NEW YORK — Brooklyn Netsstar Kevin DurantHe said that he hasn’t had any additional conversations with his teammate. Kyrie IrvingGet a COVID-19 shot that will allow him to play in every season’s game, not just the ones on the road.
Irving, who isn’t vaccinated for COVID-19, was reintroduced to the Nets roster on Wednesday in a victory over the Indiana PacersHowever, he is not allowed to participate in home games due to the New York City vaccination mandate.
Durant, who suffered a 121-109 defeat to the Warriors, said that he had told Durant how important he was and how much he wanted him to play. Milwaukee Bucks. “But I am not going to force anybody to get a vaccine. He can still play basketball. Nah, I don’t want to do that.
“We have had discussions about wanting him here as a team member and full-time. However, that is on his own time. He’ll make any decision he wants. It is up to us all to do our jobs and be professionals regardless of the circumstances. Everyone, from the owner to the equipment manager, must be professional and ready whenever necessary.
24-13 Nets has lost four of its last five games and have surrendered an average of 118 point over that time. Durant didn’t ask Irving if he had any explanations as to why Irving chose not to get the vaccine.
Durant stated, “I haven’t even asked for an explanation.” Durant said, “It’s not my place I don’t think. So I’m prepared for anything, that’s my whole mentality. Whatever happens, I have to be me and continue to represent the values I believe in, no matter what. I support whatever my team needs or wants me to do.
“It is a strange situation, who knows?” Most of this —. is confusing to me. COVID, this whole thing has been insane the past few years. So me, I try to keep my eyes on the prize and stay focused. Kyrie is capable of making his own decisions, and I trust him to do so.
Nets guard James HardenHe also stated that Irving’s status has not been discussed with him and said it was not “strange to play without Irving again Friday after Wednesday’s win.”
Harden stated, “It wasn’t strange, nah.” “It was a good feeling to have him back. It felt good. It felt like we had an extra existence. But, we had to learn to accept the reality of what we were dealt and that was home games. [to win]. But even on road games, just because Ky’s with us on the road doesn’t mean that he won’t be a challenge for us. So we had to work together and find ways of winning games. When teams come to us on the floor, they feel they have something to prove. We got to recognize that. They have to see us with the same mindset.”
Durant repeated the same refrain but didn’t want Irving’s absence to be an excuse.
Durant stated, “I don’t think so, because we’ve been playing most of our games sans him,” Durant added. “We’re professionals. We’re veterans. We are supposed to be able to adapt to certain s —.. “We’ve been playing without him for the entire season so one game shouldn’t cause us to lose our cool.”
The Nets are currently 10-10 at Barclays Center and 14-3 on the roads this season. Durant dismissed the idea that it might be easier for them to get up for road games now that Irving is joining them.
Steve Nash, Nets coach, had a similar thought before the game. He stated that although he wishes he could be there every time, he is happy that ‘half the time’.
Nash stated that Irving might be more excited about road games than he was. “I don’t think our guys ever stop to think about whether we’re at home or on the road. It might get their juices flowing to go to the building and say, “Oh, Kyrie, we have Kyrie tonight.” They’re not sitting at home thinking, “No fun at all without Kyrie,” but they are on the road having fun with Kyrie.
Bucks star is mentioned in the context the Irving dynamics with Nets. Giannis AntetokounmpoWhen asked how he would handle similar situations on his team, he replied that he was not sure.
Antetokounmpo stated, “When it comes basketball, I feel like they can talk to me.” It’s not a decision that I can make, but it is a personal one. They have to make the decision. They are mature men. Every situation is unique, you know. I won’t pressure anyone to do something they don’t like. It is easy to tell why I did it. Why I felt comfortable doing it. To protect my family and my mom. Stay safe. Let’s hope he gets that. I can’t press him if he won’t do it.
“I need to keep my eyes on myself, and be able to come to work every day doing what I’m paid to do. I don’t know if they have a relationship or what type of relationship. They have probably spoken to him. However, they cannot continue to press him to do something he does not feel comfortable with. This takes so much energy away from basketball. We are here because of that.”
This report was contributed by Tim Bontemps, ESPN.