Crossover World

  We are well over a week into NBA free agency now, and Kevin Durant has yet to find a new home. Since making his trade request earlier this summer, signings and trades have slowed to a stop as the entire league waits for the Nets to make their next move. At this point, however, the Nets are sending some hints that Durant might end up sticking around this season, which makes sense considering they have the most leverage in this situation. But according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN, that messaging by Brooklyn might just be a negotiating tactic. "The Nets are going to work with him on it. I think as we talk now about the concept he could come back to the Nets, we need to remember that. So if you walk into our boss's office today and said 'I'm sorry but I'm gonna have to resign' he would try to talk you out of it. He does not want you to go. He has you under contract, he's expecting you to host 'Get Up' this fall for the NFL season. You would not expect ...

  The Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers are making progress on a trade that would swap Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook, according to Chris Haynes. Other pieces would have to be involved, but there is "palpable optimism" that the two sides can figure out a deal this summer.  Irving recently opted into the final year of his deal worth $36.4 million but is expected to be traded after his star teammate Kevin Durant requested a trade from the Nets. "If Kevin Durant is on the first train out, Kyrie Irving will be on the caboose as far as the Nets are concerned," Brian Windhorst reported earlier this week.  Coming off a season in which he played just 29 games because he refused to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and given his previous injury history -- Irving hasn't played 70 games in a season since 2017 when he was still with the Cleveland Cavaliers -- the market for the mercurial guard is understandably not as robust as the one for Durant.  The Lakers, though, ha...

  Kyrie Irving is one of the best point guards in the league, and there's no doubt that he is an extremely talented ballhandler with the ability to score on all three levels. However, many have criticized him this year for his unreliability, and there was a lot of drama for the Brooklyn Nets due to Kyrie Irving being a part-time playe Despite his talent, it is quite possible that Kyrie Irving will end up leaving the Brooklyn Nets. It was recently reported that the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers are discussing a trade regarding the point guar "Lakers are currently negotiating a trade for Kyrie Irving involving 'Russell Westbrook, a first-round pick and a pick swap with maybe another player involved, maybe Joe Harris. Recently, Kyrie Irving posted a tweet that could be interpreted as him being ready to leave the Brooklyn Nets. The Tweet featured a bird flying out of a cage, and the symbolism there is very obviou It remains to be seen where Kyrie Irving will end up....

  One night after Minnesota's Karl-Anthony Towns set this season's single-game scoring high with 60 points against the Spurs, Kyrie Irving matched him with his own 60 piece in Brooklyn's 150-108 victory over the Magic on Tuesday.  Just like Towns, Irving only needed 31 shots for his 60 points. He made 20 of those shots, including 8 of 12 from 3. He sunk 12 of 13 from the free-throw line. He did it all in 35 minutes.  The 60 points is a Brooklyn Nets franchise record, breaking Deron Williams' previous mark of 57. As it happens, 57 was also Irving's previous career high, which he set in 2015 against San Antonio. Kyrie's explosion comes exactly one week after he went for 50 in a win over the Hornets.  Irving's night continues what has been a wild scoring binge across the NBA of late. Over the past two weeks alone, there have been six games of at least 50 points: Irving (50, 60), LeBron James (50, 56) Jayson Tatum (54) and Kevin Durant (53). Add to that a 47 for...

  The Brooklyn Nets picked up another victory on Sunday afternoon, holding off the New York Knicks, 110-107, to extend their winning streak to three games. Kevin Durant led the way, pouring in a season-high 53 points, but his brilliant performance was not the only headline.  That's because Kyrie Irving, who is still not allowed to play in home games at Barclays Center, was in attendance for the first time all season. He showed up late in the first half and took a courtside seat as a fan. During halftime, however, he made his way to the locker room, and as a result, the Nets have been fined $50,000.  The NBA's press release: The Brooklyn Nets organization has been fined $50,000 for violating local New York City law and league health and safety protocols during the team's March 13th game against the New York Knicks at Barclays Center, the NBA announced today.  The violation occurred when the Nets allowed Kyrie Irving, who was in attendance at the game, to enter the tea...

