Getty Brooklyn's James Harden takes the ball as Kyrie Irving runs behind him in the second half against the Miami Heat at Barclays Center on January 23, 2021 in New York City.
The 2021 offseason has officially begun for the Brooklyn Nets, and it will be detrimental for them to hit a home run if they hope to have a real shot at the 2022 NBA title. Even with a herculean effort from All-Star forward Kevin Durant the Nets still were unable to put away the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round.
Despite a disappointing exit, the Nets cannot harp on what happened during what for them was a tumultuous 2020 season. With the end of the season just weeks away they will have to prepare to make some tough decisions during the 2020 NBA free agency period.
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Stephen A. Smith Says Nets Loss Is Result of Bad Karma
Much of the Nets’ struggles can be attributed to the injuries to their stars Kyrie Irving and James Harden in the second round. But one thing that can’t be denied is that their weaknesses as a team were on full display against Milwaukee. The Bucks barely eked out a win against a heavily dismantled Nets team. Injuries are a part of sports, and it is one of the few things that the players have no control over. However, according to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, the collapse of the Nets can mostly be attributed to bad karma.
“James Harden love him, but [he] wanted out of Houston, came into camp out of shape you think that didn’t have something to do with the hamstring injury you ultimately incurred? Absolutely. I brought up coaching at number two, right? Remember Kyrie Irving‘s quote at the beginning of the season ‘we don’t really need coaching’ guess what Kyrie you were really thinking about you. What about the other players who were going to need to produce? Better coaching might have had those other dudes ready to help Kevin Durant in a Game 7,” Smith said on Tuesday, June 22nd edition of ESPN’s First Take.
“Then you Kyrie Irving, you missed some games, you took a couple of weeks off, took off whenever you wanted, that didn’t send the right message to the team. Blake Griffin, you didn’t show up in Detroit, you stole money from the Detroit Pistons, you didn’t want to play basketball, you didn’t even dunk in two years until you arrived in Brooklyn. This kind of stuff ultimately comes back to bite you. That’s what happened to the Brooklyn Nets, that is why they’re home right now.”
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Stephen A. Suggested Kyrie Retire From Basketball
Smith has been one analyst who has seemed to have a beef with the members of the Nets roster since the beginning of the season. He infamously suggested that Kyrie retire from basketball after he took a leave of absence from the team in January.
“He’s not worth (the drama) at all. Matter of fact, let me say this straight up and down: I think Kyrie Irving should retire,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take back in January. Kyrie Irving has not prioritized basketball, but I’m not saying he doesn’t want to play all together. I’m saying he hasn’t prioritized it, and how fair was that to Brooklyn Nets? How fair is that to Sean Marks? How fair is that to Steve Nash — a coach that he endorsed bringing on board, a coach that he wanted, a coach that he fully supported? How fair is that to his brother, Kevin Durant?”
The Nets have been eliminated from the playoffs for less than a week and people are already taking shots at them. That is just the cost of being the most hated team in the league. One thing is for sure, they will have plenty of bulletin board material heading into next season.
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