If Push Came to Shove... (Irving Trade)

[Prokorov]

Hopefully that "the athletic" report is true... if it is, they likelyhood Kyrie is back sooner then later increases. We have seen him sit out or take a stand for other social issues, and typically after a shortish period he gets back on the floor.

Additionally, it looks like the challenges to the mandate are going to have some traction. as mentioned, a judge just ruled the mandate needs to include a religious exemption and some injunctions were issued for nurses. Police/Fire unions are strong, they are likely to have some impact in their challenges and the city probably doesnt want to go too many rounds where it looks like the are "anti cop" in the current climate.

Long story short, if its the mandate and not the vaccine thats the big issue for kyrie, he will likely see enough wins in the courts sooner then later to make a return.

If he is anti vaccine, well the mandate likely wont have an exemption for him that soon (although i could see a religious one) and that could last longer. He could technically also get the vaccine and help the mandate cause with his financial and legal influences sitll

will be interesting. ill continue to keep an eye on the mandate in court, not the media "reports" as thats probably whats going to matter long term. It also would make sense for Marks to squeeze irving more if he knows he isnt anti-vaccine, as it may get kyrie around to this thinking of get the shot but still fight the mandate.

[Prokorov]

The only thing absurd is his "position" or whatever horse sh*t he just made up.

What's next, does he want to advocate for people who think that they should have the right to drive drunk or show up to work intoxicated? Perceived control of society my ass.

Drunk driving is breaking the law.

Not getting the COVID vaccine is very much NOT breaking the law.

Whether you agree or not, there is certainly a very reasonable case to be made the government should not be able to police taxpayer jobs and public buildings by garnishing wages/terminating employees who choose not to get the vaccine.

It is already being challenged that the mandate is not legal, and a court order has already required the mandate to include religious exemptions and an injunction was grated to some NYC nurses until their religious appeals can be heard.

I think the mandate (with the religious exemption) is wise. im for like 90% of how it is currently outlined... I think termination is too strong. you shouldnt lose tenure over it for instance if you are a teacher. I think an unpaid leave of absence where your tenure is not lost post-mandate and you dont lose any pension needs to be corrected in the mandate as well.

The mandate that you cannot enter a public indoor location or work at one while being unvaccinated is the law in New York. Kyrie is advocating for wackjobs like him who don't want to comply with said law.

Mandates and laws are no the same. congress/senate need to pass the laws which then need to be signed into law at the state level by the governor (and the mayor maybe too in some cities?). Mandates can be put in place unilaterally by governors, with no other approval required.

The legality of a mandate is challenged and overturned all the time. for instance in florida they had a mandate that schools could not require masks, which was overturned. I'm sure in that instance you are very much in favor of the challenge to the mandate and the judge overturning it.

Your passion for safety during the pandemic (which i applaud) i think is clouding you a bit on the policy around these things and the legality of enforcing them as well as the freedoms people are afforded.

If im a nurse/doctor/emt who helped fight COVID and has helped save lives for say, 30 years i should not lose my pension and tenure because i need to take a leave from work because i choose not to get the vaccine. the mandate is 100% overreaching their. especially if i have a religious reason not to get it.

[Whiskey Slick]

I've turned the page on Kyrie. I can't speak for anyone else, but as for me I'm treating it like he suffered a career ending injury (of the head) and he's no-longer even a part of this team. I don't want to hear about him at practice. I don't want to hear about him at road games. I don't want to hear about him, period.

Metaphorically speaking, he's dead to me. I don't even care if he goes out and scores 100 Points in a game on the road, I refuse to celebrate a QUITTER under any circumstances, and as far as I'm concerned he's already QUIT on the team. So nothing he does, OR DOESN'T DO for this team going forward matters to me.

Henceforth I'm just acting like he's not here, and if his teammates want to support that, I couldn't care less about them either. I care about this team about as much as they care about their fans ... ZERO.

I'm a NETS FAN, not a Kyrie fan, not a KD fan, not a Harden fan et al. As Jerry Seinfeld famously said, I root for the laundry, so Kyrie is dead to me, metaphorically speaking, and so is anyone who supports a quitter.

