This offseason the Brooklyn Nets took over New York basketball. Kyrie Irving alluded to it, emphatically proclaiming “This is our home!” after the Nets beat the Knicks in a November Battle of the Boroughs. At the moment the Nets do seem to own New York after signing Irving, two-time Finals MVP Kevin Durant and former All-Star DeAndre Jordan to form the nucleus of a title contender. Granted KD will miss this season.
But among Irving, Jordan, and the Nets’ young core of Caris LeVert, Jarrett Allen, and Spencer Dinwiddie. There is more than enough talent for the team to be competitive and make the playoffs. Yes, the Brooklyn Nets might miss the postseason.
However, the Nets are not guaranteed to make the postseason. The team’s slow start has been ominous, and is a legitimate cause for concern, with the Nets looking out of sorts at both ends. Their beautiful motion offense is nowhere to be found this season. Replaced by long stretches of iso-ball, (with Irving and Dinwiddie the main culprits). Their defense, on the other hand, has turned into a sieve, marked by routinely missed assignments and out of sync rotations.
It doesn’t help, too, that the injury bug has hit the Nets. Durant will miss this season as he recovers from his ruptured Achilles. LeVert, one of Brooklyn’s steadiest players, has missed half of the Nets’ games with a fractured thumb, while Jordan has struggled with an ankle injury.
Even Irving, who was penciled in to hold the fort for KD, is now dealing with a shoulder impingement. It has caused him to miss several games already, including his much-anticipated return to Bean Town just prior to Thanksgiving. Bwin Basketball’s preview of the Nets’ early-season showdown with the Boston Celtics details how Irving missed the first game due to an injury to his right shoulder.
And it is an injury to keep an eye on moving forward. Dr. John Kelly told the New York Daily News, “There is a high likelihood that Mr. Irving has a labral tear or loosening of the shoulder capsule due to repetitive stress.” He went on to say that a shoulder impingement can potentially linger, and might even require surgery if it doesn’t heal on its own.
Losing Irving to shoulder surgery would be a huge blow to the Nets. Worse, a sidelined Irving could potentially keep to himself, and undo the positive vibe that has been building in Brooklyn since last season. An ESPN report on Irving and the Nets explained how that is a distinct possibility given the history of his erratic mood swings and petulance.
Then again, the season hasn’t even reached its halfway point. The Nets have plenty of time to right the ship. Coach Kenny Atkinson has been asking for patience. “It’s a new team, and we have to have patience,” noted Atkinson after an early-season loss to the Detroit Pistons. “I like the guys’ spirit and attitude. They’re playing hard. I just think it’s going to take some time.”
The Nets still have the luxury of time, but they better get their act together soon. Otherwise, a season of promise could end with a postseason miss and yes, the Brooklyn Nets might miss the postseason.
