Kyrie Irving 'frustrated' he can't play at home but Brooklyn Nets' title window open beyond this season

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New York City's COVID-19 vaccine mandate is making it difficult for Kyrie Irving to play in Nets home games.

He was frustrated in not being able to play. We have to deal with it, he has to deal with it. It will get figured out soon. I have no idea what will happen, but I am trusting that things will work out. He misses playing in front of a home crowd and they miss him. Hopefully we get it figured out soon.

On the same day that Irving sat out the game because of the city's mandate, KD called out New York Mayor Eric Adams by name after a win over the Knicks. He will not be getting the shot, and many in the Nets organization have known that for months.

"What is it, April almost?", said Durant. Once that situation gets figured out, then it will, just focus on who you are and what you bring to the team every day. It is out of my control, it is out of everyone else's control. You cannot force anyone to do anything. Try to focus on me.

The reason why many people inside the building have stayed behind Irving is because he chose not to get vaccine.

We love him as a human being, and I don't think we were upset at him as much as people outside were. We understand that it may affect the outcome of some basketball games, but that is not the only reason why we love him. We respect who he is, we respect the game, and overall, I think he is a human being.

He made the decision for himself and you have to respect it. We were pissed off at him because he wasn't around. We are just trying to focus on ourselves and who was in this building as a collective. It felt like nothing had changed when he came back.

Can the Nets still achieve their ultimate goal of a championship if the mandate is not rolled back?

If it does not happen, we would be missing a huge piece of our team. No matter who is on the floor, you have to play and hoop. We would love for Kyrie to be out there, but if he isn't, the rest of the guys have to play and live with the results. I think we are all comfortable with that.

No matter what happens this season, the Nets are well positioned to compete for future titles and that's something that is comfortable with Durant. He was asked if he thought there would be regrets if the season did not go as planned.

If you think this is our only chance to do something special with this group, then I can see why. You know what I mean? No matter what happens this year, I want to do it again. And again. I want to have this group with me as long as possible. We can focus on that for a short time, but also look at the bigger picture.

We can build something sustainable for more than a year or two. I feel like I am in a good place to contribute to an organization that is ready to grow and reach new heights. When you start trying to start something new, it will be rocky at first. I want as much as we can get in the moment, but I am excited about what the future holds.

The formerMVP believes that the Nets title window will be open for at least a few years.

I am not guaranteeing that we will get a championship, but I like what we are building. This is not the only year we have an opportunity to fight and work towards something. I don't think we have to start over and figure out what the next iteration of the Nets is. I think we can build on what we have and see what happens. We have guys that want to be here.

Ben Simmons was acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers before the trade deadline. Simmons hasn't been cleared to practice as he recovers from a back injury, and it's not clear when he'll be able to play this season. Simmons wants to make sure his back is healthy when he returns, because he doesn't want to rush back.

Simmons is doing well, according to Durant, as he is walking around and being around the team. I haven't seen him do much on the basketball court, but a couple walk-through things. He is excited to be a part of the group and looking forward to having him out on the floor. I want him to take all the time he needs to get his body right and once he is out there, we are ready to rock and roll.