I'll occasionally watch the team (with no emotion), but my only connection will be to guys who share my feelings about a player who quit on this team. If they support his decision to quit on this team, IMO they are nothing more than enablers.

If you ever had a dope-fiend in your family you know how complicit their enablers are.

Lastly, I used to watch just about every game. NO WAY I have that level of commitment anymore.

Also I wouldn't take court-side seats to Nets home games if you gave them to me. Not even luxury suites.

If enough fans stay away ownership will get the message and demand Kyrie stays away from the team.

I won't be satisfied until he's completely barred from this team, road games and practices included.

Sounds like Tsai and Marks took my advice yesterday.

[MGrand15]

Funny how Kyrie's camp finally says something when the team puts the pressure and spotlight on him. This issue was totally private and a personal choice when Nash KD, and James had to uncomfortably address the media.

I'm glad the team took a hardline stance on this. If KD and Harden were against it, there's no way the team makes this call. Let's get this over with ASAP. If he wants to stay, he can get vaccinated. If he wants to leave, he can do whatever. I'm fine with him sitting out the year or getting traded or retiring. I don't really care to hear about the reasons that he's anti-vax. Millions of people were vaccinated way before mandates were a thing so this just reeks of BS to me.

I fully supported Kyrie in his haitus last year so I'm not some hater. This is just 100% stupidity. The sad part is Kyrie has huge pull and power with the youth and young adults. Specifically in minority communities. And he's using that power to push stupidity, anti-science rhetoric, and to get props from clowns like Ted Cruz, Trump, etc.

[Prokorov]

Funny how Kyrie's camp finally says something when the team puts the pressure and spotlight on him. This issue was totally private and a personal choice when Nash KD, and James had to uncomfortably address the media.

I'm glad the team took a hardline stance on this. If KD and Harden were against it, there's no way the team makes this call. Let's get this over with ASAP. If he wants to stay, he can get vaccinated. If he wants to leave, he can do whatever. I'm fine with him sitting out the year or getting traded or retiring. I don't really care to hear about the reasons that he's anti-vax. Millions of people were vaccinated way before mandates were a thing so this just reeks of BS to me.

I fully supported Kyrie in his haitus last year so I'm not some hater. This is just 100% stupidity. The sad part is Kyrie has huge pull and power with the youth and young adults. Specifically in minority communities. And he's using that power to push stupidity, anti-science rhetoric, and to get props from clowns like Ted Cruz, Trump, etc.

What anti-science rhetoric is he pushing?

Anti-government? Anti-establishment... sure. Anti-science? last report says his stance is not anti-vax.

Also, I think you are making a big leap that KD/Harden have input or care about making the decision on Kyrie. Both said its his decision and they support him. KD said its not his place to talk to him or convince him on his choices. I think KD wants him here, but is letting Kyrie/The nets deal with it. if it came to trading or cutting kyrie, yeah they would have to go through KD. but for this? i doubt he cares or wants to be part of it.

Again, the stance kyrie is taking (especially if the atheltic report is true) is WHY KD is close to kyrie (Empowerment) not in spite of that

[MGrand15]

Funny how Kyrie's camp finally says something when the team puts the pressure and spotlight on him. This issue was totally private and a personal choice when Nash KD, and James had to uncomfortably address the media.

I'm glad the team took a hardline stance on this. If KD and Harden were against it, there's no way the team makes this call. Let's get this over with ASAP. If he wants to stay, he can get vaccinated. If he wants to leave, he can do whatever. I'm fine with him sitting out the year or getting traded or retiring. I don't really care to hear about the reasons that he's anti-vax. Millions of people were vaccinated way before mandates were a thing so this just reeks of BS to me.

I fully supported Kyrie in his haitus last year so I'm not some hater. This is just 100% stupidity. The sad part is Kyrie has huge pull and power with the youth and young adults. Specifically in minority communities. And he's using that power to push stupidity, anti-science rhetoric, and to get props from clowns like Ted Cruz, Trump, etc.

What anti-science rhetoric is he pushing?

Anti-government? Anti-establishment... sure. Anti-science? last report says his stance is not anti-vax.

