Although Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are always seen on the sideline at Barclays Center when the Brooklyn Nets play at home, the two injured superstars are never seen on the road with their team — excluding when Irving was healthy and played in road games.
While this sort of decision may seem like one that’s up to the two superstars, that’s not entirely the case here. It turns out, both superstars have expressed at times their desire to travel, but the team isn’t letting them — Atkinson told reporters in Washington D.C. on Wednesday day why, per Brian Lewis of the New York Post:
I always hark back to the priority’s got to be what’s best for them from a rehab standpoint. That overrides everything. And sometimes they want to come, and we’re like ‘No, you need to be on the AlterG at home.’
That’s all it boils down to: the Nets have much more to offer Durant and Irving, with regard to their rehab, in Brooklyn.
“We just can’t provide the same type of rehab conditions on the road, and that’s priority number one,” Atkinson added. “I think we’ll continue to do that. But I think in the future you’ll see that change as the rehab processes get further down the road.”
As for when “further down the road” is, Atkinson wouldn’t provide a more concise estimate than that.
“I’m not going to give you any timetable,” he said. “It’s just when we can afford them and say well, we can do the same thing on the road rehab-wise. I know those guys would be thrilled. We’d be thrilled to have them come. It’s an advantage and we can be around those guys. It’s better for us, better for the organization.”