Getty Kyrie Irving calls out a play during Brooklyn's loss to the Charlotte Hornets.
Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving is set to miss his fourth consecutive game when the Brooklyn Nets face the red hot Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. While Kyrie’s teammates and coaches have been extremely patient with him one would have to imagine that the patience within the organization is growing thin. Especially after Kyrie was seen at his sister Asia’s 30th birthday party, without a mask when he is supposed to be away from the team due to personal reasons.
Sean Marks Give Update on Kyrie
Even though Kyrie was with immediate family members, his attendance at the party explicitly violates the NBA’s safety protocols. Players are not supposed to be present at lounges, bars, or gatherings with 15 people or more. Kyrie’s actions will likely result in more missed time away from the team as he will have to isolate as per league rules. Brooklyn Nets General Manager Sean Marks released a statement on Tuesday about the video that broke the internet. “We are aware of a video on social media featuring Kyrie Irving at a family gathering,” Marks said in a statement released by the Brooklyn Nets. “We are reviewing the circumstances with both Kyrie and the NBA in order to determine compliance with health and safety protocols.”
While both Marks and the Nets are aware of the video that surfaced on social media on Tuesday, they still hold firm that Kyrie’s absence from the team is due to personal reasons. “Kyrie remains away from the team due to personal reasons. The date of his return has yet to be finalized,” Marks continued. “In the meantime, we will continue to stay focused on our organizational goals. Kyrie will have the opportunity to address his absence when he is ready to do so.”
Kyrie Could Miss Even More Time
The Nets having no timetable for Irving’s return continues to be a recurring theme for the Nets as they have not had one since he missed his first game for “personal reasons” last Thursday against the Philadelphia 76ers. If Kyrie’s self-quarantine started tomorrow, he would miss Brooklyn’s next five games. Tonight’s game against the Nuggets and matchups against the Knicks, Magic, Bucks, and Cavaliers. He would not be eligible to return until next Friday when the Nets face his former squad the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second time in three days.
The Nets Roster Is Paper Thin
The Nets were thought to have one of the deepest rosters in the league when the season began. Now just eleven games into the season the team seems thin at almost every position. Brooklyn’s troubles began when their starting shooting guard Spencer Dinwiddie went down for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. Everything has just seemed to go downhill from there. Steve Nash is aware that this has been an exhausting adjustment for everyone involved. “Guys are having to share more responsibility than they’re accustomed to,” Nash told reporters over Zoom. “Then Kyrie being out adds to that, so guys are going two spots up the line and adding more load and more responsibility. But no one’s going to cry for us.”