Kyrie, KD not seen after spurning Knicks
Kyrie Irving was absent from the Nets’ bench at MSG and his attendance in Boston this week for the big reunion is unknown. Coach Kenny Atkinson said before the game that Irving, who was inactive because of a shoulder impingement, was expected to be at MSG. However, neither he nor Kevin Durant — who both spurned the Knicks in free agency — were near the court. Atkinson said Irving won’t travel with the Nets for Monday’s game in Cleveland, where the point guard played for six seasons before demanding a trade. He won’t play until at least Friday because of a shoulder impingement.
But will Irving at least fly to Boston for Wednesday’s game?
“Not sure,” Atkinson said. Irving is public enemy No. 1 among Celtics fans after leaving the team in free agency. TD Garden can get nasty toward opposing players and this one is personal.
Irving sat out his fifth straight game Sunday and team had played better in his absence, winning three of four before the MSG game. That’s similar to what the Celtics experienced last season, when they were 12-3 without Irving.
“We’re not nearly as good without him,” Atkinson said. “That’s just a fact.”
Still, Atkinson acknowledged that Irving’s lack of experience in the Nets’ system puts him at a disadvantage compared to Spencer Dinwiddie, who became the starting point guard and averaged 23.8 points in that role before Sunday.
“I will say this: I think with Spencer and those guys, they’ve been in the program for years. It’s a big difference when you’ve had a lot of reps,” Atkinson said. “I think Kyrie is still learning exactly what we want to do. I think Spencer has a little more corporate knowledge. I think it’s going take time for Kyrie to completely understand what we’re doing on both sides of the ball.
“That being said, for not understanding he’s been pretty darn good. It just gives us a bunch of different options.”
BARRETT OUT, KNOX IN
RJ Barrett was a late scratch for the Knicks because of an illness Sunday, thrusting Kevin Knox in the starting lineup for the first time this season.
Knox, the ninth overall pick in 2018, had been buried near the end of the rotation and Fizdale said he was challenging the 20-year-old to become a better defender.
“I’m going to keep holding his feet to the fire defensively,” Fizdale said. “I really want to get him to where he’s desperate to play and see that his defensive effort and focus and execution has got to be there for us to be a good basketball team.”
With Barrett looking sickly a few lockers over, Knox said he learned that he was in the lineup about 90 minutes before tipoff. A day earlier against the Spurs, Knox logged just nine minutes.
“I got no idea (who I’m guarding). I got no idea. I know they start (Joe) Harris and (Garrett) Temple, who are basically wing guys,” Knox said.
HAPPY TRAILS
DeMarre Carroll knew before free agency he wasn’t re-signing with the Nets. And he appreciated the transparency.
“They just let me know they weren’t going to be able to pay me what somebody else would pay me. All they really had the minimum because they wanted to go out and pursue other guys,” Carroll told the Daily News. “They went out and got Kevin Durant and Kyrie and DeAndre (Jordan). They already kind of laid it out before I went into free agency.
“That’s why I respect them. That’s what you want — especially being a seasoned veteran like myself. You want to know what options you have before free agency.”
Carroll played two seasons with the Nets and was a great fit in Kenny Atkinson’s system as a 3-and-D wing. After averaging 11.1 points in 25.1 minutes last season in Brooklyn, he signed a three-year, $21 million deal with the Spurs.
It hasn’t worked out thus far in San Antonio.
Carroll, 33, is averaging just 2.4 points and 11 minutes at the end of the rotation. The Spurs are a disappointing 6-11 after Saturday night’s victory over the Knicks.