NBA Mailbag: What’s next for Ben Simmons and Kyrie Irving?

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Another week goes by, and yet more attention looms on an NBA player that only works part-time and another NBA player that refuses to clock in.

For the past two weeks, the Brooklyn Nets have welcomed Kyrie Irving back for road games even if he still cannot play at home because of New York’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates. For the entire 2021-22 season, Ben Simmons has not played in a Philadelphia 76ers uniform amid his ongoing desires for the organization to deal him elsewhere.

Intrigue remains on what happens next. Consider some of the inquiries below for this week’s NBA mailbag.

What happens first: Ben Simmons plays for Sixers again, or Kyrie Irving gets fully vaccinated?

— @SudnSam

So hard to predict on which player blinks first.

Simmons has refused to blink through different circumstances, including when the Sixers began training camp and when they put some of his paycheck into an escrow account. He even refused to blink when the Sixers stated repeatedly they would only trade Simmons in return for a player that will significantly improve their NBA championship fortunes.

Irving has refused to blink through different circumstances, too. Even when the vast majority of NBA players took the jab. Even when New York mandates dictated he would not be able to play in home games. Even when the Nets initially said Irving could not become a part-time player. Even after Kevin Durant recently suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee.

So far, the Nets have caved in more than the Sixers have. The Nets have needed bodies amid injuries and other players entering the league’s Health and Safety Protocols. Despite the various ups and downs of the season, the Sixers still have stayed among the Eastern Conference’s elite. But even if the Nets have already offered some concessions, my hunch is that Irving will cave before Simmons does.

Why? A few reasons. I don’t see New York changing its vaccine mandates. Even if the Nets hypothetically could pay any fine for breaking those rules, the NBA’s own protocols require teams to follow local ordinances. And the consequences of Irving missing home games will eventually catch up to him both with team chemistry, teammates’ workloads and playoff availability.

Sure, the Nets have mostly shown a respectful deference toward Irving’s refusal to get vaccinated. Sure, Irving has not wavered in his refusal on getting vaccinated. But my hunch is that his teammates will eventually reach a breaking point once the games have more stakes in the second half of the season and beyond. So will Irving, who will offer a new twist on the latest NBA star treating games much differently in the fall and winter than in April, May and June.

As for Simmons? Who knows if the Sixers trade him by the Feb. 10 trade deadline, but he won’t wear a Sixers uniform this season. Philadelphia general manager Daryl Morey might find the trade deadline as the best leverage play to extract maximum value for Simmons, or at least reduce the severity with cutting his losses. But then again, the Sixers have managed just fine in the East without Simmons or even finding his replacement(s). Regardless, neither party has shown sign of budging anytime soon.

Why is it that no one is talking about a John Wall-for-Ben Simmons trade? I think John would be a good fit for the Sixers … his experience could help them.

— Louise Hunter

I don’t think anyone is talking about it because I don’t know why the Rockets would accept such a trade. No doubt, Wall could help the Sixers with his playmaking, competitiveness and experience. But Simmons on a rebuilding Rockets team? I don’t think he would be the right veteran the Rockets would want to have around their young roster, both with his scoring deficiencies and his work habits.

Why didn’t Mario Chalmers play this season when he was with the Heat on his 10-day contract after he played for the Grand Rapids Gold?

— Parker Ledral from Houston

It’s a fair question to ask.

The Heat and Chalmers reunited after he was part of the franchise’s two NBA championship teams this past decade. The Heat signed Chalmers because they had a depleted roster due to injuries and COVID-19. And Chalmers doesn’t even play for a second in an actual NBA game?

My hunch is there are larger factors in play. The Heat had more aspirations simply for Chalmers to get back in the fold than actually granting him significant minutes. The 35-year-old Chalmers hasn’t played in an NBA game since 2018. He is also a few years removed from an Achilles injury. And the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s NBA G League team, recently acquired Chalmers’ rights shortly after his 10-day contract expired.

Though Chalmers could have received more additional exposure and more opportunities had he logged some NBA minutes, the Heat’s move could ensure a much more substantial reunion. Chalmers could receive more significant playing time. He could minimize the chances of future injuries. And perhaps, later on, the Heat can sign Chalmers as a role player. Stay tuned.

I’m curious about the in-between teams like Indiana or Portland. Which teams do you see rebuilding in the second half of the season? Is Indiana joining the battle for the highest lottery odds? Portland? Are San Antonio or New Orleans battling for the play-in? Do the Wizards continue to drop?

