Nearly 30 games into the NBA season and the 19-8 Brooklyn Nets are now dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak–this despite all of their active players being fully vaccinated. The lone member of the Nets who is not vaccinated, and not around the team is of course, seven-time All-Star Kyrie Irving. His absence has been the biggest story all season long.
On Monday, we learned of the team's “renewed optimism” regarding Irving's potential return.
Per Shams Charania of The Athletic:
There is renewed optimism around Irving returning to the Nets this season, sources with knowledge of the situation tell The Athletic.
It remains unclear whether Irving’s potential return this season would come via vaccination to meet New York City’s COVID-19 vaccine requirement or by Brooklyn opening the door for him to play road games and practice at home, but sources have indicated a renewed belief that Irving could play this season after all.
The update was notably vague on the how or the why of the whole matter. If Irving is resolved not to get vaccinated, if the Nets are resolved not to accommodate any part-time players, if New York City has no pending legislation that might abolish local vaccine mandate for venues like Barclays Center, then why would there be optimism? Is Kevin Durant going to somehow persuade Joe and Clara Wu Tsai to change their tune here?
All of these pandemic-related questions are put into additional focus as the team deals with a COVID-19 outbreak.
LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre Bembry, Jevon Carter and James Johnson join Paul Millsap in Covid protocols for the Nets now, team says. https://t.co/cWBi84sCmt
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 14, 2021
Head coach Steve Nash was asked (before a short-handed contest against the visiting Toronto Raptors) if he has had any recent conversations with Kyrie Irving that led for the team to be more hopeful for the star guard's potential return.
“I haven't and I have no updates,” admitted Nash. “I have connected with him but totally outside of the scope of the question and just on life in general. So we connected last week but not with any intel or insight that things are changing. So I know he's working out, and I know he'd love to be playing but I think the boundaries are still the same as they were before recent reports.”
That would appear to shoot down the idea that there is some “renewed optimism” swirling. At the very least, it would indicate that the Nets head coach has not been made privy to any pending changes from one side or the other.
It's worth noting that Charania's report also stated the following:
“In recent weeks, Irving and Kevin Durant, his co-star and close friend, have had increased communication about his fit on the team, breaking down the games, and about life in general, sources added. There appears to be an increased level of enthusiasm between the two superstars.”
Is there a possibility that Durant has learned something his coach has not? Who knows, we're all just speculating. What we do know is that the pandemic continues to impact the NBA season as a whole and the Nets in particular. No other team is playing without an All-Star because of local vaccination mandates.
Meanwhile, there are still games to be played, even though there aren't many Nets players available to participate.
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