One former Celtics player doesn't believe Kyrie Irving is actually hurt.
After the Nets announced Friday night Irving will not travel with the team for its upcoming road games against the Knicks, Cavs and Celtics, current ESPN analyst and former Boston center Kendrick Perkins questioned the severity of Irving's right shoulder injury. Wednesday's game between the Nets and Celtics would have brought Irving back to TD Garden for the first time since he left Boston in free agency following a tumultuous 2018-19 season.
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Kyrie looked at the schedule before the season started and planned this whole injury thing because he didn’t want to go back to Boston this upcoming week!!! He didn’t want that smoke in the Bean Town. Smh
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) November 23, 2019
Perkins' assertion is like a Jenga tower that falls apart once you pull out a single block.
Irving has missed Brooklyn's last four games after suffering a right shoulder impingement on Nov. 12 against the Jazz. He played through pain in Denver on Nov. 14, then missed contests against the Bulls, Pacers, Hornets and Kings. It's not as though he was perfectly healthy before the Nets ruled him out for the road trip.
And lets shut down any "He skipped the games in Cleveland, too" responses. He played the 2017 season opener at Quicken Loans Arena following the trade that sent him to Boston.
He literally played in the first possible game at Cleveland. And skipping future trips to Cleveland had as much to do with Boston resting him against a bad team as him not wanting to go.
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) November 23, 2019
Nets coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters Friday there is "no timetable" when it comes to Irving's recovery. The team will return to Brooklyn for a home game against the Celtics on Nov. 29 once the road trip is complete, but there is no guarantee Irving will be healthy by that date.
"I think he's concerned about one thing — getting back to being as close to 100 percent as possible," Atkinson said.
Boston fans are well within their rights to express frustration with Irving, but there is no reason to throw out wild theories about his health status.
