The Nets have been without Kyrie Irving all season long due to his refusal to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Because of his refusal to get vaccinated, he isn’t allowed to participate at games at the Barclays Center or Madison Square Garden, per New York City’s mandate.
However, incoming mayor Eric Adams may revisit the mandates currently set in place by current mayor Bill de Blasio.
“Eric Adams, the Mayor-Elect of New York City, talked today about revisiting possibly January 1 when he takes over, the city’s vaccine mandates for government workers and there’s some hope, some optimism, including, I’m told, around Kyrie Irving, that revisiting may also include performers and athletes including Kyrie Irving,” Adrian Wojnarowski explained when talking to ESPN colleague Mike Greenberg Wednesday (h/t @JMartinezBKN).
However, the Nets may not be as patient as they’ve publicly stated much longer, as their ultimate goal is to win a championship.
“Now, that’s two months away before he takes office on January 1,” Wojnarowski explains further. “The Brooklyn Nets, they have been getting calls about Kyrie Irving, about their interest in discussing trades with them. So how does this fit into the Nets timetable if Kyrie is going to wait into January to see what happens with the new mayor of New York City, how does that affect how the Nets move forward? There’s a lot to watch here, Greenie.”
For what it’s worth, Nets head coach Steve Nash said that Irving would be “welcomed back for sure” regardless of his vaccination status if the mandate changes.
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- The Heat are one of three teams currently sitting at 6-1, as Reggie Miller and Shaquille O’Neal both believe that they’re a serious contender to win the East. “You bring in two players that have championship mentalities and championships in Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker,” O’Neal said. “Then you bring in Markieff Morris and Victor Oladipo. We all know the culture of Miami, how they play and how they win. They are going to go really, really far. They’re going to have home-court advantage in the first round.” Miller also likes the Heat’s chances because of their defense.
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Chris Paul recently passed Steve Nash for third on the all-time NBA assists list, as he now has 10,346 career assists. “I’m grateful and I thank God for this opportunity,” Paul said. “I say it all the time, not only to be on a team and still be in the league but to still be playing. You don’t take that for granted.” In order for him to get second on the all-time list, he’d have to pass Jason Kidd, who dished out 12,091 assists throughout his Hall-of-Fame career. If Paul finishes out his four-year contract, then there’s a good shot he could pass Kidd.
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The Celtics held a players-only meeting following post-game comments made by Marcus Smart, as he called Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown out for not passing the ball, according to Wojnarowski. Their fourth-quarter collapse during Monday night’s loss to the Bulls and Smart’s comments were the main topic of conversation, as Woj described the meeting as “emotional at times,” and “not a terribly productive meeting — maybe not even beneficial.”
