The Brooklyn Nets have sparked a lot of controversy with what they might have thought to be a benign decision. During the Nets’ away game against the Clippers (67-126), their active players were seen sitting in the second row of the bench, while their injured veterans got to sit in the front row. Many consider this to be very disrespectful to the players who are actually on the court.
The Nets really had players who were actively playing in the game sit in the 2nd row while Ben Simmons and other injured vets sat front row of their bench. 💀 pic.twitter.com/N8jwf5Qvnp
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 16, 2025
The injured players included Cam Thomas, Ben Simmons, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Cam Johnson. Active players like Dariq Whitehead were relegated to sitting behind them in the second row despite coming in and out of the game very regularly. One has to question why Jordi Fernadez would allow any of this.
One of the big things that Fernandez has tried to change since arriving in Brooklyn has been the team’s culture. This is one of the big reasons the Nets have put up big fights against some of the best teams in the NBA, despite being woefully underserved to do so. His decision to keep the veterans who aren’t playing at the front of the bench is very confusing.
While showing respect to the veterans is important, Fernandez seems like a coach who would want to remind the fans, and of course, the players, that no one is bigger than the team. And letting the established players on the team sit at the front, despite them not playing very much contradicts this message.
While this decision is confusing, there is no denying Fernandez has done an impressive job in his stint as head coach. Despite many expecting the Nets to be one of the worst teams in the NBA, they have won some unlikely games, including two against the far superior Milwaukee Bucks. They currently have a 14-27 record this season.
Brooklyn Nets Looking To Speed Up Tank
The Brooklyn Nets have entered a rebuild this season, and are looking to land some big players in the NBA Draft over the next few years. They have 31 draft picks piled up in their treasure chest for the next seven years. With a stacked 2025 draft class that includes Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, and Dylan Harper, the Nets would love to secure a top-3 draft pick.
The Nets started the season fairly strongly and were winning more games than they should have if their goal was to tank. However, recently, they have begun losing more, with some suggesting that the front office intervened to ensure that Fernandez wasn’t allowing the team to win a lot of games.
Ben Simmons is suspicious of this matter, calling out the front office for intentionally tanking their season to land a high draft pick. But one can hardly blame GM Sean Marks and the rest of the front office for wanting to do so, given the hardships their franchise has faced over the last few years.
Nets fans will be hoping their losing ways continue tonight, as they travel to face the Lakers at the Crypto.com Arena at 10:30 PM EST. Lakers head coach JJ Redick expects D’Angelo Russell, who was recently traded from the Lakers to the Nets, to put on a tough performance.
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