Cutting Down the Nets

November 2, 2022

By: Carlos Alvarez

Brooklyn Fires Head Coach Steve Nash After 2-Plus Seasons & Abysmal 2-5 Start

The Steve Nash experiment is officially over in Brooklyn. After just seven games and a 2-5 start, the Nets parted ways with their head coach on Tuesday. Brooklyn had been the subject of massive underachieving in the past two years with the duo of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving constantly making headlines off the court and failing to deliver on it. Nash — a first-time head coach at the time of his hiring in 2020 — was handed one of the most loaded rosters in the league. Now, he’s out.

 

Cutting Down the Nets

Kyrie Irving’s off-the-court drama, from his COVID-19 vaccination stance to his latest tweet promoting an anti-semitic film, is a story in itself. Then, there’s the James Harden acquisition that quickly failed before shipping him to Philadelphia for Ben Simmons. Simmons has been a shell of himself, to say the least. In the summer, Kevin Durant demanded a trade if Nash and GM Sean Marks weren’t fired. Ownership convinced him to stay, but it only took seven games to send Nash packing. He was 94-67 in two-plus seasons with just a 7-9 record in playoffs. Brooklyn never advanced past the conference semifinals under Nash.

 

Nets Next Steps

Reports surfaced shortly after Nash’s firing that suggested the Nets will target Ime Udoka as the next head coach. The Celtics coach is currently serving a one-year suspension for inappropriate conduct with a female staff member. Jacque Vaughn will serve as the team’s interim coach.

 

1st Game Without Nash: The Nets lost their first game without Nash last night (108-99) when Bulls\’ guard Zach LaVine outscored the entire Brooklyn roster in the 4th quarter (20-19). Watch Highlights

 

Additional Storylines

SI: Hiring Ime Udoka Will Only Make Nets More of a Disgrace

ESPN: Mounting Losses & Controversies: How the Nets Devolved Into Chaos in a Matter of Weeks

 

Photo: Dustin Satloff / Getty Images