"I believe right now the Brooklyn Nets are in the Eastern Conference Finals" - NBA analyst expects Conference Finals from the Nets this season, relates Nets downfall to Kyrie Irving's unavailability last season
Kyrie Irving had a tumultuous 2021-2022 season, where he was limited to just 29 regular season games. Many have speculated that his lack of availability led to James Harden requesting a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. Former NBA player Jalen Rose is the latest to make these assumptions. However, he believes the Nets are destined for a deep postseason run.
On Jalen & Jacoby, the NBA analyst touched on Irving's admission that his vaccine stance may have cost him a lot of money, stating:
"I just believe when you work in corporate America, there's certain sacrifices you have to do in order to feed your family. Fortunately for him, he's been in the league a long enough period of time where he didn't have to compromise what he felt to earn his check, and as we look in hindsight, we both know how this works.
"What he's describing is the other contract being on the Nets, possibly like his shoe deal that didn't get renewed. Those are the numbers he's talking about or maybe appearances or things of that nature weren't plentiful when he decided not to get vaccinated, but a lot of that is highlighted based off where he plays."
Rose concluded by discussing the ramifications that Irving's stance, as well as the city he plays in, had on the Nets:
"It's not necessarily about whether he was vaccinated or not. If he would have played in another city like many other NBA players who aren't vaccinated, he wouldn't have been forced to miss half of the home games.
"But since he decided not to get vaccinated, and he plays in New York City, that ultimately ended up being the consequence that led to dominoes of James Harden being unahppy and eventually being traded when KD went down with injury. That forces you to have a lower seed. ... I believe right now the Brooklyn Nets are in the Eastern Conference Finals."
Watch Jalen Rose's full comments on Kyrie Irving below:
Kyrie Irving lost out on $100 million
Kyrie Irving was in the middle of controversy throughout last season. First, the city of New York stated that all residents must be vaccinated to work. Following Irving's decision not to get vaccinated, the Brooklyn Nets decided it would be a distraction to have him play in only road games.
Irving's standoff with the Nets and New York City ended up costing him most of the season before the team and city switched their stances. While he was able to stick to his beliefs and play basketball, it wasn't without consequence. The star point guard shared that the standoff cost him nine figures.
"I gave up 4 years, $100-something million deciding to be unvaccinated. I had to deal with that real life circumstance of losing my job."
- Kyrie Irving https://t.co/QMSZyG4YfC
Kyrie Irving and the Nets will look to bounce back and make a deep playoff push this season. With Irving, Kevin Durant, Ben Simmons and considerable depth, the team has a significant chance to compete for the NBA title.