Getty Kyrie Irving was sent a strong message.
It’s no secret the Brooklyn Nets have several areas that need to be addressed in the offseason after being swept out of the first round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics.
General manager Sean Marks spoke to the media on May 11 and went into detail about what he expects from the team in the future, and he took a not so subtle jab at star point guard Kyrie Irving.
“We need people here that want to be here, that are selfless, that want to be part of something bigger than themselves,” he told the media. “There’s an objective and there’s a goal at stake here.”
Obviously having players available is a huge factor, so it seems like this message in particular was calling out Irving who spent much of the year being ineligible due to New York City protocols.
ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith applauded Marks for his comments.
Stephen A. is a Fan
Starting off the segment discussing Marks, Stephen A. says he is going to do something he’s never done before on First Take, and that was giving a round of applause.
Smith was a big fan of what Marks said in calling out Irving, and he believes it’s something that needed to be done.
“About time, thank God,” he started. “Thank God Sean Marks said what he needed to say. We know who that was for. We know what that was about. That’s exactly what needed to be said. ‘We need people who are going to be here and be available.’ It’s that simple.”
It’s tough to say for sure what the main cause for the sweep was, but Irving not having a ton of time to spend with his teammates over the course of the season certainly played a big part. Smith says that because Irving knows he’s so good at basketball, he believes he can get away with more.
“Because he knows spectacular, ‘I’ll play when I want to play,'” Smith continues. “‘You should feel privileged to see me play.’ That’s his attitude.”
What’s Next?
GettyKyrie Irving is a key building block of the Nets.
With the mandates now behind them, Irving will be fully available next season for the Nets provided he picks up his player option and sticks around.
On top of that, Ben Simmons will be healthy and ready to go, so Brooklyn will have a new Big 3 in town that can help compete for a championship. The Nets will still have to fill out their roster and hopefully solve their big man problem. Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond aren’t guarantees to come back in the offseason, and if that happens the team will have to replace them.
Nic Claxton will hold down the starting center position for the Nets going forward, but outside of him there isn’t much depth. It will be a very important summer for the team and they’ll need to capitalize on their championship window with Durant and Irving before their primes end.
With the Eastern Conference being stronger than it has been in years, that might be easier said than done.
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