6:08 PM: Nets GM Sean Marks has released a statement regarding Irving’s return:
“After discussions with our coaches, players and staff, the organization has decided to have Kyrie Irving re-join the team for games and practices in which he is eligible to participate. We arrived at this decision with the full support of our players and after careful consideration of our current circumstances, including players missing games due to injuries and health and safety protocols.
“We believe that the addition of Kyrie will not only make us a better team but allow us to more optimally balance the physical demand on the entire roster. We look forward to Kyrie’s return to the lineup, as well as getting our entire roster back together on the court.”
4:10 PM: The Nets have reconsidered their stance to hold Kyrie Irving out of action indefinitely and have begun the process of reintegrating him as a part-time player, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links).
As Wojnarowski explains, the Nets have been hit hard by injuries and COVID-19 cases and find themselves leaning heavily on their stars, including Kevin Durant, who is averaging 37.0 minutes per game, his highest minutes average in eight seasons. As a result, Brooklyn has decided to allow Irving to play in road games to help ease the burden on the rest of the roster.
The Nets had initially made the decision during the preseason to have Irving remain away from the team, since he was unvaccinated and was ineligible to practice or play games in New York due to the city’s vaccine mandate. Management and ownership deemed it untenable to have Kyrie only active on the road. Two months later, the team is reversing that stance.
Irving is still unvaccinated, so he remains ineligible to play in games in New York, including the Nets’ home games and away games vs. the Knicks. He also won’t be able to travel to Canada to face the Raptors. However, he will be eligible to play in Brooklyn’s other games on the road.
According to Woj (via Twitter), Irving’s return isn’t imminent. He’ll have to pass a series of COVID-19 tests before he’s cleared to return to team workouts, then he may require a little time to get back into game shape.
Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter links) first reported that Irving is beginning the ramp-up process toward making his season debut, adding that he’s expected to practice with the Nets in the coming days. Nets owner Joe Tsai, GM Sean Marks, head coach Steve Nash, and key players on the team all support the decision, tweets Wojnarowski.
It remains to be seen what the long-term plan for Irving is. While having him available for about half the Nets’ games should help provide a boost in the short term, it’s hard to imagine the team will be happy only having him available on the road once the playoffs arrive. That’s still a few months away though, so the two sides have some time to figure things out.
This is hilarious… There is a super high likelihood that with cases spiking, and Omicron looking incredibly transmissible and vaccine resistant, I am guessing more and more cities will be instituting stricter vaccine requirements for events. So he may eventually play games in only a few cities. There is also a high likelihood he contracts Covid traveling unvaccinated with the team.
There are ALOT of assumptions based on your feelings in this statement
All of these things are happen right now. Where have you been?
You can’t deny the timing of this would not make any sense. Why would the Nets do this now when things are getting worse and not just have had him be a part-time player from the start of the season? Why the sudden change of heart at a questionable time?
Plus, the team had gotten off to a fine start. Why bring the circus in now? Dumb all the way around.
Probably for the reasons they literally stated in the article genius. Also if the strain is resistant to the vaccine how is more vaccine the best choice. Not anti vaccine just pro logic.
It has been shown you are less likely to get a breakthrough case after your 3rd shot which is why boosters are a thing. Also you are still much less likely to have a severe case by a factor of 10 if your vaccinated. So yeah thats logical for you right?
Not really cases go up, restrictions go up. Pretty linear and has been happening for a while. FL wont change so buy your Heat v Nets tickets, but would you be at all surprised if the state of CA institutes a requirement for events making him ineligible for all GSW/LAL/LAC/SAC games. Same could happen for BOS/CHI/MIN all places currently spiking.
Look at what Omicron is doing in GBR right now where its actually the dominant strain now as opposed to here…
But yeah SOOOOOOOOO many assumptions based off no evidence of cities behavior throughout the pandemic so far.
“Omicron looking incredibly transmissible and vaccine resistant”
And
“instituting stricter vaccine requirements”
Don’t go together. And no. Long as omicron stays a mild variant they won’t institute stricter vaccine mandates they can try and once it costs ppl money they’ll abandon them again.
Mild in terms of hospitalizations compared to Delta, but places its spiking in England are still having their healthcare system overwhelmed with cases.
Unvaccinated still matters. He is more likely to contract it since even though the protections are reduced with this strain. Also vaccinated people are still far less likely to be hospitalized if they do get the virus. It may even become a liability thing where if he caught it and it went badly his family could sue for future earnings based on his massive salary.
We dont actually know if it is milder. It may just be appearing milder because so many people have either vaccine antibodies or contracted the virus before, so it may just be noise in the numbers and populations being infected making it appear more mild. Which means someone who is unvaccinated could still get all the bad symptoms of the alpha variant.
They are already introducing stricter mandates. The GSW/BOS game will have 50% attendance now. CA just reinstituted a mask mandate for indoor public gatherings. We also are just starting to see Omicron, but it looks like the spike this year could be higher than last years with it.
So maybe firing healthcare workers wasnt the brightest thing to do huh. Who would have thought.
It is a really small number of healthcare workers that have been fired for refusing the vaccine out of the total population. Health care workers are some of the least likely to be anti vax since if you work at a hospital or clinic you are already mandated to have a bunch of vaccines always kept up to date in order to do that work.
Spot on Chapmans
Vaccines…yet everyone is still getting the virus, what difference does it make if Kyrie is unvaccinated. This is such a sham
43% protection isnt the 95% it was but its also not nothing.
90% of hospitalizations are still unvaccinated people, because the vaccine helps prevent the most severe cases in most people.
