Is there more to Kyrie Irving's injury than Nets are letting on?
The Brooklyn Nets might be 12-6 without Kyrie Irving, but there has to be a growing concern that the injury to his shoulder is more serious than previously thought.
Irving, who exited the Nets 101-93 loss to the Denver Nuggets on November 14 with what the team termed a shoulder injury. It's been nearly six weeks and while Irving has resumed basketball activities, there's no set date for his return.
It's understandable that the team wants to be cautious with the injury prone Irving, particularly during a season when Kevin Durant is not expected back in the lineup and Caris LeVert is still nursing an injury.
The reality is if the injury is truly a shoulder impingement, it shouldn't be taking this long, should it?
Is there more to the injury than the Nets are letting on?
Potentially. Irving was on a tear individually through the first 11 games of the year, but the team sputtered to a 4-7 record. The Nets were caught ball watching Irving and not playing the team ball they have with Spencer Dinwiddie leading the charge.
There are still concerns when Irving returns to the lineup whether or not Kenny Atkinson can integrate both Irving and Dinwiddie and get the team to be on the same page throughout this process.
If Irving doesn't debut before the start of the New Year, that's an indicator that something is truly wrong with his shoulder and this could be a longer-term injury than the team first reported.
