What Does Kyrie’s Absence Mean For Brooklyn?
The Kyrie Irving – Covid-19 Vaccination war continues. Irving is standing his ground on not getting the vaccine, meaning he will miss all of the Nets’ home games. There are obvious consequences to the Nets, who are losing one of the best players in the game, and one of the members of their lethal Big 3.
However, I think there are more consequences than you may think. From the Nets’ chances at a title this season to how this affects the Big 3’s chemistry, Irving’s decision will have a butterfly effect on the Nets for the whole season.
What It Means For Kyrie Irving
Obviously, this decision affects a lot of people, not just Kyrie. But I do think it’s important to go over how this will affect Kyrie Irving, on his own.
He can’t play in any Nets home games this season, so take away half of his season. He’s only eligible for 41 games now. While there are other places with vaccination mandates, like New York and Golden State, Irving can still play in those games.
Irving can’t play in 41 games this season, maybe a few more games here and there if he gets Covid or is in close contact with someone who gets Covid. That means that the Nets won’t have a top 25 player on their team for the season, which is not ideal.
The NBA has also announced that players who miss games due to their vaccination status will not get paid. The NBA and NBPA agreed that if a player missed 50% of their season due to Covid, they won’t lose 50% of their salary. Instead, they would lose about 42.6% (I don’t know how that was the number that was agreed upon, but here we are).
Kyrie Irving is set to be paid $34.9 million dollars this season. If he only plays in 41 games, that means he will lose 42.6% of his salary. So instead of nearly $35 million dollars, Irving will only make;
$20,041,899
Irving will lose nearly $15 million dollars if he misses half the season, which is a lot of money. I mean, it’s not that much money to Irving, but $15 million dollars because you won’t get a shot that is supposed to help you be healthier? Your loss Kyrie.
Irving will lose a lot of money, the Nets will miss him for about half of the season, that alone makes this situation poor. The Nets have talked about making Irving a part-time player, but even that sounds like a bad idea.
One night Irving is helping the Nets carve up the rest of the league, but the next night, in Brooklyn, he just can’t play. It sounds like a chemistry disaster, which leads me to my next point.
Chemistry
Like all superteams, chemistry is always being talked about. This rings true with the Brooklyn Nets, who hardly played together last season. During the regular season, the Big 3 played just 8 games together. Injuries hampered their abilities to play together more, but it didn’t seem to matter.
In the first round, they were dominant. The only thing that slowed them down was injuries, not poor chemistry. But with Irving not being there? That means that the Big 3 won’t be able to play together every night. James Harden + Kevin Durant is still a very good duo, but that makes things weird for them.
Their mindsets can completely change on a nightly basis. Perhaps one night, KD is taking all the shots when Irving isn’t there. But when Irving comes back, on a dime, he just has to change his play style. I can’t imagine that’s going to be fun/comfortable to do.
It’s hard to say if the chemistry will be ruined because of this. I’m sure that Harden and KD are disappointed in Kyrie. Both have said that they believed Irving would eventually get the vaccine in the pursuit of winning, but he obviously hasn’t done that. But I still think they enjoy playing with each other and if any team has the talent/depth to overcome this problem, it’s the Brooklyn Nets.
Can The Nets Still Win A Title In 2022?
With Irving on the floor, I believe that the Nets are easily the best team in basketball. Their offense is so deadly, they have such a deep roster, a roster that is built for success. But without Irving? That levels the playing field considerably and it makes it easier for the Nets’ main foe, the Milwaukee Bucks, to beat them again in the playoffs.
Without Irving at home, the Nets and Bucks are pretty comparable. The Bucks Big 3 is excellent and without Irving? It becomes a lot easier for the Bucks to guard the likes of Kevin Durant and James Harden. All of their focus, attention, and preparation can be focused on two guys instead of three, which is a lot easier.
Without Irving, the Bucks are a very good team and could take advantage of the Nets. Their formula for winning, bullying the Nets down low, helped them win that series last season. Do you think they’re going to wait two games to employ said strategy? No.
The margin for error is a lot smaller with Irving off the floor. Not only do James Harden and Kevin Durant have to play at a high level every night, but they also have to be healthy. Which is no easy task for two 30-year old who dealt with injuries all of last season.
Assuming that the Nets are at home for a best-of-seven series against the Bucks, it will again be close. It’s hard to say who would win that series, but I can tell you with Irving, I would be a lot more confident in the Nets’ chances. It’s certainly possible that the Nets win a title this season, but I could honestly see them losing this year and wasting another season with the most talented lineup in the NBA.
