Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving will not play in Monday’s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves due to personal reasons.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith questioned why Irving needs more time off, but he also said that he hopes Irving and everyone around him are okay.
What the hell is going on with KYRIE? pic.twitter.com/JUtoH59fli
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) April 12, 2021
“What the hell is going on?” Smith said. “You only played 20 games last year in Brooklyn. You didn’t play in the bubble. Then you didn’t want people to play in the bubble because you wanted folks to focus on other issues, and it turns out, you got your own issues. Whatever they may be.
“And so we wish him and his family — nobody is wishing anything negative about him — nobody’s doing that. We all hope that everything and everybody is OK.
“But I don’t recall Kyrie at any point saying, ‘Here’s your money back. You know, you don’t have to pay me.’ But you’re missing games at your discretion. I mean, how many personal days do you need? You don’t play every day. You got 72 games this year instead of 82. You only played 20 of the 72 last year. What the hell is going on where you’re just missing games?”
Obviously, it goes without saying that hopefully Irving and everyone around him are okay as he takes time away from the team.
While Smith clearly wants to see Irving on the court as much as possible, the Nets have put themselves in a solid position to grab one of the East’s top seeds whether Irving plays or not.
This season, Irving has appeared in 38 games and is averaging 27.6 points, 4.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game.
The Nets are 36-17 and are tied with the Philadelphia 76ers for the best record in the Eastern Conference.
