Kyrie Irving had some strong words to say as he spoke with the media at Nets practice Friday afternoon.

The point guard defended the way he pushes his teammates and the organizations he's played for, after being criticized over comments he made earlier in the week.

"It's a telltale sign of the career that I've had," Irving said. "Some of the moves that I've made individually, and then as well as coming to different enviornments and organizations. ...It's not like I'm an a--hole yelling at everybody in the freaking locker room all the time and you hear all these stories." 

After losing their second straight game and eighth in the last 10 games, Kyrie Irving had some interesting post-game comments. 

Irving has only been back three games after dealing with shoulder bursitis, and the Nets are 1-2 in that span. However, losing to the 76ers -- a top seed in the Eastern Conference at 31-16 -- the All-Star point guard was asked about whether or not Brooklyn can compete with teams like Philadelphia. 

Here's what Irving had to say on the matter:

Donovan Mitchell's New York roots run deep, and on Tuesday night he returned to the Empire State as the Utah Jazz visited the Brooklyn Nets.

Mitchell, an Elmsford, N.Y. native whose father works as the Mets Director of Player Relations and Community Engagement, scored 25 points and added dour assists in Utah's 118-107 win at Barclays Center.

After the game, Mitchell said that he always enjoys coming back home to New York. 

"For some reason I was kind of nervous to start the game, just being back home and getting the nerves or whatever," Mitchell said. "I always love being back home in front of my friends and family, and I think we've won pretty much most of the times when we're back home, so it's been good."

While Kyrie Irving's return from injury was the main story in Sunday's 108-86 Nets win over the Hawks, the star point guard's career-best shooting performance wasn't the only headline coming out of Barclays Center.

Against the Nets for the final time, Hawks small forward Vince Carter got his farewell. As he gets set to retire from the NBA after 22 seasons, the former New Jersey star from 2004-09 made one last appearance before Nets fans.

A fan of the team while growing up in West Orange, NJ, Irving idolized Carter and former star point guard Jason Kidd. Reflecting on Carter's impact, Irving did not mince words when asked about how the Nets should honor him.

For the first time since Nov. 14, Kyrie Irving was back in uniform with the Nets, who welcomed the star point guard back with open arms in Sunday's 108-86 rout of the Atlanta Hawks.

Brooklyn's second straight win followed Friday's 117-113 comeback victory against the Miami Heat (27-12), as they throttled the Hawks (8-32) behind Irving's game-high 21 points on a career-best 91 percent (10-of-11) shooting.

Head coach Kenny Atkinson recapped Irving's return to action for the first time in 26 games, while center Jarrett Allen added more on how the point guard's offensive involvement gave the the Nets (18-20) a much-needed boost to cap the weekend at Barclays Center.

After he missed 26 straight games with his right shoulder impingement, Kyrie Irving came back for Sunday's game against the Atlanta Hawks and starred.

Among his game-high 21 points, Irving shot a personal-best 91 percent from the field, making 10 of 11 shots, as the Nets welcomed back their starting point guard and rolled to a 108-86 win over the Hawks at Barclays Center in New York.

"It was kind of a long road back," Irving said after the win. "A lot of questions I had to answer (about the) health of my shoulder, longevity, what would have been the best option for my health long-term. Once I got that foundation set, it was easy to make that decision (to return to the court)."

Kyrie Irving will officially return to the Nets lineup Sunday night against the Hawks, the team announced.

Brooklyn hasn't seen Irving take the court for them since Nov. 14, as the star point guard had been dealing with a right shoulder injury for the last two months.

Nearing the halfway mark of the NBA season, the Brooklyn Nets find themselves eighth in the Eastern Conference with a 17-20 record. Offense has been a major problem. Brooklyn is ranked just 24th in offensive efficiency through 37 games. 

Brooklyn's shot profile is a modern NBA analytics dream. According to Basketball Reference, Brooklyn is ranked first in shots attempted around the rim (34.8 percent) and sixth in three-point attempt rate (41.7 percent). The problem is that the Nets are third worst in the league in three-point percentage at 32.9 percent and they are converting just 62.4 percent of their attempts around the rim. That is the fifth-worst mark in the association.

