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Sean Marks confident that unvaccinated Nets players will be vaccinated and eligible before start of season

 



Nets general manager Sean Marks put many basketball fans minds at ease that while a couple players are still unvaccinated on the roster, he anticipates they will be in the near future and be practicing with the team in time for the start of the season.

Due to a multitude of reasons, Marks did not divulge what players he was referring to or a specific timeline, but understood that the vaccine matter is a personal choice.

New York City along with San Francisco have already mandated vaccines for employees are anyone looking to enter an arena or entertainment venue and that applies to all Nets and Knicks players.

On the federal level, President Joe Biden has instituted a mandatory vaccine requirement for employees at that companies employ over 100 people.

The NBA has yet to make a league wide mandate, but based on Marks' comments, that may also be on the table.

The health and eligibility of the Nets players to start the season was a major taking point this off-season and source of angst, but it appears that hurdle has been cleared.

Nets' GM: 'Further discussions' with Kyrie, Harden will take place over next 'week to two weeks'

 



Nets general manager Sean Marks and head coach Steve Nash met with the media on Tuesday. Among the many takeaways from the press conference, anticipated contract extensions for Kyrie Irving and James Harden was chief among them. On the extension front, things are moving in the right direction, but not quite there yet.

Brooklyn's front office leader indicated that with players including Irving and Harden tending to off-season activities related to rehab, community events, time with family, face to face negotiations are expected to intensify.

Marks hinted that he's had very positive discussions with both players including their representatives and family members about solidifying a future in Brooklyn for the backcourt mates.

As far as the pending contract extensions being viewed as a distraction, Marks doesn't subscribe to that and attributes a lack of face to face meeting time as the main culprit for why agreements aren't yet in place.

Exactly one week from today, the Nets open training camp in San Diego, and while Marks' self-imposed deadline could be in jeopardy, the long-term prospects of Harden and Irving remaining with the Nets appears to be positive.

Nets to hold press conference on Tuesday; extensions for Irving, Harden to be announced?

 


The Brooklyn Nets will hold a 1pm preseason press conference on Tuesday, the latest formal media availability before training camp opens September 28.

Nets fans are anxiously awaiting an announced extension for Kyrie Irving and James Harden.

Speculation is running rampant that this official presser could bring the news many have been waiting for, that Brooklyn's backcourt will remain in the borough for the next 3-4 years, at minimum.

With trade rumors regarding Irving already surfacing, locking up the two top playmakers would put an end to the fickle notion that the organization is looking to move the talented, but mercurial floor general.

Sean Marks and Steve Nash heading to the podium is always an eventful spectacle, but announced extensions for two thirds of the Big Three would make every Nets fan a happy camper heading into training camp.

KD's ex-Nets' teammate lights it up on ABC'S Dancing with the Stars

 



Iman Shumpert's most dazzling skills might not be on the hardwood with a basketball in hand, but instead on the dance floor with a professional partner to choreograph a number alongside him.

The exceptionally popular Dancing with the Stars is celebrating its 30th season this fall on ABC and Shumpert is among the surprise performances this year.

Over the years, there have been plenty of former athletes, entertainers, and recognizable celebrities who have supremely disappointed and showed no rhythm, pizzazz or showmanship despite being assigned a professional dance partner.

Shumpert's performance speaks for itself, but it clearly caught Kevin Durant's eye. The 2016 NBA champion played in 13 games in 2019 with the Nets while Durant was out with an Achilles injury and played in two games last season in Brooklyn before he was waived by the team.

Durant will be in the hunt for an MVP and Larry O'Brien Trophy, but judging from Shumpert's dancing exhibition, he appears to be in it to win it as well this season.

Kyrie Irving is the reason Kevin Durant is a Net, trading him isn't an option



 Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant were a package deal when signed via free agency in 2019 (Durant via sign-and-trade) as the dynamic duo marked a seminal moment in franchise history.

Irving, a lifelong Nets fan dating back to his childhood days in West Orange, New Jersey and while playing for Montclair Kimberly Academy and St Patrick School, always felt a connection to the New York Metropolitan area and team.

So, when Irving and Durant decided to team up during the 2019 off-season, the destination became clear.

 And while Durant holds the keys to Brooklyn's franchise, it was Irving who convinced the 7-footer to build a new legacy for the Nets in Brooklyn and help bring fans in that borough, New Jersey and Long Island the organization's first NBA championship.

General manager Sean Marks built an enviable culture with enthusiastic, young talent under the tutaledge of a blue collar coach that stressed fundamental play and high effort at all times.

Now, that coach is no longer with the team and many of the young pieces were traded for the third head of this Brooklyn monster in James Harden.

However, to even suggest that Marks would move Irving is total hogwash and both he and true Nets fans know that both players were a package deal and the point guard's connection to the Nets is the reason why Brooklyn has built a modern day superteam.



Kyrie Irving's Twitter beef with reporter takes another wild turn

Kyrie Irving didn't take kindly to recent reports that he will retire if the Nets trade him. According to Nick Wright of FS1, Irving's representation indicated that Brooklyn's floor general will hang up his shoes for good if he's sent packing from the Nets. After that bombshell was dropped, Irving retorted with a puppet meme, challenging the credibility of the said report and reporter himself. After Wright doubled down on his reporting, Irving made yet another puppet reference about the rumor. 

 While it's extremely unlikely that the Nets move Irving after a record-setting season, it's clear that he's fed up with being the media's punching bag and is ready to punch back at criticism he deems unfair and reports he characterizes as bogus.

James Harden still in rehab is a big deal with Nets training camp less than two weeks away




 James Harden was recently practicing and coaching up youth basketball players about the importance of with ethic, but that wasn't the biggest takeaway from that video.

Harden reveals to the young ballers, who he believes are not going at gamespeed, that he is out there pushing himself even though he's still technically in rehab.

Don't discount the importance of this disclosure as Harden reaggravated that same hamstring injury three times last season. 

Brooklyn's training staff was ultra cautious with regards to his return to the court, but evidently Harden's injury never fully healed and resurfaced in Game 1 of the Eastern semifinal round against Milwaukee. The Nets playmaker tried to gut it out in Games 5-7, but was not nearly healthy enough to help Kevin Durant push the team into the conference finals.

With a track record of reaggravating said injury, the Nets medical staff clearly has Harden on a gradual ramp up to get ready in time for training camp.

As the Nets are notoriously tight lipped with regards to injury news, Harden's status for training camp, which opens September 28 in San Diego, is unclear. 

General manager Sean Marks indicated that he was optimistic a contract extension would be reached for both Harden and Kyrie Irving before training camp, but as of this week, nothing has been officially announced.


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