The Brooklyn Nets haven't exactly lived up to preseason expectations as a championship favorite over the first five games of the regular season. James Harden has admitted he's out of shape following a summer spent rehabbing his hamstring, and is clearly adjusting to the league's new officiating guidelines on unnatural movement from offensive players. Steve Nash is searching for the right lineup combinations, too often settling for five-man groups that include two of Brooklyn's creaky, average-shooting big men.

It's no surprise the Nets enter Friday's game against the Indiana Pacers at 2-3, basically. Even so, owner Joe Tsai isn't pushing a panic button that would force his team to bring Kyrie Irving back into the fold for away games. In an interview with ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk, Tsai doubled down on Brooklyn's decision to keep its All-Star point guard away from the team while he refuses to comply with local vaccination man.

“Obviously Kyrie has his own belief so I respect that. But we have to make a team decision. This is not a decision about him. This is a decision about where we go as a team,” Tsai said. “…We are very much aligned among myself, [GM] Sean [Marks], coaching staff that this has to be [the decision], especially since we're a team with pretty lofty aspirations. We don't see any other way of running this team.”

The Nets, clearly, aren't budging on Irving's status. A prior assumption existed that Kevin Durant and Harden possessed ultimate decision-making power on the matter, but Tsai's very public reiteration of Brooklyn's standing speaks volumes.

Don't expect Irving to be back on the floor anytime soon, no matter how much the Nets struggle.