Having Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert miss significant time due to injury hurt as the Nets lost two of their key ball handlers. Irving and LeVert help break down the defense and open up the three-point shots that the Nets heavily rely on in their offense.

Kyrie Irving's anticipated return to the Nets is going to happen on Sunday. 

When the Nets host the Atlanta Hawks at 6 p.m., Irving is expected to be back, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 

Irving has missed nearly two months with a right shoulder injury. 

Kevin Durant and Kendrick Perkins clearly have an unresolved beef that may still need settling.

From The Thread, here's what the disagreement between the former Thunder teammates might have sounded like if it hadn't happened over the internet.

One night after getting into it with a radio host on Twitter, Kevin Durant was at it again on Thursday night, this time getting into a Twitter spat with his former teammate, Kendrick Perkins.

It all started when Perkins, now an analyst with ESPN, tweeted out earlier in the day that he was going to explain why Russell Westbrook was the best player to ever put on an Oklahoma City Thunder jersey. Westbrook, now a Rocket, was making his return to OKC for the first time on Thursday night.

After an initial exchange with a Celtics team reporter, Perkins called out Durant for losing in the second round of the playoffs without Westbrook.

That's where Durant chimed in for the first time, bringing up how Perkins, who was the Thunder's starting center for the 2012-13 playoffs, averaged just two points and three rebounds in the postseason.

Nets star point guard Kyrie Irving spoke to reporters on Thursday after practice and gave some insight to his potential return.

"Hopefully I can get some game reps, in addition to this practice, but probably in the next week or so," Irving said. "It could be less than that. But I'm going to give myself a week, and see where we go from there after another evaluation."

Irving has been dealing with a shoulder impingement and shoulder bursitis that has kept him sidelined since Nov. 14.

Kevin Durant has not been hesitant to speak his mind on Twitter, and the injured Nets star was back at it again Wednesday when a radio host suggested that no one cares about Brooklyn's success or failures.

Brandon Tierney, a New York-based national media type for CBS Sports, said on Twitter early Wednesday that "no one cares" about the Nets' seven-game losing streak and that it "speaks volumes" to Brooklyn's relevance in a city shared by the Knicks.

Evidently brought to the attention of Durant, the former Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors forward who signed with the Nets over the Knicks and others for a four-year deal worth more then $164 million, the 10-time All-Star and four-time scoring champ unloaded.

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter | 

LOS ANGELES - Jared Dudley's with the Lakers now, but he's more than qualified to analyze what's happened with the Brooklyn Nets this season. 

Dudley was an important on and off-court contributor for Brooklyn last season. He averaged five points in 20 minutes off the bench for the Nets and provided veteran leadership for young players like Caris LeVert and D'Angelo Russell. 

So his thoughts on the Nets carry more weight than others. 

Jarrett Allen was a non-stop human highlight reel for the Nets Tuesday night against the Thunder, putting up poster dunks and big blocks as Brooklyn lost a tight game in overtime at Barclays Center.

Allen put up 12 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks on the night, but his real highlights came in the air.

Early in the first quarter, Rodions Kurucs drove under the basket and threw a short shuffle pass to Allen, who then put Mike Muscala on a poster, on what is now in the running for dunk of the year.

As the Nets gradually get Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert back into the fold from respective injuries, one former Brooklyn player spoke out to defend the team's handling of the recovery processes.

Jared Dudley spent just one season -- the 2018-19 campaign -- with the Nets, but saw enough to know how players with injuries are taken care of.

Now with the Los Angeles Lakers, Dudley spoke out Sunday on Twitter when one fan account appeared to be critical of how the Nets' have approached Irving's and LeVert's injuries. 

Caris LeVert finally made his return to the court for the Nets on Saturday night against the Raptors, after missing the last 24 games with a thumb injury.

LeVert, who had surgery on his thumb on Nov. 14, was expected to be back within four-to-six weeks, but the recovery time went a little longer than expected and slid into a seventh week before Saturday.