  Late in the first half on Sunday afternoon, a buzz went around Barclays Center. Not for anything happening on the court, but because an unmasked Kyrie Irving had just arrived to take his courtside seat for the Brooklyn Nets' matchup with the New York Knicks. In the latest episode of this season-long saga, Irving has been cleared to attend home games -- like Sunday's 110-107 win over the Knicks -- despite remaining unvaccinated against COVID-19. But while he can now enter Barclays Center, he is still not allowed to play, which has resulted in plenty of confusion and consternation, both inside and outside the franchise.  Late in February, New York City mayor Eric Adams announced that he was planning to remove the city's public sector vaccine and mask mandates. Those rules were officially relaxed on March 7, which meant unvaccinated persons -- including Irving -- were no longer barred from public spaces such as bars, gyms and large venues including Barclays Center.  So if...

  PHILADELPHIA -- The Brooklyn Nets are only eighth in the Eastern Conference standings, but with their dominant win over the 76ers in Philadelphia on Thursday night, they showed exactly why they're a team that no one will want to face come playoff time, regardless of where they're seeded. The matchup between the Sixers and Nets was as hyped as any regular-season game in recent memory, as it represented the first meeting between the two teams since they swapped star guards last month. James Harden was playing in his first game against the Nets after forcing his way out of Brooklyn, while Ben Simmons returned to the Wells Fargo Center as a non-Sixer for the first time even though he didn't actually play in the game.  This backdrop helped elevate the anticipation for the game to another level. Resale ticket prices prior to tip time were astronomical, and extra security was deployed throughout the arena. Hundreds of fans lined up well over an hour before tipoff to get into the...

  Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving reminded everyone just how lethal of a scorer he is on Tuesday night when he dropped 50 points in a win over the Charlotte Hornets. Irving's offensive outburst couldn't come at a more perfect time for the Nets, who had previously lost the last four games, and were 3-17 in their last 20 contests leading into tonight. From the opening tip of the game, Irving got whatever he wanted against a porous Charlotte defense that ranks 20th in the league in defensive rating. But the second half of the game, with the Nets already ahead 69-43 behind Irving's 20 points in the first half, is where he did a bulk of his damage to ensure the Hornets couldn't come back in the game. Irving went 5-of-7 from downtown and racked up 30 of his 50 points in the final two frames of action. "You just wanna really put your stamp on a game early and then be able to play the game the right way," Irving said after his stellar performance. "And that'...

  Kyrie Irving returned to Boston on Sunday, putting up 19 points and six assists in the Nets' loss to the Celtics. The constant boos he received from the crowd, which he compared to a "scorned girlfriend," were the main headline, but Irving also commented on his playing status and New York City mayor Eric Adams.  Late in February, Adams announced a plan to lift the city's public sector mask and vaccine mandates on March 7. While many believed that was the news the Nets and Irving were waiting for, he is still not eligible to play until he gets vaccinated. New York City has private sector mandates which remain in place and prevent Irving from suiting up for "work" inside Barclays Center. Despite the bit of false hope, Irving praised Adams on Sunday in his post-game press conference, saying he hopes to sit down with him some day.  "Shoutout Eric Adams, man," Irving said. "It's not an easy job to be the mayor of New York City. And with COVID...

  It's clear that fans in Boston still harbor some ill will when it comes to Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving. Irving and the Nets squared off against the Celtics in Boston on Sunday afternoon, and Irving was met with loud boos when he was initially introduced, and virtually every single time he touched the ball for the rest of the afternoon.  Irving played two seasons with the Celtics, and many fans were unhappy with the fact that he left and signed with the Nets in free agency after publicly stating that he planned to re-sign in Boston. Clearly such feelings haven't subsided much, if at all. Irving didn't seem to be especially bothered by the boos, though. In fact, he's prepared to hear them every single time he plays in Boston for the rest of his career.  "I know it's going to be like that the rest of my career coming in here," Irving said of the boos after the game -- a 126-120 Boston victory.. "It's like the scorned girlfriend who just wants ...

  - NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and New York City mayor Eric Adams weigh in on the city's vaccine mandate. NEW YORK (AP) — The Brooklyn Nets are hopeful of a change to a local vaccine mandate that would make Kyrie Irving available for home games, one that New York City’s mayor is “struggling” with whether to make. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday he believed Mayor Eric Adams should look at the mandate, which requires athletes playing for the city’s teams to be vaccinated against the coronavirus to play in public venues. Adams later agreed that there were problems with the rule, which doesn’t apply to visiting players, but said he is hesitant to make a change. The Nets hope he will. “Obviously, we’re hopeful but it’s really out of our hands,” coach Steve Nash said before the Nets beat the Knicks 111-106 at Madison Square Garden without Irving. “We just have to be patient and hope that the oddity of it prevails in a sense, but that’s not in my job description to write the...