— Frank Forster Warburg from Germany

Let me tackle this one by one.

It seems inevitable the Portland Trail Blazers will be in rebuilding mode. Damian Lillard faces a long-term absence after having surgery to treat an abdominal injury. With and without Lillard this season, the Blazers have struggled to collect wins. As of now, both sides have been adamant that they don’t want to dissolve the partnership. If nothing else, though, the Blazers at least need to start trading away some of their veteran role players for young ones so they can begin a rebuild.

As for the Indiana Pacers? They appear intent on making a deal before the Feb .10 trade deadline. Their direction depends, obviously, on what they get in return presumably in a deal that involves Myles Turner or Caris Levert. If the Pacers stay status quo? Then they’ll just keep running in the same direction. Malcolm Brogdon has struggled with injuries this season. Coach Rick Carlisle hasn’t steered this team in the right direction yet. And the Pacers have struggled in close games. Not exactly a winning formula.

I think both the Spurs and Pelicans both have legitimate shots at the Play-In Tournament. Never bet against Spurs coach Gregg Popovich for getting the best out of his players. Though the Pelicans sorely miss Zion Williamson and have no clarity on if he will ever play this season, coach Willie Green and star forward Brandon Ingram have both done an exceptional job with turning the season around following a rough start.

As for the Wizards? They are a difficult puzzle to figure out. They stormed to a 10-3 start only to play sub. 500 basketball since then. They have a dynamic backcourt in Bradley Beal and Spencer Dinwiddie. Yet, they have struggled to forge consistent chemistry. They acquired promising young talent in Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell after dealing Russell Westbrook last summer to the Lakers. But the trio’s play has features both peaks and valleys.

Because of the Wizards’ unpredictability, I think they will spend the second half of the season hovering around a low playoff seed or a chance at the play-in tournament. It should be a roller coaster.

Hoops Around the World

We all know that the NBA has become a global brand and that basketball has become a global game. But what fuels your basketball fandom?

Got a good basketball story to tell? Write it up and send it my way. The best essays will be used in this feature throughout the season, such as this latest entry.

From Omar Ortega in Oakland, Calif.:

Back when the Warriors were not viewed by the rest of the country, or even local Bay Area fans the way they are viewed now, three friends and I split four season tickets. At the time, it was an inexpensive way to have a night out with the family or just a night out with the guys.

One eventful night in 2012, I was selected in a random drawing to take a half-court shot for $10,000. As I was about to take the shot, all I could think about was to make sure I at least hit the backboard and not embarrass myself. Miraculously, I drained it! Oracle Arena went wild. Fans, players and even coaches congratulated me. I was thrilled beyond belief. The world will never know for sure if that half-court shot made in front of Stephen Curry was the little extra motivation that he needed to take his game to the next level to achieve his current game.

Google my name and Warriors and check it out.

Editor’s note: We Googled his name, and Omar certainly checks out. Cool nugget: Ortega made the half-court shot for $10,000 at halftime of the Warriors’ eventual win over the Sacramento Kings on March 24, 2012. In that game, a certain rookie named Klay Thompson scored 31 points.

We’d also love to see a photo of the hoop you play on, whether it be in your neighborhood gym or in the backyard of your driveway. Got a good image? Then pass along and we’ll feature it.

NBA Digital Sr. Analyst Mark Medina will be answering questions each week in his NBA Mailbag.

How can you participate? Simply email your question to Mark here, or use your Twitter account and get your question to him here.

Watch Kyrie Irving’s Pull Up Three-Pointer In Nets-Cavs Game

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The Brooklyn Nets are in Ohio taking on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday afternoon, and during the game Kyrie Irving had a fantastic pull up three-pointer.

The clip of the play can be seen in the tweet that is embedded below from the team.

Irving began his career with the Cavs as the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, and won the NBA Championship in 2016.

The Nets came into the game on Monday with a 27-15 record in 42 games played, and are the second seed in the Eastern Conference.

They remain just a half-game behind the Chicago Bulls for the top spot in the conference.

As for the Cavs, they came into the game as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference, and are 26-18 in 44 games played.

Related stories on NBA basketball

Why did Kyrie Irving leave the Cavaliers?

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When Kyrie Irving was selected No.1 overall by the Cavaliers in 2011 it was supposed to signal a refresh for the organization after the loss of LeBron James the previous summer.

