The Kyrie Irving waiting game will extend to March in Boston

The boo birds for Kyrie Irving at the TD Garden will have to wait a few more months to emerge after the Brooklyn Nets announced this weekend that the point guard will not be on the team’s upcoming three-game road trip that includes Boston.

“It has been determined that Kyrie Irving will miss the team’s upcoming three-game road trip (NYK, CLE, BOS)," the Nets tweeted. "He will be re-assessed once the team returns.”

Irving had already missed the Nets’ past four games with a shoulder impingement that was suffered against the Jazz on Nov. 12. The Nets have started to pull back towards .500 in his absence (3-1) thanks to a soft schedule, but Irving is clearly playing it safe in regards to his health status by conveniently skipping out on a trip to two of his former homes.

"I don't think it's something he can play through right now," Nets coach Kenny Atkinson said earlier this week. "The shoulder is a sensitive spot, especially for a point guard — you're like a quarterback. ... He's got to get to the point where he feels like — and we feel like — he can play. We're just not at that point right now."

The Celtics will face the Nets again on Nov. 29 in an afternoon matinee at the Barclays Center in the first potential game Irving could return. For now, the wait for his return to Boston will be a lengthy one as the Nets don’t return to the TD Garden until March 3rd.

BSJ Analysis: Irving’s history of missing games on the road against his former teams will be extended again after this absence. He missed all of the Celtics’ preseason and regular season games in Cleveland during his two years in Boston except for the opener of the 2017-18 season. With questions already swirling about his attitude in Brooklyn, the decision to skip out on facing the music in Boston will do nothing to suggest he’s turned over a new leaf in his new home.

From the C’s perspective, they will benefit from not having to face the Nets team with Irving due to the fact they will likely be very shorthanded for the matchup themselves with Kemba Walker expected to miss some time.

While the Nets may be attempting to do some damage control here by trying to protect Irving’s psyche and body in the midst of a disappointing start, having this be a lingering distraction/continual talking point for the next few months with Irving may end up backfiring on them to some degree. Letting Irving face the music now allows both the point guard and Boston fans to move on. Now, the hype will only get bigger when Irving has to take the floor in Boston on March 3rd. Who knows though? Maybe Irving will end up missing that one as well. It’s hard to really count on Irving’s attendance when it comes to situations like this.

In the long run, it feels like the longer Irving waits, the harsher the reaction will be for whenever he eventually takes the floor in Boston. Irving may be in a better place mentally to handle it in March than now, but there will just be more questions and frustration bubbling over from Boston fans until then. The guard has made a habit of not making things easy on himself in recent years and this latest decision should only add to the list.