In his first game, LeVert played 16 minutes off the bench and was very efficient with his time on the court, scoring 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting -- including hitting both his attempts from beyond the three-point line.

Kyrie Irving addressed the media at Barclays Center for the first time since injuring his shoulder in early November.

Irving, who has missed the Nets' previous 22 games (with Saturday's game against the Raptors being game 23), spoke about his shoulder impingement, confirming that he also had shoulder bursitis, which has been previously reported. Irving also explained how he opted for a cortisone shot over surgery, although surgery could still be in play.

Here are the five biggest takeaways from Irving's Saturday press conference:

The Nets have waived two-way forward Henry Ellenson, it was reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Friday.

Ellenson averaged three minutes of play in just five games for Brooklyn this season.

Wojnarowski added that the Nets, who recently lost guard David Nwaba for the season due to a torn Achilles, will likely add another backcourt player on a two-way or 10-day contract.

While the Nets still patiently await the return of Kyrie Irving, the team is set to regain the other key piece of their starting backcourt.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Caris LeVert is expected to return to the lineup on Saturday against the Raptors.

LeVert has missed seven weeks due to right thumb surgery, which he underwent on November 14. His recovery process has lasted slightly longer than the team's initial four-to-six weeks diagnosis.

The Nets are waiving G/F David Nwaba, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Nwaba ruptured his right Achilles tendon on Dec. 19, 2019 against the San Antonio Spurs, and underwent successful surgery the following day.

The 26-year-old averaged 5.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 13 minutes per game off the bench for the Nets.

Out of action since mid-November, Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert remain out as the Brooklyn Nets' three-game road trip continues.

Ahead of Thursday's 8:30 p.m. ET game against the Dallas Mavericks, the Nets had a stacked injury report with six players on the list.

Among the handful, Garrett Temple is questionable with a right knee contusion. Nicolas Claxton is out due to left hamstring soreness.

Former NBA commissioner David Stern died Wednesday afternoon, 20 days after he was hospitalized Dec. 12 in New York upon suffering a brain hemorrhage, the league announced. He was 77.

Stern collapsed while at Brasserie 8 1/2 in Manhattan and was then rushed to the hospital for surgery, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported Dec. 12.

The NBA released the following statement from current commissioner Adam Silver.

The Nets lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime on Monday, 122-115, their third straight loss and fourth in the last five games. 

Head coach Kenny Atkinson was less than enthused with his team's effort in the loss.

"Just an unacceptable performanace by us," Atkinson said. "We were lucky to get to overtime, to be honest. Even at halftime, I thought that. We're just not playing at a high level. We're not playing up to Nets standards and it's hard to figure out why."

As Kyrie Irving continues to remain out of the Nets lineup, Spencer Dinwiddie has continued to see more and more usage on offense. 

With that comes different looks on defense, and following Saturday's 108-98 loss to the Rockets, Dinwiddie took the blame for not being able to adjust to what Houston was throwing at him.

"We boxed-and-1 [James] Harden and Harden had 40. He still found a way to manufacture points for his team," Dinwiddie said. "There are no excuses. … If I do my job, we win this game. That's kind of what it is at the end of the day."

Nets guard Kyrie Irving has now missed the team's last 19 games, with the most recent being Thursday's 94-82 loss to the Knicks.

And while the team has said that Irving has not yet been cleared for contact because of his shoulder impingement injury, could there be more to the All-Star's absence?

NBA analyst Ric Bucher was a guest on WFAN on Friday, and when asked about Irving's status, Bucher said that he's been hearing that there's more than meets the eye with the situation.

The Knicks took advantage of an awful shooting night by the Nets, topping Brooklyn 94-82 at Barclays Center. >> Box Score

Five things to know from Thursday's game

1) Neither team shot the ball particularly well on Thursday night. In the first half, the Nets shot just 26.7 percent from the floor, and while the Knicks were only slightly better at 34 percent, New York was able to take advantage of a red-hot half from Julius Randle to jump out to a 46-41 lead at the half. 

