Few coaches in the NBA have had it as rough as Steve Nash since he took over as the Nets head coach in 2020. On paper, it was supposed to be a great job for a first-time head coach but it has been anything but great. He has had to deal with drama the likes of which we haven’t in the NBA, probably ever, and he has taken a lot of criticism for their failures as a group along the way.
The latest blow came in the form of Kevin Durant issuing an ultimatum to owner Joe Tsai, where he wanted Nash along with GM Sean Marks to be fired but fortunately for him, Tsai sided with them over Durant. Not everyone is a big fan of that decision though and Evan Turner, who was the 2nd pick of the 2010 NBA Draft, on his “Point Forward” podcast with Andre Iguodala, questioned why the Nets would side with Nash over Durant.
(starts at 3:17 mark):
“Why are you married to Steve Nash? He’s an unproven coach, KD has had enough coaches and is a basketball savant at this level where he can say, ‘no, this is not good enough.’ I’m not asking you for nothing, but we’re trying to win a championship, why would you bring in a new dude.”
Siding with Nash over Durant doesn’t make a lot of sense when you look at the situation just by itself, but when you consider all that has happened over the last couple of years, it isn’t all that surprising. The Nets have agreed to almost everything that Durant and Kyrie Irving have asked them to do and it has led the team nowhere.
Tsai finally decided that he has had enough of the players taking control and he put his foot down. There is also no guarantee that KD wouldn’t continue to make crazy demands even after they get fired, as he tries to force his way out. Iguodala, who was a teammate of Durant, thinks KD should stay in Brooklyn, however, and added that everyone needs to grow up and make this work. That just gets unlikelier with the passing day though, and a breakup seems inevitable at some point.
