Nets superstar Kevin Durant voiced his displeasure over Kyrie Irving not being able to play in the team’s home game on Sunday, Nick Friedell of ESPN tweets. Durant’s comments were made toward Eric Adams, mayor of New York City.
“Eric, you got to figure something out, man, because it’s looking crazy,” Durant said. “Especially on national TV, and he can come to the game, but not play, come on, man.”
Irving was at Sunday’s game as an unmasked spectator and even entered the team’s locker room, but he still can’t play at Barclays Center or Madison Sqaure Garden due to the city’s private sector vaccine mandate. The Nets wound up winning the game 110-107 behind Durant’s 53 points.
Here are some other notes out of the Atlantic Division:
- Nets rookies Kessler Edwards and Day’Ron Sharpe did their jobs while the team dealt with injuries, but both players have seen their minutes decrease their month, NetsDaily relays. The talented young duo gained valuable experience during their time on the court. Edwards is on a two-way contract, while Sharpe (the No. 29 pick) is on a standard deal.
- The Raptors’ confidence is growing after wins over the Suns and Nuggets, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes. “We’re relentless,” said Pascal Siakam, “and we just want to continue to compete and get better as a team.” Winners of three straight games, Toronto now owns the seventh-best record in the East at 37-30, trailing Cleveland by one game for sixth place.
- Steve Popper of Newsday explores the path going forward for the Knicks. New York’s chances of making the play-in tournament are starting to diminish, as the team currently trails the 10th place Hawks by five games. At 28-40, the Knicks only have 14 games left this season.
The mayor doesn’t have to do anything. It’s the current law either comply to the law, or u don’t play. End of story
If he can come into the venue and literally sit on the sidelines why can’t he play? That makes absolutely zero sense and everybody knows it.
All about control. It’s always been about that.
You’re absolutely right afsooner it’s always been about controlling the virus to help mitigate the damage it causes.
I agree with you, but the problem is legal and business practices don’t line up cleanly with medical recommendations. It’s not so simple to overhaul laws and change business reporting practices that are put into place immediately. This particular situation is stupid, but the original law was not. Kyrie could have made things a lot easier on everyone by at least doing what Wiggins did.
Most of the covid rules don’t make sense, nor backed by actual fact or science.
Yup. That started when we quarantined the healthy in 2020. Been surging ahead into more stupidity since
We’ve been through this before, he can’t play because he’s not vaccinated.
It’s not a law for one, it’s also a ridiculous political power move
Over a year into the vaccine rollout, with tens of millions of breakthrough cases, you can’t actually be so gullible to still believe that the vaccine keeps people from catching or spreading the virus, right? Believing as much at this point amounts to willful ignorance.
Those guys on the halftime show were 100% correct was it Rose and Wilbon? I also want Kyrie to play but he is no folk hero. You wanna play? It’s real easy.
Agreed,
Stupid rule or reasonable one, fact based on unfounded, who cares. It’s the rule,so get vaxxed or don’t play.
It also doesn’t help that there have been many questions about Kyrie’s desire to actually play basketball in the past couple of years.
Sure but to what end? Are we not satisfied until he gets the vax? Are we going to let him play next year? At this point it is clearly less about safety than it is about willingness to comply.
Durant should “voice his displeasure” at the idiot Irving instead of the Mayor.
Just get the shot. It’s real simple.
Just void the mandate. It’s real simple.
Lol yea right.
Knicks chances starting to diminish.
What insight ????
Thibs plays McBride. Then has him standing in the corner. Instead of running the point. I’m a Thibs guy. But it’s looking like he’s going down with Randle. Unless Rose saves him and trades him. It’s amazing to me. That anyone on Knicks FO. Thinks going for play in gm. Is the way to go.
Play the young guys. Play for next yr. And get a better pick. A guy like Mathurin can help immensely. I’m ready to move Randle and Mitch. Pistons are hot for Mitch.
Why are we still talking about the Knicks having any chance at the play-in. That sh**show has been off the rails for months.
