Steve Nash exited as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets after a disappointing start and more controversy surrounding Kyrie Irving.
The Nets announced on Tuesday they parted ways with the Hall of Fame point guard, a day after beating Indiana to advance to 2-5, and said a decision on the team’s next coach would be taken in the near future.
Nash, a Victoria native, reached this season after Kevin Durant said he wanted him this summer, but not much longer. The Nets were another mess, with bad on-field plays and bad headlines.
The biggest, again, was created by Irving, who posted a link to anti-Semitic artwork on his Twitter page last week, drawing criticism from Nets owner Joe Tsai.
“Since becoming head coach, Steve has faced a number of unprecedented challenges, and we are sincerely grateful for his leadership, patience and humility throughout his tenure,” the manager said. General Sean Marks in a statement.
“Personally it was an extremely difficult decision; however, after long deliberations and an assessment of how the season has started, we have agreed that a change is needed at this time.”
The Nets could move quickly to replace Nash. A person familiar with the matter said the Nets are in talks with suspended Boston coach Ime Udoka, a former Brooklyn assistant who is not with the Celtics this season because he was found guilty. for breaking team rules by having a relationship with a woman. the organization. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because those discussions have not been publicly disclosed.
ESPN first reported the talks between Udoka and the Nets. The Nets said a decision on the team’s next coach will be made in the near future.
Nash had no head coaching experience when he took over behind the Nets’ bench ahead of the 2020-21 season. Prior to joining Brooklyn, he was a player development consultant with the Golden State Warriors from 2015-2020 where he also worked with Durant.
In his two-plus years, Nash went 94-67 and the Nets made the playoffs in his two full seasons as head coach. But they were ousted in the first round of the 2021-22 playoffs despite starting the season with a roster that included Irving, Durant and James Harden. Irving only played 29 games after refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccine, mandatory at the time in New York.
Team criticized at the weekend
Nash handled everything as best he could, but apparently not good enough for his best player. Durant said he wanted to be traded this summer if the Nets didn’t fire Marks and Nash, but Tsai backed them up and Durant eventually withdrew his request.
We have to look deep, deep inside ourselves and what we want to do, what we want to accomplish.– Steve Nash after the Nets’ loss to Indiana on Saturday
Nash played it down before the start of this season, saying he didn’t believe the reports were entirely true and that they quickly discussed their issues.
But things got off to a bad start this season and Nash criticized the team during his tenure after their loss to Indiana on Saturday night, calling their defensive effort a “disaster” and saying he saw no desire or will.
“We have to look deep within ourselves and what we want to do, what we want to accomplish,” Nash said. “Do we want to give up because it was difficult at first, or do we want to stay the course and start building something?”
Much of that was ignored because the focus was on Irving’s combative press conference defending his tweet, and the Nets beat the Pacers in Monday’s rematch to end a four-game skid.
But Nash’s term still ended a day later, hours before Brooklyn hosted Chicago. Jacque Vaughn will serve as interim head coach against the Bulls.
Tsai alluded to the constant turbulence around the team in his statement thanking Nash.
“I got to know Steve while he was in Brooklyn, and he’s not one to shy away from challenges,” Tsai said. “My admiration and respect for him grew over time as he brought hard work and a positive attitude to our organization every day, even in times of exceptional storm around the team.”
Regimes criticized
Marks chose his former teammate as coach in 2020 despite having no experience in the job, citing Nash’s ability to be a personality connector as a player, as he was a two-time MVP with the career-ending Phoenix Suns 18-year-old third on the NBA list with 10,335 assists.
But his schemes were criticized as the Nets struggled defensively throughout his tenure and often failed to show the offensive style of play of his Suns teams, relying instead on Durant, Irving or Harden to isolate themselves. .
Beyond player changes, Nash has also had to adapt to changes on his bench. Two-time NBA Coach of the Year Mike D’Antoni resigned as assistant after one season, and Ime Udoka left to become Boston Celtics coach.
Nash averaged 14.3 points and 8.5 assists and shot 42.8 percent from three-point range as a star point guard with Phoenix, Dallas and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The eight-time star won league MVP awards twice in a row in 2005 and 2006.
He retired after the 2013-14 season and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018.
Born in South Africa and raised in Victoria, Nash has represented Canada several times on the international stage, including as the driving force behind the Canadian team that finished seventh at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
He won the Lionel Conacher Award as Canadian Press Male Athlete of the Year three times (2002, 2005, 2006) and was named Canadian Athlete of the Year in 2005.
Brooklyn was scheduled to host Chicago on Tuesday night.
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