What Kyrie Irving’s Absence Means For The Nets’ Title Chances

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The Brooklyn Nets remain the favorites to win the NBA championship at the end of the 2021/22 season but that’s likely to change soon enough if things continue the way they’ve been going.

It was expected that Kyrie Irving would be part of the team when the bookmakers put odds out ahead of the campaign. However, the point guard is yet to play or even train with the Nets as he has opted not to get vaccinated against COVID-19. According to New York State law, all athletes are to be vaccinated in order to play there. This has effectively ruled Kyrie out of games in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, as well as New York’s Madison Square Garden. He could have played in other stadiums around the country, barring the Golden State Warriors’ Chase Center as San Francisco has employed similar protocols but the Nets have decided to have either have the point guard fully involved or not at all.

Kyrie has remained intransigent and has so far refused to take the vaccine, which is his choice. Nets owner Joe Tsai claimed to have no idea when the former Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics star could return.

“I don’t know,” he told ESPN in a recent interview. “Either he has to be vaccinated in order to come back if the New York mandate is still in place. And don’t ask me when they may or may not change the New York mandate. Again, if you ask the people that are making decisions at the city level, they are going to say we are going to rely on science, rely on what the health department tells us [in order to proceed].”

Tsai revealed he hadn’t spoken to Irving since the guard was informed of the team’s decision not to play him unless he gets vaccinated. While he insists he respects Irving’s decision, the team owner had to make the best decision for the Nets.

“Last time [I] talked to him was when we made the decision that he was not going to be playing until something changes,” he added “We haven’t communicated since then.”

“Obviously Kyrie has his own beliefs so I respect that. But we have to make a team decision. This is not a decision about him. This is a decision about where we go as a team. And it is just not tenable for us to have a team with a player that comes in and out, no home games, only away games. What do you do in practice then?

“This week we have a whole stretch of six home games, so we won’t have Kyrie. So it became pretty clear to us. We are very much aligned among myself, [GM] Sean [Marks], coaching staff that this has to be [the decision], especially since we’re a team with pretty lofty aspirations. We don’t see any other way of running this team.”

As things stand, the Nets are 13/5 to win the title as far as the NBA consensus picks go. The Los Angeles Lakers are behind at 4/1. Both teams have gotten off to a tepid start, with the Nets 4-3 after a win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night taking them above .500. They are also eighth in the Eastern Conference and have already lost to the Miami Heat, who are keen on returning to the finals this season. Miami opened with a resounding win over the champions Milwaukee Bucks and are one of four teams boasting a 5-1 record in the East.

The Nets’ chances of winning without Kyrie Irving don’t look as great, especially with James Harden struggling under the new NBA rules. Harden, who scored 18 points against Detroit on Sunday night, has also started the season overweight, having revealed he was advised not to do any training over the summer due to the hamstring injury he played through in the playoffs last season.

Harden is averaging an uncharacteristic 18.7 points so far this season.

Kevin Durant is doing his best to carry a team that, for the time being, isn’t what he was promised. He was convinced to join the Nets by Irving; Harden came along later and it’s said the team pushed to acquire him from the Rockets because they felt like they couldn’t depend on Irving’s availability. That was before vaccination was even an issue.

Things certainly aren’t going to plan for the Nets, who were supposed to have an entirely different look. They could still put up a fight in the playoffs and are still one of the best teams in the NBA without Irving. Yet, it will be hard to contend with the challenges in the East.

Of course, many expect Kyrie to eventually take the vaccine but it will be a real worry if he goes into 2022 without it. If he does take it and the Nets’ Big 3 remains healthy throughout the postseason, they will be unstoppable.