General manager Sean Marks said Wednesday that Kyrie Irving was going through his own inner turmoil, and he admitted the Nets had a level of concern over whether they were providing enough help and support for their All-Star point guard.
“We’re always concerned about all of our players and Kyrie is no different than anybody else, and when a guy reaches out for help, we need to be there,” Marks said on WFAN.
“He even owned that in the press conference that he’s dealing with some personal stuff here, and without a doubt all of us … from time to time … need to take a step back and recharge or refocus. All we can do is support Ky and make sure we’re doing everything we possibly can, and helping him. And he’s showing commitment to honestly helping themselves and getting back out there. And we’ll see that tonight which is going to be great.”
The Nets expect to finally see Irving back Wednesday night in Cleveland, after he missed seven straight games. He took a leave of absence from the team for personal reasons. Then he had to serve a five-day quarantine period due to NBA contact tracing, and spent the last two games ramping back up to 100 percent.
Marks also addressed how concerned the Nets were about Irving’s headspace during that leave, and whether the organization was miffed internally by the point guard’s extended midseason absence.
“It comes in waves, right?” Marks said. “We’ve had conversations all the time throughout the past 10 days. They go from a level of concern, a level of yeah there’s definitely anxiety of how can we help them? Are we doing the best we can for this young man? It’d be very naive and pretty callous of us to come out and say we’re pissed off … because let’s be honest, we play a game of basketball here.
“And matters that need to be addressed — whether it’s in the locker room or on a one-on-one basis — those things need to stay close to the vest and within the family. All I can tell you is I had terrific conversation with Kyrie this morning he’s excited about getting back on the court. He’s addressed the team as a group and also individually with the guys as well.”
Marks acknowledged that Irving had to address with his teammates some of his behavior while he was on leave. Irving was caught on video going maskless at a birthday party at a public venue in West Orange, N.J. That earned him his five-day quarantine, a fine from the NBA and cost him two game checks totaling over $800,000.
It also necessitated some explaining, with Marks admitting that was the part that left him the most disappointed.
“Yeah, without a doubt,” Marks said. “And I’ve talked to Ky about it. And he apologized to not only myself but the team and didn’t shy away from it, and showed the humility and the vulnerability to say, ‘Look, I was wrong, I’ve got to figure this out.’ And yeah, he knows where we stand on that.
“Again, it goes back to we have to trust each other. �� It’s all of us. We’re all in this together we’re all trying to get to the finish line here. And for us to do that it’s going to take sacrifice, and ultimately trust.”