Kyrie was set up to be ’the man’ in Cleveland. That was the case, for a few years at least.

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The rebuild

LeBron James’ departure in 2010 signaled a restart for the Cavaliers franchise. It was supposed to be the dawning of a new era and the franchise hinged all it’s bets on the point guard from Duke. Irving only appeared in 11 games for the Blue Devils during his lone year at college due to a severe ligament injury in his right big toe during the ninth game of the season.

He eventually returned to play during March Madness, but Duke was eliminated in the Sweet Sixteen.

Irving was the prize pick in the NBA draft, and Cleveland needed both a player that they could build around for the future, plus a drawcard that could fill the arena. When James left in 2010, it was estimated that it cost the city of Cleveland billions in lost revenue.

Irving, from an individual standpoint, did not disappoint during his rookie campaign - he averaged 18.5 points, 5.4 assists and shot 46.9 percent from the field, including 39.9 percent on three-pointers.

He received 117 of a possible 120 first-place votes to win the Rookie of the year award, but the Cavs still only managed to win 21 games. The following year they managed just 24 wins, and in 2013-14 they won 33 games, showing some improvement, but not enough team success overall.

The dynamic duo

During the summer of 2014, LeBron James decided he wanted to come back home after a four-year stint with the Miami Heat that yielded two championships from four straight Finals appearances. Part of the appeal of returning to Cleveland was actually the play of Irving. James had noticed the rising star doing his thing and felt they could form a devastating tandem.

The Cavaliers then traded for Kevin Love to create a star trio that could win a championship.

While his individual numbers were pretty much the same across the board as they were the season before, it was clear, though, that this was James’ team, and Kyrie was no longer the number one option.

Injuries - including a knee injury sustained by Irving in Game 1 of the Finals that season- hampered the Cavs’ ability to win a championship in 2014-15,but they were able to get the job done the following season. Irving announced himself as a big-game player with one of the most clutch shots in NBA Finals history. He hit a 3-pointer with 53 seconds left in Game 7 that propelled the Cavaliers to a 92–89 lead and an eventual 93–89 win.

A year later, however, things really began to go south for both the Cavaliers and Irving’s ability to co-exist with James. The Warriors beat the Cavs 4-1 to regain the NBA title in that year’s Finals, and that was the last time that Irving and James would take to the court as teammates on the same franchise.

(NBA Getty Images) https://images.daznservices.com/di/library/sporting_news/5b/9f/kyrie-irving-cleveland-cavaliers_mg662geuql3416n53b731qyis.png?t=1705342638&w=500&quality=80

The trade

In July 2017, Irving requested the Cavaliers to trade him. Brian Windhorst of of ESPN.com reported Irving requested a trade because he wanted to “play in a situation where he can be more of a focal point and that he no longer wants to play alongside LeBron James.”

On Aug. 22, Irving was traded to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Žižić, and the rights to the Brooklyn Nets’ 2018 first-round draft pick.

Why did Irving leave the Cavaliers?

Irving initially didn’t elaborate to the media why he demanded a trade, so rumors swirled as to why. From Windhorst’s report that he was unhappy playing alongside James, to reports suggesting Irving heard he was being dangled as trade bait by the Cavaliers to other teams. One report indicated that James wanted Irving dealt for Damian Lillard.

The word throughout the NBA was that Irving was unsatisfied that despite hitting that shot in Game 7, all the credit for the Cavs’ championship win went to James. Essentially he was tired of being number 2 when he knew was a number one.

However, during an interview with ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan Irving refuted that suggestion, stating simply that he knew it was time to move one.

“[Leaving] was inevitable,” he said. “I could feel it. I didn’t feel the need to say anything because I knew the truth, and so did they. So it didn’t matter what others said.”

He added: “They didn’t want me there.”

In October 2018 Irving suggested that a reason for his departure was that he could foresee all the changes about to come in Cleveland, for example, James’ move out west to the Lakers.

“Like, keep it real,” Irving said. “If I was still in Cleveland, I would be … like everything that was foreseen to happen, happened.”

Irving felt like he didn’t want to spend the prime years of his career on a team with little chance of immediate success, and that a move away was ultimately best. Given the way things have played out in Boston, too, that may have also been his line of thinking when he decided to sign with the Brooklyn Nets as a free agent after just two seasons with the Celtics.

