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Kyrie Irving eligible to play in 13 of Nets' next 18 games

Brooklyn plays Portland Monday night with and Kyrie Irving listed in the starting lineup. Irving will be able to play in 13 of the Nets next 18 games as they approach the All-Star break. This stretch will represent one of the most important in the team's championship pursuit as Irving will need to develop a rapport with new teammates and build his stamina after missing the beginning of the season. Brooklyn had lost five straight homes games before squeaking by the Spurs in overtime on Sunday at Barclays. With a NBA-best 14-3 road record, it's expected Irving added to the lineup will only improve that sterling mark. Milwaukee and Miami are both 2.5 games back of Brooklyn and the Nets trail top seeded Chicago, who they play at the United Center on Wednesday night, by 1.5 games. The Nets can either leapfrog Chicago ahead of the All-Star break or sink back into the pack over the next 18 contests. Irving is a difference-maker and glue guy in the locker room despite his icy relationship with the media. It's clear Brooklyn's title hopes hinge on Irving's availability and whether or not he's seamlessly integrated into the lineup and meshes with a new supporting cast. Steve Nash will need to capture the moment over the next 18 games and inspire the Nets to stack as many wins as possible before the All-Star break to ascend atop the Eastern Conference.

Nets taking their foot off the gas in anticipation of Kyrie's return

Losers of three straight games, the Brooklyn Nets are showing signs of a team exhaling and waiting for their third star to return to the court. Call it a midseason slump, but the absence of bench production, outside of a furious fourth quarter rally against Memphis on Monday night, point to the Nets taking their eyes off the ball. Brooklyn has dropped behind Chicago at the top of the East while Milwaukee is closing ground fast. Yes, Kyrie Irving will pay when the Nets take on the Pacers in Indiana on Wednesday, but the team can't simply continue playing lackluster fourth quarter basketball and expect star power to carry it through difficult times. Once Irving ramps up and with roughly just 18 road games he's eligible for playing in the rest of the way, the playoffs will be here before we know it. The Nets have built some bad habits over this three game skid and while their talent is undeniable, Steve Nash will need to correct the team's untimely mistakes and lack of cohesion regardless of whether Irving is in the lineup or not.

James Harden back to pre-injury form is bad news for rest of NBA

After 15 days away from the Nets in COVID-19 protocols, James Harden is back and better than ever. On Christmas Day, Harden lit up the Lakers with a 36 point, 10 rebound and 10 assist triple-double outing including a picturesque lob to Nic Claxton to give the Nets a late lead they never relinquished. Two days later, Harden dismantled the Clippers with a season-high in both points (39) and assists (15) to go along with eight rebounds to propel Brooklyn to a 16-point victory. A well-rested Harden, who came off an asymptomatic positive virus test, used the time off to get into tip top shape and shed the extra weight that was limiting his explosiveness to the basket. After using the entire off-season to rehab his Grade 2 hamstring strain suffered in the 2021 NBA playoffs, Harden barely played and trained prior to 2021 training camp opening. Harden struggled to catch a rhythm and the league's leader in free throw line trips was not getting to the charity stripe with regularity. Basketball fans and pundits speculated that the diminished version of Harden was a result of age and NBA rule changes that aimed not to reward offensive players using crafty techniques to create contract and draw fouls. Through 30 games, Harden was sluggish, carrying extra weight and still developing chemistry with teammates while working back to peak conditioning and shooting form. Prior to the COVID-19 positive test, Harden was showing signs of turning the corner, and the time off did wonders for him. With Harden ascending back to an MVP level, the rest of the NBA will be put on notice. Kevin Durant is expected back with the team on Thursday against Philadelphia and Kyrie Irving is one to two weeks away from returning, according to head coach Steve Nash. Things are heating up in Brooklyn as the Nets big-three will be whole again before the All-Star break and ready to wreak havoc on the league.

Ex-Net Deron Williams wins exhibition boxing bout with former NFL RB Frank Gore

Deron Williams may have missed his calling. The Brooklyn Nets former franchise point guard took his talents to the boxing ring as an undercard in a heavyweight exhibition match with Frank Gore prior to Saturday night's main fight between Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley. The Williams and Gore fight was scheduled for four rounds with Williams getting a split decision from the judges. The fight was surprisingly chippy when Williams clinched Gore and knocked him into the ropes and out of the ring tumbling into the camera equipment. Gore appeared shaken up, but upon resuming action he got Williams in the clinch and nearly wrestled him out of the ring. After the fight Williams insisted his boxing debut is a one and done scenario, but he did call out ex-Jet receiver Brandon Marshall who challenged the toughness of NBA players as opposed to NFL players. Williams never panned out with Brooklyn despite being named an NBA All-Star in 2012. The Nets floor general drew major criticism after signing a near $100 million contract upon the team's move to Brooklyn and never living up to the hype. In fact, due to a stretch provision the Nets still paid Williams $5 million annually five years after he was released and up until June 2020 as part of the stretch provision. Williams was a terrific player in his heyday, but whether it be the pressure of playing in New York, or some of the aging supporting cast around him in Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Williams left Nets fans wishing for more

Nets changing course on Kyrie's status reeks of desperation

Nothing has changed since September when the Brooklyn Nets organization, including Joe Tsai, Steve Nash and Sean Marks, came together to rule out Kyrie Irving as a part-time, unvaccinated player. Irving is still unvaccinated, the New York City vaccine mandate hasn't changed and we are still very much living in a pandemic world. What has changed is the growing number of Nets landing on the virus protocols list and positive tests across the country and league. This development has prompted Marks to make quick decisions to fill roster holes by signing Langston Galloway, James Ennis and Shaquille Harrison to ten day contracts to fill the void. James Harden and Kevin Durant remain in virus protocols, while there's a high level of concern about the minutes Durant is logging in the early season. The timing of Irving's return couldn't be stranger as cases are increasing with the omnicon variant spreading throughout the United States. In fact, Irving has landed on the virus list and will need to produce negative tests two consecutive days to be eligible to play in addition to a ramp up period to make sure he's in game shape. The reality is, the decision to flip flop on Irving's eligibility is based on desperation and not logic. Brooklyn simply isn't a true title contender without Irving in the fold and now with him back, they become the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. Brooklyn's brass knows a championship is at stake and changing course shows exactly how dire things are in Brooklyn.
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