Also, I think you are making a big leap that KD/Harden have input or care about making the decision on Kyrie. Both said its his decision and they support him. KD said its not his place to talk to him or convince him on his choices. I think KD wants him here, but is letting Kyrie/The nets deal with it. if it came to trading or cutting kyrie, yeah they would have to go through KD. but for this? i doubt he cares or wants to be part of it.

Again, the stance kyrie is taking (especially if the atheltic report is true) is WHY KD is close to kyrie (Empowerment) not in spite of that

You think it's a big leap to say our 2 stars had input on this Kyrie decision? The team essentially banned Kyrie. They could've easily tried to make this work, let him practice, play road games, etc. Woj reported yesterday that they would be involved. Even if you don't trust him, it would be insanity for Tsai and Marks to do this without consulting Harden and KD. We went from potentially having Kyrie play 41 games to 0. That's a HUGE difference. If Kyrie soured on the team for this, he may never suit up for the Nets again.

I know you read Can't Knock The Hustle but you're way oversimplifying KD-Kyrie's relationship. Life isn't so black and white. This isn't some regular situation that their relationship has seen before. If Kyrie was getting slammed in the media for skipping an interview or taking too many shots, KD would be the first to defend him. This is an unprecedented situation that could cause Kyrie to be traded, retire, or sit out the whole year. Personally, he'll always support Kyrie. Professionally, this is a REAL test.

It's okay to acknowledge that.

[harlem_ball]

Kyrie's justification is pretty meh to be honest. It's like he doesn't realize we are in a pandemic and many have died. But... flat Earther.

[Prokorov]

You think it's a big leap to say our 2 stars had input on this Kyrie decision?

Yes, considering KD straight up he didnt even feel comfortable having input.

The team essentially banned Kyrie. They could've easily tried to make this work, let him practice, play road games, etc. Woj reported yesterday that they would be involved. Even if you don't trust him, it would be insanity for Tsai and Marks to do this without consulting Harden and KD. We went from potentially having Kyrie play 41 games to 0. That's a HUGE difference. If Kyrie soured on the team for this, he may never suit up for the Nets again.

I dont view it as huge. they made a decision that part time isnt best for the team. just like kyrie made a decision getting vaccinated wasnt best for him. i dont think its anything with huge implicaitons, animosity, or that can not be revisisted/undone.

I know you read Can't Knock The Hustle but you're way oversimplifying KD-Kyrie's relationship. Life isn't so black and white. This isn't some regular situation that their relationship has seen before. If Kyrie was getting slammed in the media for skipping an interview or taking too many shots, KD would be the first to defend him. This is an unprecedented situation that could cause Kyrie to be traded, retire, or sit out the whole year. Personally, he'll always support Kyrie. Professionally, this is a REAL test.

Not just the book. durants podcasts, his segments on the boardroom, etc. there is no test. he supports kyrie, this is why they are tight. when it comes to on the court, he is gonna let kyrie sort it out with marks.

It's okay to acknowledge that.

acknowledge what?

[Prokorov]

Kyrie's justification is pretty meh to be honest. it's like he doesn't realize we are in a pandemic and many have died. But... flat Earther.

what in the world are you blabbing about?

If 'the athletic' report is true, he is supporting the millions of new yorkers who are fighting some/all of the mandate. Which, has already been ordered to be revised by the courts to include a religious exemption provision.

Being in a pandemic doesnt really matter. Freedoms are freedoms. the mandate is overreaching (according to the courts so far, not me) in at least 1 instance and i assume the challenges against teachers losing their tenure and cops losing their pensions (assuming that Deblasio ends his delay on NYPD/NYFD being part of the mandate) will also be overturned by judges rulings.

It is also somewhat discriminatory that the mandate doesn't apply to cops, but it applies to doctors, teachers, etc... The mandate is very imperfect. and if people lose their pensions or tenure over it, frankly thats BS

I think there is alot more to criticize if he was anti-vax or called the pandemic a hoax or something. thats not the case from what we know.

[enetric]

I fully support the Nets' decision and its the decision I'd hope they would make once it became clear that Kyrie was refusing to get vaccinated. You're either committed to the team and the championship goal, or you're not playing any part in it. Tough decision to make but the right one.

i dont think its one or the other.

