NBA Power Rankings week 8 – OKC Thunder cling to middle, trade market opens up
15. team. 147. . 14-12. Previous: 15th. Brooklyn Nets
Offense: (108.2) 15th
Defense: (108.1) 15th
Net: (even 0.0 ) 16th
Games Week 7: ( 1-2 ) Won vs. 76ers, lost to Hornets, Raptors
Games Week 8 (3 games): Tues at Pelicans | Thurs at Spurs | Sat vs. Hawks
Is it me or is this sustained absence by Kyrie Irving kind of odd? There aren’t any reports or details whenever Kenny Atkinson is asked. The entire thing seems super weird.
It begs a few questions —
- Is Irving’s injury worse than what the Nets are telling us? The longer he remains out the more this has to be given credence. Which isn’t great for his reputation of being someone who gets hurt easily and doesn’t heal quickly.
- Are the Nets load managing Irving so he’ll be fresh for the second half and ready for postseason play?
- And the other very real option is the Nets franchise is hearing all the “talk” about how well the team is doing without Irving. In fairness, they’ve performed well against lower-tier teams and not so great against the upper echelon. But, Spencer Dinwiddie is on a roll. So — is there a chance the Nets are keeping him out until they go on a bit of a losing streak? Sean Marks and Kenny Atkinson sure can’t afford to have Irving return and Brooklyn go on a losing streak or it could create unnecessary issues (especially because the New York media would be all over it).
Food for thought.