Nets GM: No Timetable for Durant, Irving to Return from Injuries After Hiatus

Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks said during a conference call with Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press that he didn't have a timetable for Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving's return from their respective injuries.

"I don't think that's fair, one to those athletes, nor the performance team, to put a timeline on this. I think everybody is dealing with bigger items, far more pressing items."

"I do know that those two players are continuing their rehab, but again, when you're practicing social distancing and you're in self-isolation, I haven't physically seen them in three or four weeks. So it's difficult for me to gauge, let alone the performance team, as to where they are."

The door has been left open for the possibility of both Durant and Irving unexpectedly returning at some point this season. With the NBA on hiatus and uncertainty surrounding when it might return, it's possible that both players could be recovered from their injuries.

"We're talking to them and FaceTiming them and so forth, but it's quite different to having those guys on the court," Marks said. "And they know their bodies better than anyone else, so at the right time and when they're 100 present and they're up for it, I'm sure they’ll be making those decisions."

Durant is attempting to come back from a ruptured right Achilles that he suffered last June. It's hard to imagine him coming back unless the NBA extends well into the summer. Irving, meanwhile, had what was believed to be season-ending surgery on his shoulder in early March. 

Irving had appeared in only 20 games for the Nets this season, averaging 27.4 points and 6.4 assists per game. 

Even if both players are cleared to resume basketball activities, Marks noted there are other hurdles to clear. 

"I think something we have to think about is our facilities are closed and just by getting time off, yes, does that make your body heal and so forth? But there were several of our players that need the facilities, need game reps, need to be playing, and you could take the other side of this and say that this hiatus has set their rehabilitation back and it's slowed them."

Those same considerations could hamper any potential return for Durant and Irving. And the doomsday scenario of the NBA canceling the 2019-20 season altogether amidst the COVID-19 pandemic remains a possibility, too. So uncertainty rules the day, both for the league and for the Nets.