NETS INSIDER

After 15 days away from the Nets in COVID-19 protocols, James Harden is back and better than ever. On Christmas Day, Harden lit up the Lakers with a 36 point, 10 rebound and 10 assist triple-double outing including a picturesque lob to Nic Claxton to give the Nets a late lead they never relinquished. Two days later, Harden dismantled the Clippers with a season-high in both points (39) and assists (15) to go along with eight rebounds to propel Brooklyn to a 16-point victory. A well-rested Harden, who came off an asymptomatic positive virus test, used the time off to get into tip top shape and shed the extra weight that was limiting his explosiveness to the basket. After using the entire off-season to rehab his Grade 2 hamstring strain suffered in the 2021 NBA playoffs, Harden barely played and trained prior to 2021 training camp opening. Harden struggled to catch a rhythm and the league's leader in free throw line trips was not getting to the charity stripe with regularity. Bask...

Deron Williams may have missed his calling. The Brooklyn Nets former franchise point guard took his talents to the boxing ring as an undercard in a heavyweight exhibition match with Frank Gore prior to Saturday night's main fight between Jake Paul and Tyron Woodley. The Williams and Gore fight was scheduled for four rounds with Williams getting a split decision from the judges. The fight was surprisingly chippy when Williams clinched Gore and knocked him into the ropes and out of the ring tumbling into the camera equipment. Gore appeared shaken up, but upon resuming action he got Williams in the clinch and nearly wrestled him out of the ring. Damn. Deron Williams is ragdolling Frank Gore. 😳 #PaulWoodley2 #Boxing pic.twitter.com/yKXKYk6rli — MaximBet (@MaximBetUSA) December 19, 2021 After the fight Williams insisted his boxing debut is a one and done scenario, but he did call out ex-Jet receiver Brandon Marshall who challenged the toughness of NBA players as opposed to NFL ...

Nothing has changed since September when the Brooklyn Nets organization, including Joe Tsai, Steve Nash and Sean Marks, came together to rule out Kyrie Irving as a part-time, unvaccinated player. Irving is still unvaccinated, the New York City vaccine mandate hasn't changed and we are still very much living in a pandemic world. What has changed is the growing number of Nets landing on the virus protocols list and positive tests across the country and league. This development has prompted Marks to make quick decisions to fill roster holes by signing Langston Galloway, James Ennis and Shaquille Harrison to ten day contracts to fill the void. James Harden and Kevin Durant remain in virus protocols, while there's a high level of concern about the minutes Durant is logging in the early season. The timing of Irving's return couldn't be stranger as cases are increasing with the omnicon variant spreading throughout the United States. In fact, Irving has landed on the viru...

While you were sleeping a whole lot has changed around the Brooklyn Nets. Kevin Durant has a tweaked ankle, James Harden is among seven players in COVID-19 protocol and Kyrie Irving tweeted out a video that hints at a return to the court. Despite dressing eligible players, Brooklyn escaped in overtime by Toronto 131-129 on Tuesday night. Durant led the way with 34 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists while Patty Mills added 30 points. It was arguably the most impressive win of the year for the Nets against a Raptors squad that was winners of four of its last five heading into the contest and with plenty of offensive and defensive firepower. Brooklyn survived one night with rookies Cam Thomas (4), David Duke Jr. (10) and Kessler Edwards (17) contributing in the scoring column and playing meaningful minutes. The attention now turns to how Steve Nash will handle a paper thin roster and when Harden, LaMarcus Aldridge and Bruce Brown will be eligible to return to action. In the immedia...

The Brooklyn Nets have announced that Kevin Durant has officially been added to tonight's injury report and is questionable to play against Toronto. Coming off a 51 point game against Detroit, it's not clear exactly when Durant suffered the injury, but it's significant enough to potentially impact his playing status. Update to tonight's status report: pic.twitter.com/mUrO1PcGFl — Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 14, 2021 Along with Durant, Joe Harris remains out following ankle surgery, but five players have landed on the league's COVID list including DeAndre Bembry, LaMarcus Aldridge, James Johnson, Jevon Carter and Paul Millsap. Brooklyn will be extremely shorthanded and is now dealing with a potential COVID-19 outbreak. The Chicago Bulls already had their next two games postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak, so if things continue in this direction the Nets could be going down a similar path.

Take Kevin Durant off the Nets or Steph Curry off the Warriors and both clubs would be fighting for their playoff lives.   With both players in the fold, Golden State is the best out West and Brooklyn the beast of the East, record-wise. Durant and Curry are truly irreplaceable and it's not a coincidence they're in the middle of a MVP race that is tightening with each passing day.   Durant made his latest case for MVP with a 51 point outing in Detroit without James Harden, Paul Millsap, Joe Harris and oh yeah, Kyrie Irving. The Nets franchise player is leading the NBA in scoring at 29.4, 2.4 points higher than Curry and The Greek Freak. Durant is shooting a remarkable 52.9 percent from the field to lead the league and is 9.7 percentage points higher than Curry.   The numbers don't lie and Brooklyn's point forward passes the eye test, Durant is more than deserving of the MVP award. His unprecedented efficiency, clutch shooting and effortless scoring is the...

