Other than Ben Simmons if and when he returns, there will no Net under more scrutiny in the post-season than Kyrie Irving. As Ian O’Connor of the Post writes on Friday, the question with Irving is binary: Is he worth the trouble? This year’s playoffs will go a long way to answering that. How the Nets fare will in turn have some effect on off-season negotiations on an extension for Irving that could be close to a quarter billion dollars. O’Connor thinks not.
The veteran New York sports writer succinctly notes the downside of Irving: “Injuries. Sabbaticals. Unwanted vaccines.