Vaccinated people aren’t the ones being hospitalized and overloading the healthcare system in Britain
Back in June it was 40% of vaccinated in hospitals.
Every 2 vaccinated in the hospital for every 3 unvaccinated isn’t a good ratio.
That number will go up with omicron
Lmao where are you getting that number, The Onion? Or are you just making it up? The amount of vaccinated hospitalized patients was less than 1 person per 100k people in the US back in June as compared to 5 per 100k who were unvaccinated. Source: link to commonwealthfund.org
That number goes up to 60 in August with Delta just in case you don’t want to read and see how you’re wrong.
Also it’s not June anymore. In my home state alone, 90% of hospitalizations are unvaccinated: link to wgntv.com
Padre Faith agrees omicron number will rise, yet he only cares that he helps it so. Some people have a death wish.
How many comments are getting modded on this topic I wonder.
And the NBA title will come to Brooklyn
As dude plays maybe 40% of any playoff or finals series? Thats really going to F with the strategy of the team with him in and out too.
40 percent is about all they got from him pre covid
If they keep the 1 seed he plays 3 of every 7 playoff games, and they are switching the entire team offensive scheme every other game almost.
Unbelievable. I wonder if this was the plan all along for both Nets mgmt and Irving. Anyways, now Irving gets full salary after getting much needed rest. Hilarious…
Or is this a stepping stone to getting traded?
Would it really help his value, though? The talent is undeniable. The headcase is also undeniable.
Teams need to know if he’s in playing shape, no? As soon as he’s on court, teams and fans will want to acquire him.
Nope still only being paid for road games. Still loses the money for all the home games he misses. So they are paying him exactly the same as before, but getting some games from it.
Oops, you are right!!
So wth is the change of mind all of a sudden for both Irving and Nets? It will be a major distraction for the team no doubt, and a must watch tv for nba.
@ Michol
Why would he get his full salary? He still won’t be paid for home games, just like before.
No, I don’t believe he gets full value. He’s being paid now for road games where he was technically eligible anyway. He doesn’t get paid for any games where the reason he couldn’t play was due to him being unvaccinated. However, he also takes up a roster spot whether he plays or not.
You just have to laugh at this point. I honestly don’t get it.
It’s a joke all around. It’s not about principles, he just didnt want to play and wanted to be a drama for the sake of drama. Lol.
Nets really pretended like they were taking a stand lmao
Well, they don’t like the situation and there’s serious risk in it, but he occupies a roster spot. Chances are good that the players in the protocols return before he does, but they’ve been so close to the minimum available players limit that they want to ensure they stay away from it. I bet he was part of the reason the NBA wasn’t granting the Nets game postponements the way they did with the Bulls. The Nets were forced to play KD or forfeit the other day because the way the NBA saw it they had eight uninjured players on the roster who were not in the protocols even if he didn’t play.
Prediction: eventually he will get some plant based vaccine and then he will get injured like he has for the last 4 yrs. End of the story.
Boooo
Eff principles, right Jo Tsai ?
I think it’s more eff forfeits. Eff running KD into the ground. Kyrie takes up a roster spot and is not known to be injured or COVID-positive now, so they likely wouldn’t have been granted any postponements regardless of KD’s availability. Additionally, any hardship replacement player signed to a ten-day contract adds $500K to their luxury tax. Sure Joe Tsai can afford it, but it doesn’t make a lot of business sense.
Are you done?
I feel like the trade rumors app should create a separate section altogether for COVID so the people who want to snipe at each other can do that, and the rest of us can talk about sports. Y’all dislike each other as much as I like Kyrie’s attitude as a player- having nothing to do with his vaccine stance
Honestly for articles that deal with social justice, politics, Covid, etc. they should just close comments because it’s not even worth it
So he can’t play in NY but is allowed to get on a plane in NY and fly with his team to spread joy through the country? Great. Are the Warriors on the schedule? Can’t play there…
Technically, I believe he lives in NJ so he’d probably be getting on a plane in Newark. Second, there are rigid protocols with negative test results he’d have to produce since he’s not vaccinated. If being vaccinated becomes a requirement for mass transportation in addition to wearing masks, he would need a private way to travel to all his away games, a la the Madden bus. I’m not sure what the current rules are for unvaccinated NBA players traveling with the rest of their team and if they can stay in the same hotels.
Dont be shocked if you have to be vaccinated to fly if cases keep climbing.
should read 90%+
Well, well, well, if it isn’t the lack of consequences for my actions
“The inmates are running the asylum…”
Nice handle, I’m a T-rex supporter
Wow. Wow. Wow. Very unexpected.
So the nets are willing and the league agrees to allow a non vaccinated player to enter the league knowing he will infect and continue to reinfect at a rate 10 times higher than the vaccinated majority. Endangering himself and the entire league.
Agreed.
I give it 3 days before hes in covid protocols.
Wasn’t even a day
That also keeps the opponents guessing but paint the picture you want I guess.
Kyrie is a self-centered, selfish, garden variety bore. Shut up and dribble.
I think it’s hilarious that they are ultimately letting Kyrie have his way because his vacinated teammates end up getting covid. Although as a couple people mentioned above it may be a matter of time before he tests positive
Finally BRK does the right thing, they have been the most stupid team in the world by not letting him play without a valid reason, now the fans will finally be able to enjoy his talents!
#LetKyriePlay
I’ll maintain that this was the right thing for Brooklyn to do. they mad a bad situation worse by saying they wouldn’t allow one of their better players to at least play sometimes. wise of them to change that.