A tweet sent by Kendrick Perkins on Friday night received plenty of attention in the form of likes and retweets, and it contained quite a claim.
Perkins suggested that Kyrie Irving planned his shoulder injury so that the guard would avoid the Brooklyn Nets’ game in Boston on Wednesday.
Kyrie looked at the schedule before the season started and planned this whole injury thing because he didn’t want to go back to Boston this upcoming week!!! He didn’t want that smoke in the Bean Town. Smh
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) November 23, 2019
Irving has not played since a loss to the Denver Nuggets on November 14 due to a shoulder impingement. Irving actually suffered the injury in the team’s previous game against Utah on November 12 but played hurt against Denver. He has not played since then and has missed four games.
On Friday, the Nets announced that Irving would miss the team’s 3-game road trip, which includes games against the Knicks, Cavs and Celtics.
After being evaluated this evening, it has been determined that Kyrie Irving will miss the team’s upcoming three-game road trip (NYK, CLE, BOS) according to the #Nets. He will be re-assessed once the team returns.
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) November 23, 2019
Irving had a tumultuous final season in Boston and likely would have received a harsh reception. Before the season, he said he was going to re-sign with the team. But then the team’s season went terribly, and he became a target for blame due to leadership issues. Irving ended up leaving the Celtics to sign with the Nets in free agency.
We love a good conspiracy as much as anyone, but suggesting Irving planned a shoulder injury that far in advance that would cost him seven games and potentially a shot at a contractual bonus for games played is quite the stretch. We’d say that Perkins was joking, but the former Celtic has so many biases and has ripped Irving in the past, so it’s very possible he was completely serious.
