In the aftermath of the Nets sweep and his comments about “managing the franchise” with Kevin Durant, Sean Marks and Joe Tsai, Kyrie Irving has taken some hits in the media with several media personalities blaming him for the Nets turmoil-filled season, particularly his refusal to get vaccinated.
Typical of the heat he faced was a segment Tuesday on ESPN featuring Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins, both of whom have long criticized him all season. ESPN rightly described it as a rant...
It was indeed one of several commentaries. Barbara Barker of Newsday in a column published Wednesday suggested that the Irving’s absence was the core of Brooklyn’s problems.