Kyrie is dirty rotten no good and we have schadenfreude…?

HomeRunBaker

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Does the NBA anticipate that having too mny unvaccinated players will impact legue revenues and therefore player compensation? Also, if all non-player team personnel and league personnel are required to be vaccinated that would provide a healh benefit to the players. If we lived in a rational world a deal could be cut.
I don’t disagree that in a perfect world this would be the case. At the end of the day you have a Union protecting their players rights, regardless of your or my belief, and I’d guess the revenue would be impacted by about zero.
 

Eddie Jurak

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I don’t disagree that in a perfect world this would be the case. At the end of the day you have a Union protecting their players rights, regardless of your or my belief, and I’d guess the revenue would be impacted by about zero.
The problem (and I agree there is one) is the lack of proportionality. To the extent vaccination is an encroachment on player rights, it is a minor one that comes with some potential for significant benefit. That means a negotiated agreement under which all players get vaccinated should be achievable. It isn't because the players are going to take the (not unique to them by any means) view that is a major encroachment on player rights.
 

Cellar-Door

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BTW, the union could very easily agree to vaccination mandate without getting much or anything in return on the basis that most of them are vaccinated, vaccination is in itself good, non-vaccinated players are a breeding ground for variants that are a threat to the vaccinated players and their families. It's a reason the Ref union pretty quickly agreed to a vaccination mandate.

The reason that the union has opposed a vaccine mandate has very little to do with encroachment on rights and a lot to do with several of the high ranking union members being anti-vaxxers.
 

Ed Hillel

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Who’d have thought, 20 years after Bonds, fans will find new reasons to throw syringes at pro athletes.
 

PedroKsBambino

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At least Tatum has some protection from his prior covid infection....so, there's that. Which is (to be super clear) 0% a defense of not being vaccatinated, only a comment on how likely it is to impact his availability this season. It would of course be ideal to be double-vaxxed even with the prior infection.
 

Cesar Crespo

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Consider he was or is using an inhaler because of Covid, it would be pretty stupid to not be vaxxed.
 

Van Everyman

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At least Tatum has some protection from his prior covid infection....so, there's that. Which is (to be super clear) 0% a defense of not being vaccatinated, only a comment on how likely it is to impact his availability this season. It would of course be ideal to be double-vaxxed even with the prior infection.
Also, previously infected people are at a higher risk for COVID, so ...

At some point, athletes should start doing PSA's talking about how important this is. They should send a clear message to the public that public health is more important than not offending your teammates. I'm amazed this hasn't happened yet.
 

OurF'ingCity

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Also, previously infected people are at a higher risk for COVID, so ...

At some point, athletes should start doing PSA's talking about how important this is. They should send a clear message to the public that public health is more important than not offending your teammates. I'm amazed this hasn't happened yet.
Serious question - what NBA star(s) have come out definitively in favor of vaccinations? I know there are role players like Kanter that have but I can’t recall a single actual star saying anything positive about vaccines - seems like it’s either been all affirmatively negative or wishy-washy “I’m not going to comment on other people’s decisions” type of stuff. But I very well could have just missed it.
 

Kliq

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Serious question - what NBA star(s) have come out definitively in favor of vaccinations? I know there are role players like Kanter that have but I can’t recall a single actual star saying anything positive about vaccines - seems like it’s either been all affirmatively negative or wishy-washy “I’m not going to comment on other people’s decisions” type of stuff. But I very well could have just missed it.
A lot have, it just doesn't get the same amount of attention.

https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/atlanta-hawks-star-trae-young-is-doing-his-part-to-help-drive-vaccinations/85-f9a3692f-3c33-4f5a-98bc-e0bb8619413e
 

Ed Hillel

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Vaccines (in other forms) have actually been around thousands of years, but to be fair fuck Kyrie Irving.
 

RedOctober3829

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Oh Kyrie. Your knee surgery in 1808 would have happened without anesthesia. Or antibiotics.

Or, um, the surgery couldn't have happened at all because they didn't have X rays and MRI machines or even understand how knees really worked.

But vaccines, imperfect science.
At what point does Duke not claim him anymore if they haven't done so already?

2010: Foot surgery, missed most of Duke's season
2012: Shoulder contusion, out 15 games
2013: Broken finger missed a month. Shoulder injury--missed 9 games
2014: Knee bruise and biceps injuries--out 11 games
2015: Fractured kneecap
2016: Missed 29 games due to his previous knee injury
2017: Relatively healthy
2018: Left knee surgery
2019: Missed 15 games due to various injuries
2020: Shoulder injury

What natural remedies did you take to make all of these go away?
 

CreightonGubanich

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That's actually way too direct and coherent a statement to be genuine Kyrie. Real Kyrie would be something like:

"Listen man, everybody out there knows what I'm about. I embrace greatness and love and positivity, and I embody those things. So if you're talking about a vaccine, I just think, like, people should think for themselves. Do your research, don't just trust what some media influencer individual tells you to think. I'm just trying to be an installment of change, use my platform while I perfect my craft. Part of that, for me, as an individual, maybe with my intellectual vantage point as someone who sees lots of things that ya'll don't see, I just think, like, my body's always just recovered. And then you think about the different motivations of certain individuals and corporations and associations, and it's just like, who really benefits here? So I'm just trying to get ready to be there on the biggest stage for my teammates and achieve true greatness, and this other stuff, I just think you all are trying to sidetrack me from my mission. But I definitely encourage everybody out there to just open your mind, embrace positive energy, and not let anyone control your being. Peace."
 