 According to Shams Charania of the Athletic , there is renewed optimism about Kyrie Irving returning to the Nets this season. Charania indicates there's been increased dialogue between Kevin Durant and Irving about his fit on the team and analyzing Nets' game. Sources: There’s renewed optimism around All-NBA star Kyrie Irving returning to the Brooklyn Nets this season. Details on Nets-Irving latest, Ben Simmons‘ market and more in Inside Pass at @TheAthletic : https://t.co/EJBvA7v8Pn — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 13, 2021 It's unclear the exact scenario around Irving's potential return. There's been no clear indication that vaccine mandates for pubic venues in New York City will be lifted anytime soon.  Back in September, the Nets' brass of Joe Tsai, Sean Marks and Steve Nash refused to allow Kyrie to be a part-time player and practice with the team, while playing only in road games where the vaccine mandate doesn't apply. ...

  Fans can be fickle and forgetful. Kyrie Irving is absorbing heat for his refusal to get vaccinated and comply with local mandates. The Nets don't want Irving as a part-time player and thus the standoff has reached its fifth month. Fans and media clamoring for the Nets point guard to make the decision they want and what's best for their team, not the individual.  At the end of the day, Irving has a personal choice, but he'll have to live with the consequences of his decision. No NBA basketball unless there's a change to New York City vaccine requirements or he opts for some form of the vaccine. Most fans and the public at large are outraged at Irving's decision amidst a health crisis with the pandemic simply much bigger than the game of basketball. Most quickly forget that it was Irving who was the key driving force for bringing Kevin Durant to Brooklyn with him back in 2019 and forming a superstar duo that James Harden couldn't resist joining upon wiggling out...

  Who are the 2021-2022 Brooklyn Nets? Ask Steve Nash, Kevin Durant and James Harden and they'll all answer in a similar manner. They're still trying to figure things out. Brooklyn's roster was built around three superstars and with Kyrie Irving still unvaccinated, he remains away from the team indefinitely. Sean Marks has done a remarkable job of compiling assets to build the star-studded roster that you see in Brooklyn, but outside of Patty Mills, LaMarcus Aldridge, Bruce Brown and flashes of James Johnson, the Nets don't have any reliable players outside of Harden and Durant. Last season, Brooklyn's big three played only 8 regular season games together, but its bench and role players held down the fort with stars shuffled in and out for a multitude of reasons. That has been far from the case this year as Brooklyn has stood virtually no chance to win without Durant in the lineup and a diminished Harden who still doesn't look like himself. Marks has received pl...

  Down by 17 points in the third quarter, Steve Nash and the Nets could have easily packed it in and called off the dogs in the front end of a back to back Texas road trip. Instead, Brooklyn rallied to stun Luka Doncic and ex-Net player and coach Jason Kidd. Behind a behind 24-13 fourth quarter and James Harden and Kevin Durant coming alive offensively late, Brooklyn finally secured a signature win against a quality opponent.  Harden finished with 23 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds, while Durant dumped in 24 and seven rebounds including clutch basket after clutch basket in the final minutes. Nic Claxton on what caused Luka Doncic to shove him, resulting in a tech for Doncic: "I didn't say nothing to him, I think I just kind of got in his face and he took offense to it and gave me a little shove. I like that though, that keeps me going. That's good" pic.twitter.com/oiFf3b7A62 — Nets Videos (@SNYNets) December 8, 2021 One of the momentum changing sequences came w...

  Kyrie Irving wants his ultimate decision to take or not to take the vaccine to be up to him and him alone. The Nets point guard doesn't want to be influenced by any outside sources including the team, media or angry fans with pitchforks pressuring him to comply with NYC's local mandates and return to the club. That being said, Irving is putting the Nets and their fans in a very difficult position by staying in a holding pattern and keeping hope alive, even just slightly, that he'd be back with the team this year. Honestly, Irving and the Nets may have been better off if he determined during training camp that he was not going to get vaccinated at any point. This would have allowed Sean Marks plenty of lead time to plant seeds with other teams and find the most beneficial move to allow the Nets to get somewhere near full value in return for the mercurial star. In fact, Irving's vacillating has made him a side story, which is exactly what he didn't want to be. Steve...

 NFL legendary coach Bill Parcells has a treasure chest of famous quotes to his credit, but one of his all-time best sayings doesn't apply to the 2021-2022 Brooklyn Nets. Despite Brooklyn holding claim to the best record at 16-7 in the Eastern Conference and tied for third in the entire league, the Nets have failed every litmus test so far this year. "You are what your record says you are," Bill Parcells once notoriously proclaimed.  Unfortunately, it doesn't necessarily ring true for this Brooklyn club. With an opening night loss to Milwaukee, coming up short against Charlotte, Miami, Golden State, Phoenix and Chicago twice, Brooklyn is feasting on bottom dwelling teams and coming up way short against the league's premier squads.  Kevin Durant is shouldering the scoring load and James Harden is a reluctant scorer, while looking as though he's still not fully healthy after a hamstring rehab period that commanded his attention all summer.  Harden looks a combin...

Sean Marks and the Nets understand at this point, Kyrie Irving won't be walking through the doors at Barclays Center. With cases rising throughout the country and particularly higher in the New York Metropolitan area, it's unlikely that City officials or newly elected Mayor Eric Adams are eager to lift the vaccine mandate anytime soon. Joseph Tsai, Steve Nash and Marks made an organization-wide decision not to allow Irving to be a part-time player with the team. It's also unlikely Brooklyn's brain trust backtracks any from that conclusion. From earlier: Kevin Durant, Steve Nash & BKN have handled adversity remarkably well so far. Health, as always, will be key for Nets; as of late last month, BKN remained open to talking trades of Kyrie Irving; club sees PHI as potential James Harden suitor: https://t.co/plMhmbtVde — Ian Begley (@IanBegley) December 2, 2021 The most likely scenario is for Irving to play elsewhere this year and for the Nets to not only fiel...