Kyrie Irving has been bashed left and right by fans and the media over the last few days. The reason for it is his refusal to get vaccinated. The situation has escalated to a level where the Nets have even refused to provide Irving with a huge contract extension he signed earlier.
After being quiet on the matter for a while, Irving finally broke his silence on the matter via an Instagram live video. Irving talked about several things such as clearing the air about rumors surrounding his retirement from the league.
He has no plans to retire from the league, at least for now. Additionally, Irving talked about the money he will lose due to his decision.
“Do you think I really want to lose money? You think I really want to give up on my dream to go after a championship? You think I just really want to give up my job? You think I really just want to sit at home and not going after the things with my teammates that I have been able to grow with, learn with.”
“Do you think I really want to lose money? You think I really want to give up on my dream to go after a championship? You think I just really want to give up my job? You think I really just want to sit at home and not going after the things with my teammates…”
– Kyrie pic.twitter.com/gV6BDK357j
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 14, 2021
Since it is quite obvious that Irving wants to stay unvaccinated and he is not going to budge whether he loses money or not. It seems likely that the Nets would have to play without their third superstar, as most feared.
Now, even without Kyrie, the Nets are a sensational team. They still have Kevin Durant and James Harden fulfilling superstar roles. On top of that, Blake Griffin is also a part of the Nets.
So even after losing Kyrie, the Nets should remain the top contender to at least reach the NBA Finals in the 2021-22 NBA season.
Moreover, James Harden’s stats might even improve even further due to the absence of Irving. It would allow the Beard to score more freely and navigate the offense as per his liking.
So could this be a blessing in disguise for Brooklyn? Most probably not. But it doesn’t hurt to be optimistic.
If Kyrie changes his mind or the rules for being vaccinated change, he might be back on the team. He mentioned he will continue to work out and stay in shape regardless of not being part of the roster.