RedOctober3829

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Though roughly 90% of NBA players are vaccinated as training camp approaches Tuesday, tension exists between those around the league mandated to be vaccinated and the nearly 40 unvaccinated players, league sources told ESPN.
In some instances, vaccinated staffers say they're concerned about the health risks of being exposed to unvaccinated players. In others, staffers say they're upset that players aren't facing the same vaccine mandates as most team staff and referees. In others, there's animosity toward the league itself for not imposing such a mandate.
"Everyone who is vaccinated should be pissed at those who aren't," a veteran assistant coach said, adding, "Not requiring NBA players to be vaccinated is horse s--t."
The league has pushed for mandatory vaccinations for players, league sources said, but, as ESPN first reported, the NBPA has refused to budge on a vaccine mandate for players, referring to it as a "non-starter" in negotiations between the league and the player's union.
One vaccinated Western Conference strength and conditioning coach said they're concerned about a potential breakthrough case that could affect family members.
"For me, it's a problem because my parents are very sick, and I'm in close contact with these guys and I would hate to bring this home and my parents pass away from it," the coach told ESPN.
Said the strength and conditioning coach of the NBA, "They need to hold the players to the same standards they hold us. This is a disease that doesn't differentiate between a player and a staff member."
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/32293462/vaccinated-staffers-concerned-health-risks-being-exposed-unvaccinated-players-nba-season-approaches
 

ElUno20

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With no vaccine mandate, what's the nba's end game here? Yeah the union is powerful but is a star player going to walk away from a 20m annual salary?

This feels like a huge shitstorm coming up.
 

Cellar-Door

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With no vaccine mandate, what's the nba's end game here? Yeah the union is powerful but is a star player going to walk away from a 20m annual salary?

This feels like a huge shitstorm coming up.
The problem is the CBA doesn't really allow them to mandate it, they need an agreement with the union and given that a couple of the anti-vaxxers are prominent union members and/or close friends with prominent members, the Union won't even consider it. The NBA doesn't want to put a mandate in place that gets challenged in court and risk a ruling that might weaken them on other issues
 

lexrageorge

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Whitlock is 100% wrong. And Silver is far more powerful than Kyrie, so don’t expect the players to win this one.
 

Kliq

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You would think that Whitlock would have been one of the people that COVID finished off.
 

Cellar-Door

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You would think that Whitlock would have been one of the people that COVID finished off.
Dude got vaccinated day 1 then never left his house again. Much like the Fox News hosts, Whitlock is crazy for pay, not a true believer like the radio loonies.
 

chilidawg

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That's actually way too direct and coherent a statement to be genuine Kyrie. Real Kyrie would be something like:

"Listen man, everybody out there knows what I'm about. I embrace greatness and love and positivity, and I embody those things. So if you're talking about a vaccine, I just think, like, people should think for themselves. Do your research, don't just trust what some media influencer individual tells you to think. I'm just trying to be an installment of change, use my platform while I perfect my craft. Part of that, for me, as an individual, maybe with my intellectual vantage point as someone who sees lots of things that ya'll don't see, I just think, like, my body's always just recovered. And then you think about the different motivations of certain individuals and corporations and associations, and it's just like, who really benefits here? So I'm just trying to get ready to be there on the biggest stage for my teammates and achieve true greatness, and this other stuff, I just think you all are trying to sidetrack me from my mission. But I definitely encourage everybody out there to just open your mind, embrace positive energy, and not let anyone control your being. Peace."
So good.
 

Pablo's TB Lover

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He’s a Skip Bayless social issue style contrarian. Just an idiot.
View: https://twitter.com/JoeVirayNBA/status/1442607169606537218


probably the closest a star has come to criticising one of the anti-vaxxers is Curry on Wiggins.


Also, Whitlock's schtik for years, literally decades has been that he's the black man willing to shill for conservative whites. He made his name criticizing black players for listening to rap and how they dressed.
It is imbecilic, but I definitely chuckled at the "Mandace Owens" barb in the replies...
 

bosockboy

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View: https://twitter.com/JoeVirayNBA/status/1442607169606537218


probably the closest a star has come to criticising one of the anti-vaxxers is Curry on Wiggins.


Also, Whitlock's schtik for years, literally decades has been that he's the black man willing to shill for conservative whites. He made his name criticizing black players for listening to rap and how they dressed.
Yep he decided the right was where the payday was. Sold his soul for a check.
 

kazuneko

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This is probably the worst column I've ever read. What a total moron...

Just cringeworthy:
"In one breath Kareem is claiming current NBA players don't grasp the seriousness of the situation, and in the next breath he's arguing that Irving has a duty to live up to the responsibilities of celebrity. Is Kareem serious? Is he a serious person? Kareem is allegedly a Muslim. Arguing for the responsibilities of celebrity is the promotion of idolatry. Islam strictly prohibits idolatry. It's called shirk. As a Muslim or a serious person, Kareem should realize Irving's only duty is to serve God, not celebrity, not the government, not the desires of a 74-year-old sellout..."

So, umm...Kyrie is now a serious person? Kareem now a man "driven by celebrity"? Jesus friggin Christ...:confused:
 
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PedroKsBambino

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As between Kareem and Jason Whitlock there is indeed one of them who is a sellout. But it’s not the tall guy…
 

johnmd20

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Comparing kyrie fucking irving to Muhammad Ali is a god damn disgrace and incredibly infuriating. Mother f jason whitlock for all time.
It really is an absolute disgrace.

Obviously Whitlock is just going for engagement via rage and anger. That is his entire business model. But it's still so disreputable.
 

joe dokes

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Comparing kyrie fucking irving to Muhammad Ali is a god damn disgrace and incredibly infuriating. Mother f jason whitlock for all time.
But its not surprising. Or Whitlock is a lurker:
Irving is trying to make this his Ali/Vietnam moment.
Too bad Howard Cosell is gone. He would rip out Whitlock's guts and serve them to him in a 500-word soliloquy.