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Nets: NBA’s monster fine for BK injury report made zero sense

By Jerry Trotta

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 25: The Brooklyn Nets logo adorns center court prior to the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Barclays Center on November 25, 2012 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 25: The Brooklyn Nets logo adorns center court prior to the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Barclays Center on November 25, 2012 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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The Nets were issued a monster fine for failing to comply to injury reporting policies.

It’s not at all draconian to say that Kyrie Irving’s first season with the Brooklyn Nets was forgettable. As great as he was when he played — he averaged 27.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists on 47.8% shooting and a 39.7% clip from beyond the arc — the All-Star point guard was only available for 20 games.

Before the NBA campaign was suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak, Irving had missed several weeks with a shoulder injury that ultimately ended his season. Prior to that, however, Brooklyn was less than clear in their reporting of the injury, providing little to know details and no concrete timetable for his return.

But .. is that what this is about? On Thursday, the NBA announced that it fined Brooklyn $25,000 for a violation of rules and protocols regarding the reporting of player injuries, providing zero further details. If it’s not Irving, we’re totally flummoxed about what the league spotted.

Seriously?

It’s one thing for the Nets to be disciplined to this extent, but for the NBA to remain incredibly vague in its reasoning is downright nonsensical. The league welcoming speculation is so beyond unnecessary. Why not just spill all the beans so we can all put this behind us?

Brooklyn listed three players on its official injury report — Caris LeVert (left thigh contusion), Joe Harris (right hamstring/lower back tightness) and Jamal Crawford (hamstring strain) — for Wednesday’s tilt against the Boston Celtics. The former two were listed as probable and went on to play over 20 minutes. The latter, meanwhile was ruled out and thereby didn’t feature.

Both Harris and LeVert missed Tuesday’s improbable upset win over the Milwaukee Bucks, but they, along with Jarrett Allen (rest), were all listed as out beforehand. Crawford, on the other hand, was labeled as questionable due to conditioning issues.

That all sounds legitimate, so our best guess remains the Irving shoulder debacle. Even still, that was months ago. Why lay the hammer down now? We’re normally the first applaud the NBA for how swimmingly it manages situations similar to this, but we really can’t help but scratch our heads at this decision.

The Nets appeared to be transparent, and all they got was a hefty fine to add some pain and misery.

Jacque Vaughn Deserves Credit for Adjustments. dark. Next