I mean any person with a tiny lick of common sense can see that this rule of NYC has to be the most idiotic one ever designed!!!
Seriously, the dude can be at the game, even unmasked, & on top of that can be at the locker room!!!
Why on earth he can’t play? Which is without a doubt safer than the other things as there is more distance during the game?
We all expect politicos to always make bad decisions & to be utterly useless, as they never disappoint at that… but boy this Adams dude is gotta take the cake when it comes to the worst one!!!
For goodness sake let Kyrie play!
Without the shot he can come to, but not participate in, the game. Similarly with no vaccine he can go through, perhaps suffer more as a result of, covid.
Ergo: chill, let the man play and make his own choices regarding his own health. (Just as every other person, vaccinated or not, does.)
KD forgets that at the end of the day he is an entertainer, not a front line worker. Just saying bc you make stupid money doesn’t make your agenda more important. Chill.
It’s stupid to be unvaccinated at this point, but Durant is 100% right here… that the mandate is also stupid. As someone above already said, if Irving is already allowed in the arena and without a mask, then the law accomplishes absolutely nothing as far as safety anyway.
Why is it stupid to be unvaccinated? The guy is a professional athlete and the last stain was a cold. I’d argue it is even dumber for him to get vaccinated now.
Because the guy shares the planet with family, friends, and strangers, many of whom are older or younger and are not professional athletes.
And because it’s costing him around $10 million dollars.
He would still share the planet with fam, friends and strangers if he got the vaccine and still be able to contract and spread different strains of the virus tho.
And your house is susceptible to burglaries even if you lock your doors, but I’m sure you still do it.
Congratulations on the discovery that nothing works 100%.
Awful analogy because my house is not a private business, so therefor the gov can’t tell me how to run my private household. Lemme give you one that makes sense..
Under the current construction of the mandate/ordinance, if I legally rent out a property I don’t reside in, I have to get the vaccine to enter the property to assess damage that needs to be repaired or hire a vaccinated custodian, that works for me, to assess damage before hiring a contractor who would also have to be vaccinated… but it’s ok if I enter the property and play some PS5 with my tenant.
If this makes sense to you and you believe it’s saving lives… fine.
Some rational part of you has to realize it’s nonsense. If you have a high tolerance for nonsense then that’s cool too..
Kyrie and KD whining again… Typical
Exactly. Rich people advocating for special treatment annoys me. Durant may be a great basketball player but he comes across as really immature in his worldview. Clearly lived a privileged and isolated life.
Just imagine when the playoffs come and they play the raptors and he can’t play at home or on the road and the nets get bounced in 5
Right now, that’s more likely to be a play-in game than any other series. I don’t think it would keep the Nets out of the playoffs. The Nets will be a force in the playoffs with a relatively healthy lineup including KD and Ben Simmons, even with Kyrie part time.
I think people need to pump the breaks on Ben Simmons just yet until he goes out there and shows there’s no rust and he’s able to play at a high level and contribute, with 15 or so games remaining it will be something to watch for sure.
Some of y’all got yaks brains
Kyrie is a flat earther.
Never heard that one before.
Prob cuz Schilling is too lol
If hall of famer Schilling said it, it must be true.
“He” could have just gotten the vaccine and played all season. Lets not blame the mayor for this. That is absurd.
Who else in the league are we talking about sitting out in NYC and Toronto because they didn’t vax? This guy hurts his team with emotional weakness, everywhere he goes. Nobody ever wishes they still had a Kyrie.
It has nothing to do with a mandate, never did. It’s ego and hubris of the Diva that is Kyrie.
They’re gonna change the rule in time for Kyrie to play!
They just can’t (and won’t) do it in a time frame that comes across as though they’re doing it simply for the Nets, rather than the general population.
I don’t think any NY politicians are incentivized to do The Nets any favors.
The Knicks, maybe, but most ppl in NY don’t even know the Nets exist.
Their success doesn’t really mean much politically.
Soo…