In the third quarter, the Knicks began to pull away. Randle stayed hot, while Elfrid Payton and Marcus Morris also had some key plays, and the Knicks jumped out to an 18-point lead after three, outscoring the Nets 33-20 in the third quarter. In the fourth, the Nets' shooting woes continued, and the Knicks were able to maintain a double-digit lead, hanging on for the win.

On Tuesday, reports came out that Nets guard Kyrie Irving could be out another two to three weeks due to his shoulder injury, but head coach Kenny Atkinson said on Thursday that's not the case.

The original report stated that the Nets are now referring to the injury internally as a "thoracic bursitis," though a "shoulder impingement" was the initial diagnosis given by the team. 

"I don't want to comment on a report because what you're telling me - whatever that report said is not true. We're still in the same place the last time I talked," Atkinson said before Thursday's game against the Knicks. "Like I said, the thing is we haven't gotten to the contact with him. We're on-court workout situation but the contact just hasn't been cleared yet. I think that's the next hurdle. I wish I could tell you when that is. Hopefully sooner rather than later."

Kyrie Irving's road to recovery appears to still be a bumpy one.

Sidelined with what had initially been termed a "right shoulder impingement," Irving could remain out of the lineup for another two to three weeks, according to a report cited in the New York Daily News. The original reporting comes from Heavy.com.

The report also indicates that the organization is now privately referring to Irving's injury as "thoracic bursitis."

Saturday night's game against the Atlanta Hawks will be the 18th straight game that Kyrie Irving has missed, and it doesn't sound like he's getting any closer to a return.

Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters at Barclays Center that Irving has still not been cleared for contact due to his shoulder impingement. Originally, Atkinson said that the Irving would be cleared for contact within a week or two, but that clearly has not been the case.

Irving originally suffered his injury against the Utah Jazz on November 12, but he attempted to play through the pain. He played 35 minutes against Denver two nights later, but was sidelined after that.

In his first season with the Nets, Irving has averaged 28.5 points, 7.2 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game. The All-Star guard scored 50 points in his Nets' debut, though the team dropped the game to Minnesota.

The Nets announced that guard/forward David Nwaba underwent successful surgery on Friday to repair his ruptured right Achilles, ending his season. The surgery was performed by Dr. Martin O'Malley at the Hospital for Special Surgery.

Nwaba down during the opening minutes of the fourth quarter in Thursday's 118-105 loss to the Spurs in San Antonio.

"We can talk about the game, but I'm concerned about David Nwaba, (he) hurt himself out there tonight," Kenny Atkinson told reporters after the game. "That's really where our thoughts are. It's tough to focus on the game right now. He's playing as well as anybody on our team, so tough blow. That's kind of where our hearts and mind are right now."

In his first season with Brooklyn, the 26-year-old has averaged 5.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 13 minutes per game. He's come on strong for the Nets in his last six games, averaging 9.3 points while shooting 50 percent from the floor. 

While the Nets entered the week on Sunday hopeful for Kyrie Irving's return to practice, Brooklyn's star point guard is not quite ready.

Prior to Wednesday's 7:30 p.m. game against the Charlotte Hornets (10-16), Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters that Irving is not cleared for contact.

Out for 13 straight games, Irving has not played since Nov. 14's 101-93 win over the Denver Nuggets.

Out for 12 games since he last played in Nov. 14's 101-93 loss to the Denver Nuggets, Kyrie Irving has missed almost the past month of the Brooklyn Nets' early 2019-20 season.

But as his right shoulder impingement recovery progresses, the star point guard is trending in the right direction.

While the Nets are likely to be without him on the court for the next week, head coach Kenny Atkinson provided a positive update on Irving, who could be back at practice within the next week or two.

Kyrie Irving's injury has kept the star point guard out for the Nets' past 10 games, including Wednesday's 130-118 win over the Hawks at State Farm Arena, and the absence could extend "a few more weeks."

Irving, who has been sidelined with a right shoulder impingement since starting Nov. 14's 101-93 loss to the Denver Nuggets, would be "lucky" if he could return several weeks from now, according to Brian Lewis of the New York Post.

