No Winners In Nets’ Principled Standoff With Irving
The ball, for lack of a better phrase, is in Kyrie Irving’s court.
With the Nets statement on Tuesday that “Irving will not play or practice with the team until he is eligible to be a full participant” by taking the COVID-19 vaccine, any hope that fans had of seeing the superstar point guard in a Nets uniform this season even on a limited basis evaporated, at least until Irving folds to break the stalemate, if ever.
In a hastily-but-well-executed press conference, Brooklyn General Manager Sean Marks said that all options, including having Irving play when the Nets were on the road while New York City’s vaccine mandate precluded him from playing within the five boroughs (but allowed for practices because the Nets’ facility in Industry City was deemed “an office building”), were on the table but that ultimately, the organization was “not looking for partners that are going to be half-time.”
As it stands, this an ongoing game no one is winning. Brooklyn fired the last shot, but in so doing they are losing out on an integral piece of their championship puzzle. Irving, meanwhile, is taking knocks in both his wallet and public perception. Each party has chosen to move forward more diminished.
The Nets’ decision was undeniably difficult and principled. The franchise, the community, and Irving all benefit from him receiving a simple jab. His refusal is not only hurting those closest to him, including his teammates, it contributes to the nonsensical narratives centered on “individual choice” and the lies about the science. He SHOULD face consequences for his (in)action.
Whether it moves the needle on Irving’s attitude, though, is unclear. The line drawn in the sand has been crossed and no one knows how Irving will respond. While Marks wouldn’t go into details, you can imagine that Irving would not receive the news well, viewing it as a betrayal by the franchise he grew up rooting for and helped rebuild by teaming up with fellow superstar free agent Kevin Durant as part of Brooklyn’s Clean Sweep of 2019.
Basketball seems to be an outsized part of Irving’s life, but it is fair to question his overall desire after last season’s reports related to his seven-game absence due to “personal reasons” indicated that he was too distraught over the country’s political environment to play. (How ironic, then, is it that Irving is now being lauded for his anti-vax stance by numbskulls like Donald Trump Jr. and Ted Cruz?)
Marks made sure to emphasize that the decision was his and owner Joseph Tsai’s, but I have a hard time believing that this wasn’t a more collaborative effort with Head Coach Steve Nash and fellow Big 3 members Durant and James Harden all weighing in. KD may have inked his four-year extension this offseason, but he still holds plenty of sway on all basketball-related business and it would be logical to assume that he would have needed to have been at least accepting of his good friend’s banishment when the rules allow for Irving’s part-time status.
That’s because the vaccine mandate comes from the City’s Emergency Executive Order 225, not the NBA. While ESPN reported that Irving will be docked 1/91.6 of his approximately $34.9 million annual salary for every game he misses (about $381,000 per game) due to his failure to comply with the Order, Marks specifically confirmed that Irving will not forfeit any further amounts due under his contract.
In effect, the Nets will be paying Irving not to play road games outside of Madison Square Garden. In addition, Nike, which reportedly compensates Irving $11 million per year for sneaker endorsements, has yet to weigh in on the matter. Ergo, to date, the financial inducements for Irving to get vaccinated so he could be eligible to play might not be all that material to a person who would still be grossing nearly $30 million this fiscal year.
Still, it’s too early to declare, “Game over.” Irving, like always, has the wherewithal to change his mind about the vaccine. The open question he must keep asking himself is: How much is it worth, in dollars and soul, to overcome such a (im)moral objection?
Even if he never gets to the right answer, the Nets are willing to wait him out, no matter the effect to their on-court goals.
You can be proud of the Nets for standing by their culture, but it’s still a sad day for a franchise whose history is laced with disappointing events.