Why Kyrie Irving should focus more on scoring than facilitating

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Kyrie Irving is averaging his lowest scoring margins since 2015 when he put up 20 PPG on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Irving has only played a few games, so it’s understandable that he’s rusty – but for a player as gifted as he is, Irving will need to take over games offensively during the Nets’ current stretch of road games while allowing James Harden to act as a facilitatator.

It seemed like the guard was making it a priority in the matchup on Monday with Cleveland when it’s not as needed from him. When Kevin Durant plays, he puts up a team-high 20 shots while facilitating here and there. As for Irving, he should do the same. Right now, he’s putting up 18 shots a contest, but he’s still a bit rusty.

Next game, he has to focus on being more efficient and attacking the paint more. He has only attempted one free throw a game. Of course, Irving is trying to be more cautious after his ankle injury in last season’s playoffs and reaggravating it against the Portland Trail Blazers. It’s going to take some time to break out of this, but it’s inevitably going to happen.

Although he’s shooting it at a decent 48% from the field, the New Jersey native hasn’t gathered his typical offensive rhythm yet. It’s only a matter of time for him to score 30+ at some point on the Nets’ current road trip.

Nets face heavy road stretch which means more Kyrie Irving

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The Nets aren’t the only NBA team to post a decidedly better record on the road this season than they have at home, although their dilemma concerning Kyrie Irving’s part-time availability makes their situation unique.

After facing the Pelicans on Saturday at Barclays Center, the Nets will play nine of their next 11 games away from Brooklyn — split into segments of four and five games sandwiched around two home contests on back-to-back nights Jan. 25-26 against the Lakers and Nuggets.

The unvaccinated Irving was out of the lineup due to local COVID-19 mandates and Kevin Durant got a workload night of rest Thursday, when the Nets suffered a blowout loss to the Thunder and fell to 11-11 at Barclays Center this season, as compared to 15-4 on the road.

“It’s strange with the home stuff,” coach Steve Nash admitted after the game. “Not only for us, I couldn’t answer [why], but I know we’re not the only team.

Kyrie Irving, driving to the basket during a recent game against the Bulls, will be playing more games as the Nets prepare for a heavy road stretch. Getty Images

“I think it’s going around the league a little bit where teams — good teams, in particular — are having less impressive records at home than on the road. I don’t really know why that is.”

Indeed, the Nets aren’t the only top-tier team with an odd home-road split this season. For instance, the 76ers entered their home game Friday against the Celtics 8-9 at Wells Fargo Center and 15-8 outside of Philadelphia.

The Nets’ upcoming nine away games will give Irving a chance to gain more familiarity with his fellow Big 3 stars, Durant and James Harden. He also will be able to acclimate himself to the rest of a roster, which has suffered six losses over its last nine games while recuperating from a nearly team-wide COVID-19 shutdown to land at the 41-game midpoint of the season with a 26-15 mark.

“As far as the halfway point, obviously we’ve had a tough stretch lately. When we came back and had everyone come back from COVID I would have said we were having a great season,” Nash said. “People thought we’d be a bottom-five or 10 team defensively going into the year. For the most part of this year we’ve been top-10.

Kyrie Irving goes up for a layup during the Nets’ win over the Bulls. AP

“We’ve found a way to win a lot of games with 10 new guys and no Kyrie and having Kyrie back and then going back we’ve had a little bit of struggle with just trying to patch this thing together and start again. Otherwise, tons to build on and sometimes when you go through these difficult periods you learn more about yourselves.”

Harden noted Thursday night that a daunting schedule this week of four games in five days — including a makeup of a previous COVID postponement at Portland — has left him and his teammates “tired and exhausted.”

“Man, it’s just been crazy because of the COVID,” Harden said. “[Thursday] was definitely a little frustrating because we wanted to win. We played so well [Wednesday against the Bulls], so we wanted to have some kind of carryover. But it just didn’t happen.”

Nash said he believes the team’s struggles will pay dividends in a second half, which will feature the further reintegration of Irving, perhaps even in home games, eventually.

“You’re able to address things more head on, take a deeper look in the mirror and fix some of the problems,” Nash said. “I kind of enjoy some of these tougher stretches because I think it shows a team how to climb out, how to find resilience and how to find solutions.

“Overall we’ve had a good year and we’ve just got to try to find our stride and consistency again now that we’ve gone through that COVID interruption.”