Nets rub their hands for having Irving at home

Facing the final part of the regular season and an imminent appearance in the Playoffs, the Brooklyn Nets are rubbing their hands so that New York’s vaccination mandate is revoked as soon as possible and in this way they can count on their starting point guard, the australian Kyrie Irving.

On Wednesday morning, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Jeff Passan reported that progress toward further changes to New York City’s private sector vaccine mandate has inspired confidence that Irving could return to the court to games at the Barclays Center in the near future. This would also involve New York Yankees and Mets players who have not been vaccinated, as they would be cleared to play at their venues before Opening Day in April.

This is probably the best news for Irving, who today celebrates 30 years in his team’s visit to the Memphis Grizzlies.

But why is the Nets ‘urgent’ to have the point guard? The numbers have the answer.

According to ESPN Stats & Info research, the Nets are 16-19 at home this season (that is without Irving on the floor), compared to 22-15 away from home when the point guard is eligible.

Kevin Durant is another one who would benefit from having Kyrie at home, as together they make up the second pair of teammates to have multiple 50-point games in a season, along with jerry west and Elgin Baylor in 1961-62.

In the event that the mandate is revoked soon, Irving will be eligible to participate in the 10 games that remain for the Nets and not three, including Wednesday’s, being a fundamental contribution to coach Steve Nash, since only in his recent three games, Kyrie has scored 132 points. The most in a three-game span of his career and the most in a three-night span in Nets history.

For now, New York Mayor Eric Adams’ office has been working with health officials on a plan that would impact more people, not just high-profile, unvaccinated professional athletes in the area, the sources said, and while not a final decision has been made, there is growing hope that a reversal of the mandate restricting the participation of NBA and MLB players in home games will be lifted in the near future.

Adams said Tuesday, “Baseball, basketball, business … have to wait until that layer comes along,” but sources believe he is advancing a plan that could have Irving on the court as early as next week. sources said.

With information from Adrian Wojnarowski and Jeff Passan.