After a summer of turmoil and chaos, the Brooklyn Nets continue to be the story of the NBA through the first few weeks of the season.
While their 2-6 record reflects some major flaws on the court, most of their issues have been off the court. Behind the scenes, Kyrie Irving is always up to his old tricks, constantly distracting the team with one controversy after another. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant’s trade request in June essentially doomed the Nets to this fate from the start.
To be frank, the Nets are a complete disaster and are, undoubtedly, one of the worst teams in basketball right now. It seems hard to believe there isn’t more going on than we’ve been told.
Former Nets Coach Gives Crucial Details On The Situation In Brooklyn
In a chat on 98.7FM New York, former Nets assistant coach Amar’e Stoudemire got real on the state of his former club and provided his own explanation for Nash’s abrupt departure.
“It’s ups and downs, it’s major trades that happened with bringing in James Harden, and then James Harden departing. As a coach it’s really tough to get that chemistry built or get your strategy implemented within the team because of all those changes. Because of that, I think Steve Nash lost the locker room a little bit and the players didn’t have the respect they probably should have as a head coach. I think that’s what led to Steve parting with the Nets.”
Later, he made an even more shocking statement, telling listeners this week that he saw this timeline playing out before it ever happened.
“I kinda saw it coming. I saw someone breaking down because the players were getting growing frustrations. They wanted to somewhat have a structure. They wanted to have a defensive structure that would allow them to hold each other accountable… when one person makes a mistake, the next person makes a mistake, and now it’s a lot of people making mistakes and finger-pointing and then that creates an unstable environment.”
Former Nets assistant coach Amar'e Stoudemire talking about Steve Nash's firing and his view on the team's defensive issues last year that lingered into this season.
Via @ESPNNY98_7FM. pic.twitter.com/WFcDIGSFtN
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) November 2, 2022
According to Stoudemire, it was the lack of accountability in Brooklyn that ultimately spelled the end of Nash’s tenure as coach. And while another person might prosper in the role, the Nets will need a culture change if they want to go far into the playoffs.
Because right now, the Nets are completely out of control, with a roster and locker room that lacks discipline, leadership, and accountability at every level.
