The Brooklyn Nets have been without Kyrie Irving since Nov. 14. For the last 22 games, Irving has watched games from the sidelines due to a lingering shoulder issue that has been as perplexing as it has been serious. There’s no word on exactly what is wrong with Irving’s shoulder, but things are bad enough that he’s been out without a return in sight.
Irving hasn’t really spoken to the media throughout all of this, something that changed on Saturday afternoon when he spoke to reporters prior to Brooklyn’s game against the Toronto Raptors. While giving a glimpse into what’s going on, Irving revealed that surgery to correct the ailment is on the table, but for now, he’s opting to treat the issue with cortisone shots.
Kyrie said he's been in pain since the Pelicans game. He got progressively got worse after the Denver game. Irving said he tried to go without anti-inflammatories. Now, two options are surgery or cortisone. He's going with the cortisone. Surgery is an option.
— Laura Albanese (@AlbaneseLaura) January 4, 2020
Of course, eyebrows will get raised whenever the word “surgery” is thrown around, but Irving does seem like he wants to exhaust all options until he gets to that point. In fact, he also told reporters that he’s seen several doctors about whatever is going on, and that while he’s still in pain, he’s doing better compared to where he was.
Kyrie Irving, talking to reporters for the first time since Nov. 14, said he is "doing a lot better." He said he is struggling to lift his shoulder when taking jump shots.
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) January 4, 2020
Irving said he has seen several shoulder specialists, including one in Arizona.
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) January 4, 2020
Kyrie Irving: "It just sucks man. It's disheartening." Says playing on the roadtrip made it worse. But he's in a better place now and hopes it progresses in the next few weeks.
— Mike Mazzeo (@MazzNYC) January 4, 2020
The belief has been that Brooklyn will be in a position to compete for a title during the 2020-21 season, when Kevin Durant is expected to return from a ruptured achilles. Still, losing Irving for an extended period with a strange ailment like this is a brutal blow for the Nets, so here’s to hoping he’ll be able to return to the floor soon and won’t need surgery.
