The entire Milky Way is anticipating the return of Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving. Some are eager to see him back in action, while others are simply hoping for a train wreck. Irving is still under COVID-19 protocols, but he's expected to suit up in the Nets' road games where there are no strict vaccination mandates.

Speaking of which, ESPN reported on Monday that the NBA has released a new memorandum shortening the quarantine period of vaccinated players. Perhaps this is in direct response to the revolving door of guys getting shut down due to the COVID-19 crisis, including Irving's fellow Nets stars Kevin Durant and James Harden.

Vaccinated NBA players and coaches who are asymptomatic can now clear quarantine after six days if COVID-19 testing data shows they're no longer at risk to be infectious, according to a memo distributed to teams Monday and obtained by ESPN.

In light of this positive (no pun intended) development, Irving would probably eloquently say: Meh.

Just in case you're still living in 2020, Irving is still unvaccinated. So the new NBA guideline won't affect him at all. His stubborn stance against vaccination has forced him to sit out all of the Nets' games this season, throwing a monkey wrench into what was touted, as Harden stated, “scary hours” for the rest of the league.

But with the Nets surprisingly rescinding their decision to completely shelve Irving, the only “scary hours” might be the possibility of him getting hospitalized for a severe COVID-19 case.