In Brooklyn, the Nets sit in the aftermath of a major decision.
As revealed today by top insiders, the Nets have tapped Jacque Vaughn as their next head coach, officially giving him the promotion after spending a few games as interim coach.
While fans have mixed reactions about Vaughn so far, many are wondering what happened with Ime Udoka, who was reported to be the top candidate to replace Steve Nash. Some reports indicated he would be with the team as early as last week.
Shams Charania Reveals Why Ime Udoka Did Not Land Nets Job
But after days of silence from the front office, they seemingly changed their mind on Udoka — why is that?
In a recent article, Shams Charania broke it all down.
The Nets changed course from their initial plan to hire Udoka due to several factors, multiple sources with direct knowledge of the decision-making told The Athletic. These factors include an investigation and due diligence process by the Nets into the suspended coach taking longer than initially expected, the outcry after word of their plan became known to people outside and inside the organization and the short and long-term question marks around the team’s ability to contend in the Eastern Conference as a result of the indefinite suspension of Irving.
The Nets began direct communication on the potential to hire Udoka 24 to 48 hours before the franchise fired Nash last Tuesday, including receiving permission from the Celtics and engaging in initial discussions, multiple sources with knowledge of the talks told The Athletic.
Once it became clear to the team that they could not proceed with their plan to hire Udoka, the decision to hire Vaughn was made largely in part due to the buy-in from Nets players under Vaughn, according to sources close to the situation.
The Brooklyn Nets hire Jacque Vaughn, move on from potential hire of Ime Udoka after a series of factors that were the result of the due diligence process. More details at @TheAthletic: https://t.co/MHZfMltd66
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 9, 2022
The Nets have shown some signs of life under Vaughn. Their offense looked smoother, and, more importantly, they have looked much more capable defensively. Of course, Vaughn also has yet to coach with Kyrie back in the lineup, so it will be interesting to see how the team looks when (if) he returns.
This was obviously a PR move for the Nets, who want to avoid any more negative press. But winning solves everything, and only winning can salvage this situation for the franchise.
We will see if Vaughn is truly the right guy for them.
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