Potential Work Arounds
Now, there are some potential ways for the Nets to get around this whole Kyrie Irving debacle. Some of them are extreme and others are possible ways for the Nets to try and make this problem as limited as possible.
Option 1: Trade Kyrie Irving
I think that’s the extreme action I was talking about. Look, I know that Irving is very talented. I know that he’s exactly what the Big 3 needs, a pure-scorer. But if the Nets want to win a title, what use is Irving to them if he’s hardly playing?
It’s hard to say what a trade package in return for Irving would be, but it would likely be Ben Simmons. Now, the 76ers would have to give up a lot more than just Ben Simmons for Irving. Simmons trade rumors have stalled and it appears that the two sides are trying to get back together, because why not?
If the Nets really wanted to trade Irving, they would rather have players than picks. With that in mind, here’s a trade package that I think both sides would be ok with;
Brooklyn Nets Receive: Ben Simmons – Seth Curry – 2022 FRP – 2026 FRP
Philadelphia 76ers Receive: Kyrie Irving
For the Nets, you’re getting good value and you could probably get another pick if you really wanted to. Ben Simmons gives you exactly what you need. He is a great, versatile defender that helps you on the perimeter. His supreme length also covers up non-defenders like Joe Harris and James Harden.
On offense, he doesn’t have to do much. The fit with Blake Griffin and him might be weird, but since Griffin can kind of shoot, I think that there are ways that the Nets can use Simmons. They can put Simmons in the dunker spot, but then flash him up to the elbows/free throw line. He can attack, survey the floor, etc.
It would also help if he added a jump shot. Just saying.
Seth Curry is another elite shooter for the bench behind Joe Harris. He is a good shot creator. The trio of Curry, Patty Mills, and Joe Harris is an elite trio of shot-creators. Curry helps fill the void left by the departing Landry Shamet and Jeff Green.
The two FRP are sweeteners that the Nets can use in a trade if need be. We saw them use two first-round picks this past season, where they added two solid role players. Two players who are cheap and can help them win for the next 3-4 years.
For the 76ers, losing Seth Curry, an elite floor-spacer and ideal partner next to Joel Embiid hurts. But I think that’s the only piece in this trade that they’ll miss. The return package is exactly what they’re looking for.
Kyrie Irving is one of the best scorers in the NBA. While he isn’t a great playmaker or anything, he’s not bad. The duo of Irving & Embiid is elite. Those pick-and-rolls would be impossible to stop. Irving is so slippery with his ball-handling and can make tough shots with ease. Embiid is a bully in the post and has become an elite mid-range shooter.
Tobias Harris would slide down to being the 3rd option, a more natural role for him. Again, losing Seth Curry would hurt. Danny Green isn’t the same player he once was and guys like Shake Milton, Matisse Thybulle, and rookie Jaden Springer would have to step up.
But would the 76ers do this? Probably. They need to find a Ben Simmons trade and just end that relationship. Unfortunately for 76ers fans, there are reports that Simmons might be rejoining the team soon. Enjoy that circus all season long.
Option 2: Lose Some Extra Games On Purpose
Usually, we don’t associate the words “tank” and “contender” in basketball, but it might make sense for the Nets. If Kyrie Irving can’t play in home games, wouldn’t it be smarter to play on the road?
I know that sounds crazy. Who wouldn’t want homecourt in the playoffs? But what would you rather have? Homecourt with Irving out or having the Big 3 altogether on the road. I think I would rather have the Big 3 together on the road.
So if you see KD or Harden taking a couple of games off here and there, you may know why. If the Nets end up being the 2nd or 3rd seed, they likely won’t have homecourt past the first round. Which might be good.
In a series with the Bucks, if the Nets had homecourt, they would only have three games with Irving. If they didn’t have homecourt, they would have four games with Irving. 4>3.
I think that this is something that the Nets might try to do. Lose a couple of extra games here and there if it means you can have Big 3 on the court as much as possible. I know that’s a lot of extra work, but this is a strategy that I see the Nets employing.
What Is The Bottom Line?
The bottom line is simple. This is going to be a headache for all parties involved. The Brooklyn Nets will have themselves one roller-coaster of a season in 2022, to say the least.
The players will have to deal with the questions about Irving and they will have to constantly adjust to playing/not playing with Kyrie.
Steve Nash will have to gameplan differently based on if Irving is playing or not.
The Nets won’t be as good without Irving on the floor. Irving will lose money, the NBA is missing out on one of the most exciting players in the NBA, and it’s an all-around mess.
What Are Your Thoughts On The Kyrie Irving Situation? Leave A Comment Down Below!
Follow My Instagram To Never Miss A Post: @hoopnotions
Genial publicación, muchas gracias por compartir.