Head coach Kenny Atkinson addressed Irving's injury before the team's leading scorer and facilitator missed his third straight game Nov. 20, when he sat for the Nets' 101-91 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter | 

Former Celtics great Kevin Garnett wasn't surprised that Kyrie Irving left Boston in the offseason to sign with the Brooklyn Nets. 

"No," Garnett said during an interview in New York to promote the film, 'Uncut Gems,' which stars Garnett and Adam Sandler and will be released on Christmas. 

Garnett explained why he wasn't shocked that Irving didn't want to re-sign with the Celtics. 

Kyrie Irving has been out of the lineup since Nov. 14 with a right shoulder impingement. The 27-year-old was averaging 28.5 points over his first 11 games in a Nets uniform, and his absence left a major void in the team's offensive production.

Enter Spencer Dinwiddie. Since being inserted into the starting lineup, the Colorado product has been the Nets' linchpin, averaging 24.5 points and 7.8 assists over the last eight games. The Nets are 6-2 in those games. 

"The role is completely different so obviously, there is a change there," Dinwiddie said after Friday's 112-107 win over the Celtics. "My approach to the game is very similar either way. It's whatever the team needs to win and then the role kind of dictates what that is. Sometimes it will be defense, sometimes it will be offense."

On Wednesday, Nets point guard and former Celtic Kyrie Irving was booed throughout the game, despite not even being in attendance as he recovers from a shoulder injury.

After the game, Irving spoke out on his Instagram story, calling the criticism from Boston fans "ignorant and obtrusive." Even Celtics guard Jaylen Brown -- a teammate of Irving's in Boston -- said there was no need for Celtics fans to boo Irving. 

The Nets and Celtics played each other again on Friday, as Irving was in attendance at the Barclays Center, but did not play. Some of his former Celtics teammates, including guard Marcus Smart and center Robert Williams, shared hugs with Irving and spoke about their relationship with him after the game.

After the Nets' 112-107 win over the Celtics on Friday afternoon, head coach Kenny Atkinson told the media that Kyrie Irving will not play on Sunday against the Heat in Brooklyn.

"First thing about Kyrie, he started on-court work, which is a real positive sign for us," Atkinson said. "He will be out for Miami. And then we'll see how it progresses. The fact that he started the oncourt work is good news for us. Out for Miami and then we'll see going forward."

It will be the ninth-straight game that Irving has missed, as the point guard is dealing with a right shoulder impingement that has kept him out since Nov. 14.

Nets star point guard Kyrie Irving will miss his eighth-straight game on Friday when the team plays the Celtics in Brooklyn, the team announced.

Irving hasn't played since Nov. 14 against the Nuggets, as the New Jersey native has been dealing with a shoulder injury.

It was announced on Nov. 22 that Irving would not play in the team's next three games -- against the Knicks, Cavaliers, and Celtics.

Kyrie Irving took to Instagram after Wednesday's 121-110 loss for the Nets against the Celtics at TD Garden in Boston featured boos and chants directed toward the point guard, and the actions evidently did not sit well with teammate Kevin Durant.

Irving, who fired back at Celtics fans' criticism by calling the actions "ignorant and obtrusive," was not in attendance for the anticipated return to face his former team as he missed the Nets' seventh straight game with a right shoulder impingement.

Irving's absence did not stop Celtics fans' negativity, despite Boston head coach Brad Stevens' pregame plea and wing Jaylen Brown's postgame take.

Kyrie Irving was the subject of boos and chants from Celtics fans on Wednesday night as the team hosted the Nets.

Irving, who wasn't even traveling with the team as he continues to sit out with a shoulder injury, drew the ire of Celtics fans for electing to leave the team to sign a max contract with the Nets this past offseason.

Following the Celtics' win over Brooklyn, Irving fired back against all the criticism coming his way, via a post to his Instagram story. 

Kyrie Irving with thoughts on his return to Boston (via kyrieirving/IG) pic.twitter.com/SKSNGaeixs

- SNY (@SNYtv) November 28, 2019

Kyrie Irving did not play -- let alone attend -- at TD Garden in Boston, where the Nets suffered Wednesday's 121-110 loss to the Celtics, but the crowd of 19,156 let their feelings be known about the team's former star point guard as they booed throughout the night.

