New York City Mayor-elect Eric Adams told CNN on Friday that he will not intervene in between Kyrie Irving, the Brooklyn Nets, and the NBA amid Irving's refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19. Adams had been rumored of possibly allowing for Irving to play with his team despite being unvaccinated but says that is not the case.

This is pretty cut and dry. No, Adams is not eliminating the mandate for New Yorkers to be vaccinated, and no, he is not going to allow Irving to skirt the rules. It is pretty clear at this point that Irving is in the “Aaron Rodgers school of thinking” when it comes to COVID-19, but hey, at least he isn't being selfish and is staying at home, so there's that. If Irving continues to refuse the vaccine he will likely be barred from playing or practicing basketball in New York as a resident. That does not seem likely to change anytime soon on either front, with Kyrie or with the state. 

With Irving on the shelf, the Nets have worked their way to a decent 5-3 record to begin the season. They have weathered the distraction that is Kyrie for over a year now, so this should be nothing new. The team was dangerously close to a finals berth in 2021 and should be right in the thick of things in 2022 as well, with or without Kyrie.