Phall
Master
The NBA Preseason is already underway to little fanfare. The big season storyline seems to be when and how the league will force 100% vaxx compliance on a few reluctant superstars. The NBA has required all team and arena staff and personnel to be vaxxed without exception, but the players technically have the option to decline, wear masks at all times, get daily nose swabs, and sequester themselves throughout the season. Golden State, Brooklyn, and New York have "local ordinances" in place preventing unvaxxed players from entering their arenas. Andrew Wiggins succumbed to the threat of losing half his salary and took the shot recently. Washington's Bradley Beal is an all-star level talent who is also publicly refusing. Jonathan Isaac of Orlando has made some headlines with his eloquent opposition to mandates.
The biggest name though is Kyrie Irving, an eccentric loudmouth who has had no qualms about acting in his own self-interest in the past. Yesterday, the Nets owner Joe Tsai (AliBaba billionaire born in Taiwan, raised in Canada, educated in the USA, and Hong Kong-Canadian dual citizen) declared through mouthpiece GM Sean Marks that Kyrie would not be allowed to join the team as a "part time player." He will be forced to get the vaxx (for his health), sit out the year (and beyond), or potentially be traded away from the superteam he founded. The Wiggins precedent means the Nets don't have to pay Irving for their home games, but it's unclear if they are liable for his salary for the road games from which he will be purposefully excluded. Meanwhile, sports journalists have taken these arbitrary league rules and conferred the qualities of both Science and Morality onto them. They will use their podiums to sway public pressure against Irving and any other holdouts. Not unrelated: the black community in NYC is currently only about 28% fully-vaxxed.
Lest we forget, our CF Rookie of the Year candidates are Oklahoma City's Josh Giddey, Washington's Franz Wagner, and Orlando's Corey Kispert. We'll also keep an eye on Luka Garza's minutes in Detroit and see if Wokemaster Popovich gives Joe Weiskamp any playing time in San Antonio.
The biggest name though is Kyrie Irving, an eccentric loudmouth who has had no qualms about acting in his own self-interest in the past. Yesterday, the Nets owner Joe Tsai (AliBaba billionaire born in Taiwan, raised in Canada, educated in the USA, and Hong Kong-Canadian dual citizen) declared through mouthpiece GM Sean Marks that Kyrie would not be allowed to join the team as a "part time player." He will be forced to get the vaxx (for his health), sit out the year (and beyond), or potentially be traded away from the superteam he founded. The Wiggins precedent means the Nets don't have to pay Irving for their home games, but it's unclear if they are liable for his salary for the road games from which he will be purposefully excluded. Meanwhile, sports journalists have taken these arbitrary league rules and conferred the qualities of both Science and Morality onto them. They will use their podiums to sway public pressure against Irving and any other holdouts. Not unrelated: the black community in NYC is currently only about 28% fully-vaxxed.
Lest we forget, our CF Rookie of the Year candidates are Oklahoma City's Josh Giddey, Washington's Franz Wagner, and Orlando's Corey Kispert. We'll also keep an eye on Luka Garza's minutes in Detroit and see if Wokemaster Popovich gives Joe Weiskamp any playing time in San Antonio.