I think you can be committed to basketball and have something come in the way that is also of high value to you to the point where you have to chose, despite both being important.

I dont think this mandate happened and kyrie was like "whatever im not really bought in to basketball anyhow".

He had no control over the mandate. thats the city. he was forced to choose between 2 things that are important to him. you can never win in those situations. if the mandate was in idaho instead of NY it would be a non-issue. but it is NY so he had to chose.

And maybe its dumb that he doesnt want to get vacinated, but at the end of the day its his body and its important to him (which being a vegan among other things) he takes what goes in his body hyper seriously. its still his right, and government can put restrictions on freedoms but they cant force what you put in your body.

At some point, the mandate will be lifted. to him, waiting it out or waiting for aloop hole or waiting for other court decisions is the path that most closes gets him "both"

Life isnt this and that. Eventually we all learn its this or that. A team sport the sacrifice is...team first. Year after year, team after team Kyrie seems to find a way to choose to focus on the individual over the team. There is a pattern. Even if we support his right to choose, we can acknowledge the pattern.

[Prokorov]

I fully support the Nets' decision and its the decision I'd hope they would make once it became clear that Kyrie was refusing to get vaccinated. You're either committed to the team and the championship goal, or you're not playing any part in it. Tough decision to make but the right one.

i dont think its one or the other.

I think you can be committed to basketball and have something come in the way that is also of high value to you to the point where you have to chose, despite both being important.

I dont think this mandate happened and kyrie was like "whatever im not really bought in to basketball anyhow".

He had no control over the mandate. thats the city. he was forced to choose between 2 things that are important to him. you can never win in those situations. if the mandate was in idaho instead of NY it would be a non-issue. but it is NY so he had to chose.

And maybe its dumb that he doesnt want to get vacinated, but at the end of the day its his body and its important to him (which being a vegan among other things) he takes what goes in his body hyper seriously. its still his right, and government can put restrictions on freedoms but they cant force what you put in your body.

At some point, the mandate will be lifted. to him, waiting it out or waiting for aloop hole or waiting for other court decisions is the path that most closes gets him "both"

Life isnt this and that. Eventually we all learn its this or that. A team sport the sacrifice is...team first. Year after year, team after team Kyrie seems to find a way to choose to focus on the individual over the team. There is a pattern. Even if we support his right to choose, we can acknowledge the pattern.

I dont disagree, I just dont think there is an issue with that. There is this myth and outdated thinking that your job comes before yourself... or that putting yourself first is somehow looked down upon or morally wrong. You should always come first. your morals, your family, your physical and mental healthy. that should always come first.

There may be limitations or consequences of certain choices that come from sticking with your beliefs, but there isnt anything wrong with that. At some point the CBA or the Law is going to make push come to shove... but honestly, what is so bad that Kyrie has missed time for?
-Injury
-his childs mothers complication during pregnancy (details unclear if this was one)
-his childs birth
-Kobes death
-protesting the minnesota racist stuff
-protesting the mandate/not being vaccinated

the first 4 of 6 to me are non-approachable for criticism. the minnesota thing he wasnt the only one who sat (multiple wolves sat). it was minimal time missed.

The current one can certainly be criticized, but it is also something not initiated by Kyrie. I mean there is a pandemic and a mandate being argued in several courts daily. if the mandate was in Ohio, we arent talking about this. if there is no pandemic, we arent talking about this.

Basketball sacrafice is about passing the ball for a better shot instead of trying to get your own. basketball sacrafice is accepting a bench role because it is better for the team. Basketball sacrafice is letting someone else be the star/take the most shots because they are a better player.

Basketball sacrafice is not ditching your morals/rights/personal choices/religious choices because some temporary mandate prevents you from playing if you dont.

Also, good to see you, this place is always better when youre around and posting.

[enetric]

Read on Twitter

This is the snowball effect from Kyrie's decision. Once he started to signal that he wasn't going to get vaccinated, Harden started talking about testing free agency. Dude is f*cking everything up.

