The downside to player empowerment (superstar vax evasions) and the NBA's tough-to-enforce new COVID guidelines

Yes, the recent story of the NBA--as indicated in Matt Sullivan's book on the Brooklyn Nets--involves player empowerment.

But Brooklyn Nets superstar Kyrie Irving's vaccine evasions, which generated national criticism, suggest what New York magazine's Will Leitch yesterday headlined as Kyrie Irving and the Downside of Player Empowerment:

But COVID has thrown a wrench into the [NBA's] way of doing business. When your star athletes hold power, there is always the possibility that they, being human after all, will wield that power in the stupidest possible ways — ways that shoot your league right in the foot.

Irving, who must be vaccinated to play in New York, is currently practicing with the team in San Diego. 

Meanwhile, happy talk from the Brooklyn Nets' official site: neither BROOKLYN NETS MEDIA DAY NOTEBOOK nor BROOKLYN NETS MEDIA DAY: KEVIN DURANT LOOKS AHEAD mention what NetsDaily's Matt Brooks summarized as "The elephant was in the Zoom ... but not in the room."

League announces restrictions

ESPN reported last night, In memo to teams, NBA crafts protocols requiring unvaccinated players to be under many of same restrictions as last season, including daily testing and also some seemingly tough-to-enforce rules:

Unvaccinated players will also have to live under a strict set of rules similar to the ones that governed their movements last season. Those include: being prohibited from dining indoors in the same room at the same time as any other player or Tier 1 personnel; required to maintain at least six feet of distance from any other person (and required to wear a face mask at all times); required to maintain at least six feet of distance during treatment sessions from any other player also receiving treatment at the same time (and required to wear a face mask at all times); and required to be given a locker that is as distant from other players as possible and not next to another non-fully vaccinated player.

Also:

Unvaccinated players are required to remain at their residence during home games and at the team hotel for road contests. The only exceptions are for team and essential activities, such as buying groceries or taking their children to school. They are not allowed to go to any restaurants, bars, clubs, entertainment venues or large indoor gatherings, and can only have in-person interactions with non-family members with a "limited number of close personal guests" who have to be tested beforehand.

Sullivan was skeptical:

The NBA locker-room Covid guideline is, in fact, that an unvaccinated player's locker be as distant as possible from vaccinated players. What is that in a locker room with two unvaxxed players and a couple guys down in the G League? One locker away? 3.5 feet of social distancing? https://t.co/t7YEE49EkH

— Matt Sullivan (@sullduggery) September 29, 2021