Irving missed his seventh straight game as he recovers from a right shoulder impingement, but Celtics fans still chanted "Kyrie sucks" among other actions to share their thoughts on the former Boston star, who spurned the team for the Nets after two years from 2017-19.

But one of Irving's former teammates, Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, believes that the fans should focus less on frustrations from the past two seasons and instead pay attention to Boston's strong start.

Kyrie Irving isn't playing for the Nets on Wednesday night. In fact, he's not even with the team in Boston. 

But Celtics fans didn't seem to care.

As the Nets and Celtics matched up at TD Garden in a game that was supposed to be Irving's first trip back to Boston since leaving the Celtics for the Nets in free agency, the Boston fans had a lot to say about their former point guard.

During the first quarter, loud "Kyrie sucks!" chants broke out throughout the TD Garden.

Kyrie Irving is not with the Nets in Boston for Wednesday's 7 p.m. game at TD Garden against the Celtics, but Brad Stevens received plenty of questions before tip-off about the team's point guard from 2017-19.

Out for the seventh straight game as he nurses his right shoulder impingement, Irving misses his return to Boston but he still gets backlash from fans, including signs posted outside the arena calling Irving a "coward."

Stevens, who coached Irving for the past two seasons in Boston and has been with the Celtics since 2013, said during his pregame media availability that the team's lack of success did not fall on the point guard.

As the Nets get set to take on the Celtics, Kyrie Irving is not the only Brooklyn player who will miss Wednesday's 7 p.m. tip-off at TD Garden in Boston.

Along with their star point guard, who is out for the seventh straight game as he recovers from his right shoulder impingement, they revealed Wednesday afternoon that center DeAndre Jordan would also sit due to left ankle soreness.

Starting shooting guard Caris LeVert (right thumb surgery) remains out indefinitely while star forward Kevin Durant (right Achilles rehab) is still unlikely to return in time for the 2019-20 season.

Mitchell Robinson and Jarrett Allen are both terrific players who should be impact players for the Knicks and Nets in the coming years. But Robinson finds the notion that Allen has emerged as the best young center in New York to be laughable.

After the Nets won on Sunday night -- the second time they've beaten the Knicks this season in as many tries -- @NetsDaily tweeted that Allen had "proven" himself to be better than Robinson, writing:

"In 3-game winning streak, @_bigjayy_ has averaged 17 and 12. He's also the NBA leader in shooting percentage so far this season."

Imagine if Richard Jefferson played for the Knicks?

The former Net from 2001-08 joked that he knew his time in the NBA would be over if New York were to express interest.

Jefferson retired after the 2017-18 season with the Denver Nuggets, but revealed on the YES Network broadcast of Sunday's game at Madison Square Garden in New York between the Knicks and Brooklyn Nets that the former gave him a call before he decided to end his 17-year career.

Big changes could be coming to the NBA in the near future.

According to a report from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the league is considering making sweeping changes that include a shortened regular season, an in-season soccer-style, tournament, reseeding in the playoffs, and a new play-in scenario for the playoffs.

Wojnarowski reports that the NBA is in "serious discussions" with the NBA Players Association and broadcast partners in regard to these new proposals, with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver behind the majority of the changes, and that the league is hoping to implement them for the 2021-22 season, with the framework needing to be established by this April's board of governors meeting.

The Nets held the lead from start to finish in Friday's 116-97 win over the Sacramento Kings at Barclays Center.

After the game, head coach Kenny Atkinson was proud of the active defense played by his team, and also singled out the performance of Spencer Dinwiddie, who scored 23 points and added seven assists, starting in place of the injured Kyrie Irving.

"Defense as outstanding again," said Atkinson. "I thought our activity, we talked about it pregame, just having a more active group. I thought they were active. A lot of deflections. Forced some turnovers, so that's good news.

"Another good team win. Obviously, Spencer is doing it at a high level consistently since Kyrie's been out, but really good team win."