Joe Tsai isn't going to pay 50 million a season to someone who only cares enough to play in what, 38 games at most? And Harden isn't going to stay if this season turns into chaos because of Kyrie.

At least we have KD locked in, so even if we have to part ways with both guys I'm sure others will line up to play with him here.

Doesn’t Harden stand to make more money if he becomes a free agent anyway? If so, I’m not worried about him at all.

I’d only be concerned about him leaving if the Lakers had the cap space to sign him, but since they don’t (I assume, haven’t looked it up) I don’t think we’ll really be in serious competition with any other team for his services. Plus, other teams don’t have an elite off-ball superstar like KD, whose game isn’t predicted on ball domination like Harden. It’s as good of a high level talent match as you can ask for. I think Harden knows this.

Hey buddy how are you? One problem. Knicks can create the cap space and have tradeable assets now. Something could be put together.

[enetric]

What boggles my mind is the message Kyrie is sending to the very people he claims to represent. If you just look at hospital data 86 percent of all hospitalizations are unvaccinated. 90-94 percent of ICU COVID cases are unvaccinated. The vaccination rate is around 50 percent overall. Here is the percentage of minorities that are currently vaccinated. Kyrie by getting vaccinated would help save lives especially if he assumed a vocal leadership role in doing so. He would also be able to help his team achieve their lifelong championship goals, be at less risk to have serious complications, and earn 17 million doing so. It’s really unbelievable…

I loved where you were going with this, but if I read the graph accurately, that didn't say the % of each race vaccinated. It said % of the population vaccinated BY race. So 12% is fairly in line with the 13% of the US population that is black. Please correct me if I missed your point.

[Prokorov]

Read on Twitter

This is the snowball effect from Kyrie's decision. Once he started to signal that he wasn't going to get vaccinated, Harden started talking about testing free agency. Dude is f*cking everything up.

Joe Tsai isn't going to pay 50 million a season to someone who only cares enough to play in what, 38 games at most? And Harden isn't going to stay if this season turns into chaos because of Kyrie.

At least we have KD locked in, so even if we have to part ways with both guys I'm sure others will line up to play with him here.

Doesn’t Harden stand to make more money if he becomes a free agent anyway? If so, I’m not worried about him at all.

I’d only be concerned about him leaving if the Lakers had the cap space to sign him, but since they don’t (I assume, haven’t looked it up) I don’t think we’ll really be in serious competition with any other team for his services. Plus, other teams don’t have an elite off-ball superstar like KD, whose game isn’t predicted on ball domination like Harden. It’s as good of a high level talent match as you can ask for. I think Harden knows this.

Hey buddy how are you? One problem. Knicks can create the cap space and have tradeable assets now. Something could be put together.

I think if KD hadn't extended, it would be more concerning. I'd worry about Kyrie not resigning, but not Harden. This is harden's last super mega deal. He can get the full supermax as a 9+ year vet for 1 extra year if he waits vs. extending. And barring injury, he wont really find a better situation then with KD.

Only thing that would change my mind, is if he wins a title this year, and then a ring is less motivation and he just wants to score 35 a game as the man again. but in that scenario, we win a title and have KD + cap space.

[Prokorov]

Read on Twitter

This is the snowball effect from Kyrie's decision. Once he started to signal that he wasn't going to get vaccinated, Harden started talking about testing free agency. Dude is f*cking everything up.

Joe Tsai isn't going to pay 50 million a season to someone who only cares enough to play in what, 38 games at most? And Harden isn't going to stay if this season turns into chaos because of Kyrie.

At least we have KD locked in, so even if we have to part ways with both guys I'm sure others will line up to play with him here.

Doesn’t Harden stand to make more money if he becomes a free agent anyway? If so, I’m not worried about him at all.

I’d only be concerned about him leaving if the Lakers had the cap space to sign him, but since they don’t (I assume, haven’t looked it up) I don’t think we’ll really be in serious competition with any other team for his services. Plus, other teams don’t have an elite off-ball superstar like KD, whose game isn’t predicted on ball domination like Harden. It’s as good of a high level talent match as you can ask for. I think Harden knows this.

Hey buddy how are you? One problem. Knicks can create the cap space and have tradeable assets now. Something could be put together.

