Kyrie Irving has not played in a game since Nov. 14, and it does not appear that he’s on the verge of a return over a month later.
Irving has been sidelined with what the Nets are calling a right shoulder impingement. That injury has lingered, and on Monday, Brooklyn Nets coach Kenny Atkinson revealed that Irving hasn’t even been cleared for contact yet. According to Ian Begley of SNY, the expectation was that would have happened by now.
No Kyrie Irving (shoulder) for Knicks-Nets on Thursday. The expectation earlier this month was that Irving would be cleared to take contact in practice at this point. https://t.co/MIrFYBeqD1
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) December 23, 2019
It’s now been nearly two weeks since Atkinson suggested that Irving would begin to ramp up his involvement in practices. There is no return date, nor does there even appear to be a solid estimate. The fact that he hasn’t even been cleared for contact yet is both frustrating and worrisome, and suggests there is some truth to the thinking that the injury is not exactly a minor one.
