Kendrick Perkins unloads on Kyrie Irving: 'You are the distraction'

“Kyrie Irving, right now you are the distraction. You’re distracting the whole situation,” Perkins said. “It’s crazy to me because you come out and do something separately, without talking to your (NBPA) president Chris Paul or consulting with Michele Roberts and go off and do something totally different and get a group of guys together and say, ‘Let’s sit out.’ It makes zero sense and I totally disagree with Kyrie Irving.”

Perkins also said he feels Irving is “confused” and doesn’t know what he wants.

Irving, of course, will not be playing again this season because of an injury. Perkins took to Twitter recently to question why Irving suddenly no longer wants there to be an NBA season when not that long ago he was trying to travel to Orlando to support his teammates. Former NBA player Matt Barnes said Tuesday that he was told Irving only wanted the season to be canceled after the NBA informed him he will not be allowed to join the Nets in Orlando.

The drama with Irving is building by the day. A report on Tuesday indicated that Irving, in a group chat with his Nets teammates, suggested the idea of starting a new basketball league. Some Brooklyn players dismissed the report as fake news, but Irving seemed furious that it leaked out.