The Kyrie Irving situation came to a crossroads and the Nets decided to play hardball, deciding that he will not be able to play until he's a full participant with the team.
It has been quite the journey to this point. We first learned that the superstar would not be eligible to play basketball in Brooklyn because of his vaccination status. And over the last few days it sounded as if the team was preparing to be without him for home games. This whole thing escalated very quickly. It feels like just yesterday the team was casually letting the fans know a couple of players were not yet vaxxed but the team was confident they'd be able to play when the season started. Well, that turned on its head.
We got a truth bomb from Steve Nash that the team was prepared to be without Irving for about half the year:
Steve Nash on Kyrie Irving: "I think we recognize he’s not playing home games. We’re going to have to for sure play without him this year. So it just depends on when, where and how much." #Nets #NBA
— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) October 10, 2021
But Nash didn't really foresee a scenario where Irving might be available to play, albeit with some type of minutes restriction:
Steve Nash on the possibility of Kyrie Irving playing a reduced role in the games he is available so others can build continuity: "I couldn't imagine that," but also says you never know what the future holds. #Nets.
— Kristian Winfield (@Krisplashed) October 11, 2021
Then at halftime during the preseason game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, we got an update from ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski that the Nets were forming a bit of an ad hoc tribunal to discuss whether Irving would be eligible to play in road games and practice if he was not eligible to appear in home games.
Per Woj:
“…This is a real moment of truth for the Nets as an organization and you look at their stakeholders there, obviously owner Joe Tsai, and Sean Marks their general manager. But Kevin Durant and James Harden who have a tremendous voice in this, I think all together, they’re going to be part of that decision about whether they’re going to allow Kyrie Irving, if he doesn’t get vaccinated and is ineligible to play home games … are they going to let him be a part-time player?”
And maybe this executive committee of Tsai, Marks, Nash, Durant and Harden met Monday night. On Tuesday, the hammer was dropped:
Irving must be vaccinated against COVID-19 before he can be a full participant with the team. NY requires players to have at least one dose of the vaccine. https://t.co/VaWGFQrG9N
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) October 12, 2021
From an organizational standpoint, the Nets have made a very difficult decision but ultimately the right decision. It's a tricky one. It almost feels unfair. A player like Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal is not vaccinated, but there isn't a mandate requiring him to be in Washington D.C. He can play in all of the games. But things are different in Brooklyn, and so it sets a shaky precedent to allow Irving to practice with the team and appear in road games while dealing with a ban for all home games. His teammates are all in. Some of them may have had mixed feelings about the vaccine and done it in order to do their jobs, and it may not seem fair to them if he isn't.
Allowing Kyrie Irving to play as a part-time player would introduce themes of player and fan safety (If New York City deems Irving a bigger COVID risk than his teammates, then continued exposure may increase that risk). It introduces elements of company/employee protocol. And from a basketball perspective, it raises issues of continuity as well as one whopping distraction. Is it fair to players who are at every single practice and game to suddenly lose an opportunity to a player who is only around for a percentage of it all? Might that dynamic breed resentment? How could they focus on the games with this hanging over them all year long?
If none of that was an issue, the basketball calculus is more clear. Yes, absolutely, the Nets are better with Irving on the floor at all times. This team might well be title favorites without him, and with him it's possible they'd be unbeatable if healthy. If he were around for just road games, that might well be enough for them to win a title. Learning the playbook or chemistry is all overrated. He's Kyrie Irving.
Having him available for 41 games and all playoff road games is far better than not having him at all. If they didn't wind up with home-court advantage, they would likely be favorites on the road in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. They would be an absolute nightmare matchup for any home team. Kevin Durant, James Harden and company might be able to hold down the fort without Irving when teams came to Brooklyn. If basketball was the only thing to consider here, keeping Irving as even just a part-time player would be the optimal move.
But it's not. The other element to consider is how might this hardball position impact Irving's stance? Could the docked pay and extreme position persuade Kyrie Irving to get vaccinated? Or given his willful nature, might this cause him to double down on a position that was once fluid? I wonder if the Nets think this play will increase or decrease the chances he opts for a jab.
Recall, on Nets Media Day, Irving said this, via Instagram Live:
“Obviously, I’m not able to be present there today. But that doesn’t mean that I’m putting any limits on the future of me being able to join the team.”
If he was open to getting vaccinated at some point and leaving that door open, could the Nets position push him back the other way? There are so many moving parts here. Joe Tsai has admitted he respects this being a personal health matter, but that the ultimate goal is a championship.
A big question remains: does the Nets' position here reflect the belief that this is their best chance to win a championship? Or is it one they know is intentionally suboptimal but worth it for the integrity of the organization and the safety of its players and fans?
My sense here is the latter, and that would theoretically increase the chances they'd try to trade Irving if they could find a team he'd be willing to play for.
It will be fascinating as always to see how this continues to develop.
Follow Us
Subscribe