Getty Brooklyn's Kyrie Irving controls the ball against Philadelphia's Ben Simmons in the first quarter at the Wells Fargo Center on April 14, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Before the start of the NBA season, general manager Sean Marks and the Brooklyn Nets’ front office decided to sideline Kyrie Irving. This was due to Kyrie’s refusal to take the COVID vaccine. Under New York City’s health and safety protocols, to play indoor sports players, have to receive at least the first dose of the vaccine. Kyrie would have been able to play in games in states that did not require the vaccine, but in the interest of team chemistry, the Nets front office decided to sideline their All-Star guard completely.
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Kyrie Irving Preparing To Make Return to Nets
The Nets have done quite well despite Kyrie’s absence. Brooklyn currently has a record of 21-8 and sits alone on top of the Eastern Conference. Well, the Nets are about to get that much better as Senior ESPN NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that Irving has begun the process of preparing to make his return to the court this season.
“With the unfolding circumstances of Brooklyn’s season – including injuries, Covid losses, and an inordinate minutes load on their superstar players – the Nets are bringing back All-Star guard Kyrie Irving as a part-time player for games outside of New York,” Wojnarowski said via his Twitter account on Friday.
Kyrie Irving’s return isn’t expected quickly. He has to pass a series of Covid tests before he can start working out with team. Nets haven’t seen him workout and are unclear the kind of shape he’s in now. He’s expected to take his time ramping up again.
“So far, Irving has been unwilling to satisfy New York City mandates and become vaccinated to play home games, but the turbulence of the ongoing NBA season has caused the organization to reconsider their preseason decision to fully sideline Irving, sources said.”
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Nets Brass ‘Fully Supportive’ of Kyrie’s Return
Marks and Nets owner Joe Tsai had made it clear at the beginning of the season that they would be making no exceptions for Kyrie, and he wouldn’t play for the Nets until he got vaccinated. Despite having a stern stance just a few months ago Wojnarowski says that the Nets front office is completely on-board with Irving’s return.
“Nets owner Joe Tsai, GM Sean Marks, Coach Steve Nash, and key players were fully supportive of the idea, and Irving has been eager to return to play in the team’s away games. He can start practicing at the team facility,” Wojnarowski writes per ESPN.
“Before the season, there had been concerns about how Irving’s status as a part-time player might impact team chemistry, but a belief that he can help the Nets fight for home-court advantage in the playoffs and ease the wear and tear on Kevin Durant and James Harden were factors in convincing the team that his return was ultimately the best course, sources said.”
With the recent uptick in COVID numbers around the NBA, it is interesting that, the Nets would choose now to loosen their stance on bringing Irving back. They are already without six players due to COVID health and safety protocols.
But just 4 games are separating the Top 5 seeds in the Eastern Conference and although the Nets hold a 2.5 game lead over the second-place Milwaukee Bucks the margin for error is still very thin. And for that reason, allowing Irving to return on a part-time basis was the right move for the Nets as they still have title hopes for this season.
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