Kyrie Irving addressed reporters on Tuesday, two weeks after his last game, four days after the NBA fined him $ 50,000 for violating his health and safety protocols and 24 hours before returning to a line- up that will definitely look different from the one he left.
More than 12 minutes on a Zoom call, Irving said very little.
But by saying little, he said a lot.
Irving was not interested in publicly declaring his absence. “A lot of family and personal things happen,” Irving said. He was reluctant to address his violation of competition protocols, which came to light after a video surfaced of a maskless Irving at a family party. “Glad to be back,” Irving said, deadpanded. When asked if he was okay, Irving nodded in his chair with his body leaning forward, his arms crossed and his chin resting on his forearms, simply nodding affirmatively.
Irving is, of course, not required to explain anything in public. He says he spoke to his teammates, some individually, and was ready to move on. Those teammates were supportive. Steve Nash has expressed excitement at Irving’s return. The arrival of James Harden has given Brooklyn a real Big Three – if Irving is determined to be a part of it.
Irving is back, but if there’s one thing that can be gleaned from Irving’s media availability, it’s that what pushed him off the team is still weighing on him. Irving has always been quirky, the controversies he’s gotten involved in (flat earth, subtle digs at ex-teammate LeBron James, etc.) have often been self-inflicted. However, this feels different. In the wake of the high profile murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, Irving embraced the growing social justice movement. Last June, Irving was one of the louder voices urging players to boycott the NBA restart. Irving’s last game was January 5th. A day later violent domestic terrorists attacked the Capitol.
Irving said he had to create a “divide” between the current political climate and playing in the NBA.
He also said the event of recent months has been “hard to ignore.”
“I would lie here and say that I don’t feel what’s going on in the world or pay attention to it,” Irving said. “I just have a huge responsibility, I feel, to continue serving my community and the less fortunate. And when I’m playing here it keeps leaving knowledge with these guys and dedicated to something, as I always say, bigger than ourselves. “
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There may be another problem. The Nets are a better team than Irving’s. Harden was brilliant in his first two games in Brooklyn. He collected a 30-point triple double in his Nets-debut. He followed it up with a try of 34 points, 12 assist in a narrow win over Milwaukee. His reunion with Durant, a former Oklahoma City teammate, looked seamless.
Irving would love to join a team with this kind of firepower. And maybe yes. But this is Irving. He forced an exchange from Cleveland just a year after winning a championship. He left Boston months after publicly stated that he would be back. In 2019, Irving, who had his future in his hands for the first time, chose Brooklyn, Durant, and chased a championship in his home market with his best friend.
He did not choose to do anything with Harden. When asked about the addition of Harden, Irving’s response felt poor. “It’s really exciting to be able to play with great players who have been in the league here for a while,” said Irving. ‘It went through ups and downs, peaks and troughs. James is on par with us in terms of experience. Adding that to our dressing room will be great for us. “
Sounds like a player eager to have another Big Three experience?
“When things get overwhelming in life, you just have to take a step back and realize what’s important,” Irving said. “And I like to play – it’s never been a question. Not even for me.”
Irving’s buy-in is critical to Brooklyn’s success. The nets are far from flawless. The transaction, coupled with the loss of Spencer Dinwiddie to an ACL injury, robbed the team of its depth. The defense, which is already shaky, is worse. Much responsibility is placed on DeAndre Jordan and Jeff Green. Harden’s early play is very promising. He has shown a willingness to be a playmaker, important to a team that has to deal the ball.
But will Irving embrace a role that will get him off the ball more?
Will Irving, who signed up to play with Durant, be willing to sacrifice more of his offense to play with Harden?
“Very excited,” Irving said, anything but sounding.
Irving is not a bad guy. He has paid school fees for children at his former high school, The Patrick School. He literally made the money available to keep the school closed. He renovated the gym, locker room and weight room. On Tuesday, Irving confirmed that he was involved in buying a home for Floyd’s family, who was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer last May. He’s not looking for credit – Floyd’s story only surfaced after Stephen Jackson, a good friend of Floyd’s, revealed it on a podcast.
But Irving is complicated. He likes to play basketball but doesn’t care about some of the responsibilities that come with it. He wants to win, but only seems to want to do it on his own terms. He could be part of something special in Brooklyn, a championship team that could win titles for years to come. Or he may decide that this situation isn’t for him, and be part of the reason it’s unraveling.