We've been keeping tabs on the Brooklyn Nets' decision to let Kyrie Irving play in games he's eligible to play in this season. At one point in mid-October, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski said that Nets superstars Kevin Durant and James Harden would have a voice in the major decision.
Per Woj at the time:
“And you look at their stakeholders there. Obviously, owner Joe Tsai and Sean Marks the general manager. But Kevin Durant and James Harden who have a tremendous voice in this. They all together, they're going to be part of that decision.”
For his part, Durant claimed he wasn't mad at anyone for their choice. “What is being mad going to do?” Durant said. “We are not going to change his mind, know what I’m saying?”
We even wondered if the two friends (Irving and Durant bonded in the 2016 Rio Olympics) had reached a stalemate over the issue for a day or two.
So we got the sense that both Durant and Harden supported the Nets' decision not to let Irving serve as an unvaccinated part-time player and appear in road games. But if we know they were consulted in that decision, and we know they were consulted in the subsequent one to let Kyrie back, we can infer Durant and Harden had at least a bit of a change of heart.
“The overall environment has changed as we all know, drastically,” explained GM Sean Marks last weekend. “It's changed not only from the Nets, it's changed from our staff's perspective, it's changed from our player perspective, it's changed as far as what's happening outside of Barclays. I walked to the arena (Saturday) and there's several lines out there for COVID testing and there's 200, 300 people waiting in line to be tested, so the environment has changed. COVID has done number on the team and on society in general.”
That key point “it's changed from our player's perspectives” implies that perhaps KD and Harden's POV has shifted from where it stood in mid-October. But why?
It might have something to do with the immense minute totals of the superstars, a look at the NBA total minutes per game leaders:
“Managing our overall player load that's something we've gotta be aware of throughout the course of the season. We're seeing that the large minutes that our guys have had to endure and play and we've gotta look at what's best for the team over the course of the season,” added Marks, who has been with the Nets since February 2016.
He also noted that they always put forward the best interests of the team.
“What hasn't changed is our team, our staff, our front office and coaching staff, and players' ability to collaborate and evolve with the changing circumstances and that's exactly what we're dealing with here,” continued Marks. “Several months ago, we made a decision that was based around what was best for the team. What was best for the team at that point was continuity. I think we all see that continuity right now looks like may be out of the window for a while. And we've gotta navigate that as best we can. And that's something we've always strived to do.”
So were Kevin Durant and James Harden consulted again this time?
“The collaboration piece is really important for us as an organization,” added Marks. “We've strived to collaborate as best we can throughout the course of the last four, five years with any issue in this one, 100 percent we talked to our players, without ever making a decision without the players being aware of what's coming down the pipeline. I guess you can ask them at a later date as to their feelings but everybody was on board with the decision that's being made.”
A press release from the Nets added the decision was arrived upon with the “full support” of the players.
It does sound like the monster minute-totals and lack of able bodies has been a big part of it all. The Nets have already used its fourth hardship exception, this time on former Kentucky forward Wenyen Gabriel, joining Shaq Harrison, James Ennis, and Langston Galloway as other recent signees added to combat the lack of depth COVID-19 has left the team with.
“I give our guys a lot of credit, not just Kevin (Durant) but the entire roster for how many minutes they've played and with the spirit with which they've played,” said Marks.
A few days ago, the Nets were one of the hardest-hit teams in the NBA. And that's still true, but they're less alone now, with a major wave of Omicron variant cases impacting a mostly vaccinated NBA population. It would seem to be the case that the major workload KD and The Beard took on led them to be fully on board with the team's change of heart regarding Irving.