Andre Iguodala’s comments on Kyrie Irving completely miss the mark

Kyrie Irving has officially begun the process of re-joining the Brooklyn Nets but has been in the health and safety protocol since Saturday. His return has been a point of contention because Irving hasn’t received the COVID-19 vaccine, meaning that he’ll be a part-time player for Brooklyn for road games only.

Or, at least that’s how things look right now. Irving has to test negative two days in a row or be in isolation for 10 days before he’s allowed to come out of the protocol. The point guard’s return involves a lot of moving pieces, and they haven’t quite lined up yet.

Steve Nash has said in the past that the Nets would welcome Irving back with open arms, so we know how the team feels about him coming back. Outside of that, players around the league haven’t said much about Irving, except for Golden State’s Andre Iguodala.

On Friday night, hours after it was reported by Shams Charania that Brooklyn had decided to bring Irving back, Iguodala was asked about the point guard.

Andre Iguodala speaks out in support of Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving.

Iguodala started by saying, “Kyrie’s my man.” He then said, “They don’t want us to see him and his skillset. His mind’s too free.”

After that, the 37-year-old placed blame on the media. He said that the Nets are going to win every time that Irving’s on the court. Iguodala concluded with, “The dude is that good, but y’all don’t want to say that.”

Iguodala speaking up in defense of Irving’s game is one thing, but that’s not why there’s drama surrounding him right now. Irving is part of the 3% of NBA players who are unvaccinated, which is part of the reason why his return is controversial. We’re also pretty sure there’s been plenty of analysts and sports writers talking about how Irving’s absence has been detrimental and that they need him back to win a title because he’s one of the best players in the league. Not sure where Iguodala is hearing otherwise.

Sean Marks and Brooklyn caved to allow Irving to return, ironically enough because of the team’s current COVID-19 surge and because of the heavy workload that’s been placed on Kevin Durant and James Harden.

Irving will be allowed to practice in the city but is only eligible to play in road games (excluding contests against the Knicks and Raptors). It’s been said he wants to be “a voice of the voiceless.” However, over the past few months, he’s remained in the shadows.

If you’ve watched the Nets play this season, you know that they need Irving back. Even as a part-time player, he’s going to make a positive impact on the court, as Iguodala said. However, because of his vaccination status, especially with how things are looking in the NBA and New York City, he’s going to put Brooklyn at risk and potentially disrupt the rhythm.

We don’t have an issue with saying that Irving is “that good,” but off of the court, his situation certainly isn’t characterized as that. The country is still amid a pandemic, and the Omicron variant has made things even worse.

There’s no denying Irving’s skillset, but he’s a liability. That’s the issue.

Did Kevin Durant and James Harden apply pressure to Kyrie Irving situation?

Kyrie Irving is officially in the process of returning to the Brooklyn Nets, but did it happen because of Kevin Durant or James Harden?