I think if KD hadn't extended, it would be more concerning. I'd worry about Kyrie not resigning, but not Harden. This is harden's last super mega deal. He can get the full supermax as a 9+ year vet for 1 extra year if he waits vs. extending. And barring injury, he wont really find a better situation then with KD.

Only thing that would change my mind, is if he wins a title this year, and then a ring is less motivation and he just wants to score 35 a game as the man again. but in that scenario, we win a title and have KD + cap space.

[TheNetsFan]

i dont think its one or the other.

I think you can be committed to basketball and have something come in the way that is also of high value to you to the point where you have to chose, despite both being important.

I dont think this mandate happened and kyrie was like "whatever im not really bought in to basketball anyhow".

He had no control over the mandate. thats the city. he was forced to choose between 2 things that are important to him. you can never win in those situations. if the mandate was in idaho instead of NY it would be a non-issue. but it is NY so he had to chose.

And maybe its dumb that he doesnt want to get vacinated, but at the end of the day its his body and its important to him (which being a vegan among other things) he takes what goes in his body hyper seriously. its still his right, and government can put restrictions on freedoms but they cant force what you put in your body.

At some point, the mandate will be lifted. to him, waiting it out or waiting for aloop hole or waiting for other court decisions is the path that most closes gets him "both"

Life isnt this and that. Eventually we all learn its this or that. A team sport the sacrifice is...team first. Year after year, team after team Kyrie seems to find a way to choose to focus on the individual over the team. There is a pattern. Even if we support his right to choose, we can acknowledge the pattern.

I dont disagree, I just dont think there is an issue with that. There is this myth and outdated thinking that your job comes before yourself... or that putting yourself first is somehow looked down upon or morally wrong. You should always come first. your morals, your family, your physical and mental healthy. that should always come first.

There may be limitations or consequences of certain choices that come from sticking with your beliefs, but there isnt anything wrong with that. At some point the CBA or the Law is going to make push come to shove... but honestly, what is so bad that Kyrie has missed time for?
-Injury
-his childs mothers complication during pregnancy (details unclear if this was one)
-his childs birth
-Kobes death
-protesting the minnesota racist stuff
-protesting the mandate/not being vaccinated

the first 4 of 6 to me are non-approachable for criticism. the minnesota thing he wasnt the only one who sat (multiple wolves sat). it was minimal time missed.

The current one can certainly be criticized, but it is also something not initiated by Kyrie. I mean there is a pandemic and a mandate being argued in several courts daily. if the mandate was in Ohio, we arent talking about this. if there is no pandemic, we arent talking about this.

Basketball sacrafice is about passing the ball for a better shot instead of trying to get your own. basketball sacrafice is accepting a bench role because it is better for the team. Basketball sacrafice is letting someone else be the star/take the most shots because they are a better player.

Basketball sacrafice is not ditching your morals/rights/personal choices/religious choices because some temporary mandate prevents you from playing if you dont.

Also, good to see you, this place is always better when youre around and posting.

Given that they announced the birth of their child in mid-June, I question the validity of the third one. News broke in-season during one of his absences that they were expecting, but I don't ever recall news breaking of the birth.

Frankly, no other line of work would tolerate absences for anything other than those first 3.

[Whiskey Slick]

Ted Cruz tweeted that the Houston Rockets need a Guard.

How bout Kyrie Irving and Nic Claxton for Jalen Green.

[LOUiS-D]

Read on Twitter

?t=AHth5UwGQG3AZu03O6EKog&s=19

This mf trolled me so hard I felt my soul exit my body

[Prokorov]

Life isnt this and that. Eventually we all learn its this or that. A team sport the sacrifice is...team first. Year after year, team after team Kyrie seems to find a way to choose to focus on the individual over the team. There is a pattern. Even if we support his right to choose, we can acknowledge the pattern.

I dont disagree, I just dont think there is an issue with that. There is this myth and outdated thinking that your job comes before yourself... or that putting yourself first is somehow looked down upon or morally wrong. You should always come first. your morals, your family, your physical and mental healthy. that should always come first.

