Are the Brooklyn Nets OK with Kyrie Irving being a part-time player this season?
With the days before the official start of the regular season quickly counting down, there’s a growing chance that Kyrie Irving will only be able to be a part-time player this season. Or, at least at the beginning of it.
The situation between Kyrie and the Brooklyn Nets is quite simple – as opposed to what the Philadelphia 76ers are facing with Ben Simmons. Either Kyrie gets the COVID-19 vaccine or he won’t be able to practice at home or play in home games.
At least thus far, Kyrie still isn’t willing to change his mind on his stance on getting the vaccine, according to recent reports.
"The Brooklyn Nets remain unclear on All-Star guard Kyrie Irving’s ultimate intentions to get vaccinated and have made no decision on whether the organization will accommodate him as a part-time player this season, sources told ESPN on Tuesday."
And this is where it becomes interesting. Will the Nets allow Kyrie to no practice – or perhaps on practice in a limited fashion (perhaps only on the road) and play only road games? At least for now, unless the state of New York alters its COVID-19 restrictions, that’s how it will have to be if the Nets want Kyrie on the floor this season.
It’s interesting that this is not a slam-dunk decision from the organization. On the surface, it’s simple. You allow the third-best player on the roster to play whenever he’s available. Though, perhaps there are more layers to this decision than originally realized.
Where this becomes interesting is the fact that the Nets are still a championship contender without Kyrie. And that was evident last season as the Nets almost beat the eventual NBA champions in the Eastern Conference semifinals without Kyrie and a limping James Harden.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Nets and Kyrie move forward. With only a couple of weeks remaining before the start of the regular season, decisions need to be made and made quickly.