The saga continues.
Nets star Kyrie Irving will not travel with the team to Philadelphia for Monday’s preseason matchup against the 76ers.
Irving, who is only available to play on the road in select cities due to his unvaccinated status, practiced with his team at the HSS Training Facility for the first time this offseason on Sunday, and head coach Steve Nash said he got some shots up with the team.
Shots in practice, however, won’t get Irving back on the floor at Barclays Center this season. A shot in the arm will do the trick, but so far, there has been no indication that Irving is leaning toward getting vaccinated to return to the floor. Under the current New York City vaccination mandate, a player for the Nets or Knicks must have at least one vaccination shot to play at Barclays Center or MSG.
“I think we recognize he’s not playing home games,” a candid Nash said at practice on Sunday. “So we’re going to have to for sure play without him this year. So it just depends on when, where and how much.”
Irving and the Nets appear to be playing one grand waiting game. The city’s vaccination mandate first prevented Irving from practicing with his teammates at home. Then on Friday, it designated the HSS Training Facility a “private office space,” allowing BSE Global (the Nets’ parent company) to set their own vaccination rules for entry.
The hope appears to be another city-wide rule change in the near future that would allow the Nets’ star to play in home games without needing a COVID-19 vaccination shot. Whether or not that’s wishful thinking remains to be seen.
“We’re just starting to navigate this,” Nash said. “A new rule comes in Friday and here we are. We’re trying to look at the big picture, the near-term. Right now, I’m not sure that we have as many answers. We’re just trying to re-implement him back into the training arena and get his body right and make decisions as we go here.”
The easiest route for Irving’s return to the floor would be a change in the city’s vaccine mandate, or an implementation of religious exemption from the vaccine. Until then, Irving could be a part-time player — playing only on the road and not at home — though there are reports from ESPN that suggest Nets brass would not be interested in that arrangement.
Is it better to have a player of Irving’s caliber on the floor for half the season’s games, even if they’re only on the road, or not have him play at all? Nets star Blake Griffin says having Irving in and out of the rotation isn’t as big of a deal as it seems.
“It’s never really an issue of fitting in at all. I mean, I’ve known Kyrie for so long,” Griffin said at Sunday’s practice. “When he’s around, the energy’s better. You always notice his presence. So there’s no ‘getting used to.’
“It’s just like he’s back, and we’re here to support him however, and we’re always glad when he’s around.”
For now, the only certainty is Irving’s availability, or lack thereof, for Monday’s road matchup against the 76ers. It is the first game Irving is eligible to play in (aside from the preseason opener against the Lakers that all the starters rested) that he will miss this year.
It’s not the last game he’ll miss, either. The Nets are still working with Irving to improve his conditioning after missing time in the gym, and unless he gets a shot, exemption or a change in the city’s policy, he will miss Thursday’s preseason finale against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“I think right now we assume he’s not going to be available for home games,” Nash said. “Anything can change. Who’s to say, the city’s ordinance could change? Anything could change. I think right now we’re just trying to remain flexible, open-minded and figure it out as we go because information is coming in by the half-day here.”