There may be limitations or consequences of certain choices that come from sticking with your beliefs, but there isnt anything wrong with that. At some point the CBA or the Law is going to make push come to shove... but honestly, what is so bad that Kyrie has missed time for?
-Injury
-his childs mothers complication during pregnancy (details unclear if this was one)
-his childs birth
-Kobes death
-protesting the minnesota racist stuff
-protesting the mandate/not being vaccinated

the first 4 of 6 to me are non-approachable for criticism. the minnesota thing he wasnt the only one who sat (multiple wolves sat). it was minimal time missed.

The current one can certainly be criticized, but it is also something not initiated by Kyrie. I mean there is a pandemic and a mandate being argued in several courts daily. if the mandate was in Ohio, we arent talking about this. if there is no pandemic, we arent talking about this.

Basketball sacrafice is about passing the ball for a better shot instead of trying to get your own. basketball sacrafice is accepting a bench role because it is better for the team. Basketball sacrafice is letting someone else be the star/take the most shots because they are a better player.

Basketball sacrafice is not ditching your morals/rights/personal choices/religious choices because some temporary mandate prevents you from playing if you dont.

Also, good to see you, this place is always better when youre around and posting.

Given that they announced the birth of their child in mid-June, I question the validity of the third one. News broke in-season during one of his absences that they were expecting, but I don't ever recall news breaking of the birth.

Frankly, no other line of work would tolerate absences for anything other than those first 3.

Pierce simpson confirmed #3 on 'the boardroom'. given that KD produces it, i doubt its inaccurate.

Kobe was his mentor. he missed i think just the 1 game (maybe 2?). several players also missed games. Kobe was Kyries mentor. they werent family, but pretty much every team is (and many did) excuse that absence.

5 depends on the companys politics/stance on social issues. My company did not dock anyone for missing time to attend the BLM protests, LBGTQ protests, and anti-trump protests in boston. In total thats a few weeks of work, they got paid for, and didnt have to use PTO.

6 is kind of unpresented situation. you dont have mandates for global pandemics very often.

[enetric]

Funny how Kyrie's camp finally says something when the team puts the pressure and spotlight on him. This issue was totally private and a personal choice when Nash KD, and James had to uncomfortably address the media.

I'm glad the team took a hardline stance on this. If KD and Harden were against it, there's no way the team makes this call. Let's get this over with ASAP. If he wants to stay, he can get vaccinated. If he wants to leave, he can do whatever. I'm fine with him sitting out the year or getting traded or retiring. I don't really care to hear about the reasons that he's anti-vax. Millions of people were vaccinated way before mandates were a thing so this just reeks of BS to me.

I fully supported Kyrie in his haitus last year so I'm not some hater. This is just 100% stupidity. The sad part is Kyrie has huge pull and power with the youth and young adults. Specifically in minority communities. And he's using that power to push stupidity, anti-science rhetoric, and to get props from clowns like Ted Cruz, Trump, etc.

What anti-science rhetoric is he pushing?

Anti-government? Anti-establishment... sure. Anti-science? last report says his stance is not anti-vax.

Also, I think you are making a big leap that KD/Harden have input or care about making the decision on Kyrie. Both said its his decision and they support him. KD said its not his place to talk to him or convince him on his choices. I think KD wants him here, but is letting Kyrie/The nets deal with it. if it came to trading or cutting kyrie, yeah they would have to go through KD. but for this? i doubt he cares or wants to be part of it.

Again, the stance kyrie is taking (especially if the atheltic report is true) is WHY KD is close to kyrie (Empowerment) not in spite of that

The latest rumor leads us to believe, he is not against the vaccine just championing the rights of those afraid to get the vaccine. So technically, he's not saying he is anti science if we believe this latest round yet, he is unvaccinated and validated those fears in the face of science. He claims he is standing up for his community. What is more likely...he leads his community to getting their jobs back because he remains unvaccinated, or they remain unemployed, unvaccinated, and death rates go up within the community he is claiming to support? Meanwhile, he is also failing to do his own job and letting down everyone he made a commitment to. So if its anti government or anti science what's the difference? The end result is a worse outcome for everyone, but hey its "the principle of the thing" right?