyn Nets have lost two straight games but still hold a 16-15 record fit for a seventh place seeding in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
The Nets are without Kevin Durant who injured his right Achilles during Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals. “My road back starts now,” Durant posted on Instagram following his surgery.
“I got my family and my loved ones by my side and we truly appreciate all the messages and support people have sent our way,” Durant wrote on Instagram about the injury he suffered against Toronto in Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday. “I’m hurting deeply, but I’m OK. Basketball is my biggest love and I wanted to be out there that night because that’s what I do. I wanted to help my teammates on our quest for the three peat.”
The Nets have also been without Kyrie Irving. Irving injured his right shoulder on November 12 in a 119-114 loss to the Utah Jazz when he made a reverse layup late in the third quarter, hit the ground and was subbed out shortly after, but returned in the fourth quarter.
Thoracic Bursitis is what Kyrie Irving has been medically diagnosed with, according to someone in the know & contrary to what was stated yesterday.
Irving is still getting 2nd & 3rd opinions with a 2-3 week timetable likely for the Nets PG’s return.
For those keeping score at home: Irving has been out of action for 20 games with what the Nets are calling a right shoulder impingement and what league sources tell me is Thoracic Bursitis.
“I think he’s going through a tough time with his shoulder,” Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said on Saturday.
“He’s doing everything he can do to get back to playing.”
Indeed. Irving started out hot this season while averaging 28.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 33 minutes of action.
Irving is believed to returned to NBA action within 2-3 weeks.
One person who has been paying attention to the Nets is TJ Kidd, son of Nets Hall of Fame point guard, Jason Kidd. “I watched a couple games,” TJ Kidd tells Scoop B Radio.
“But I always try to keep an eye on them, cause no matter what team or whatever the situation is with my dad, I feel like the Nets will always be my team.”
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, Jason Kidd is now a Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach. The Lakers currently lead the NBA’s Western Conference with a 25-7 record following the cohesive pick and roll unit that includes NBA All Star point guard, LeBron James and power forward, Anthony Davis.
TJ Kidd has been living in the Los Angeles-area since high school and is currently enrolled in college in southern California.
He and his mother Joumana were fixture at Nets games during the team’s New Jersey days at Continental Airlines Arena and Izod Center.
While his focus has been the Lakers of late, he still loves the Nets and what they’ve done with their roster. “I do have to sit down and watch some more,” he admitted on Scoop B Radio.
“But really what it’s going to come down to is when they get Kevin Durant back, man, ohh man, they’re gonna be so much fun.”
The Nets close 2019 on the road in a matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves. They’ll start the year on January 2 in a game against the Dallas Mavericks.
In addition to Irving and Durant’s absence, Nets swingman, Caris LaVert has also missed significant time due to injury and will be returning soon.
Kidd is excited for everything to come together. “Right now, they gotta sit and buckle in and ride this little turbulence they’re experiencing,” he tells Scoop B Radio.
“But they’re still a good team, they have a lot of talent on that team, and I love Caris LaVert, and Joe Harris, and DeAndre Jordan, all those guys, all of them. They have a great team on paper, it’s just that when they’re at full strength, they’ll be a fun team to watch.”