The Brooklyn Nets are showing a lot of heart in the NBA bubble. Without most of their starters, they are playing hard and keeping games within reach despite nobody really giving them a chance to advance past the first round.
But upon the return of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant to the court, we can expect the Nets to be a major player in the Eastern Conference. Behind the scenes, it seems they’re also recruiting one of the greatest coaches of All-Time to take over the sideline.
Here’s the report, per Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times.
“The lovable underdog days of the Nets are numbered, with league sources, including those familiar with the Nets and the Spurs, expecting Brooklyn to explore bringing the NBA’s biggest coaching name — Gregg Popovich — to the Nets’ sidelines.”
The Spurs were officially kicked from postseason contention for the first time in over two decades yesterday and it seems like the best time for both sides to move on.
With a rebuild seemingly coming quickly for the Spurs, why would Pop want to spend the remainder of his twilight years on a bad team? Despite his admirable loyalty to San Antonio, nobody would blame him for considering a move to a team that could end his career with another title.
On the flip side, Popovich has absolutely nothing left to prove on the NBA circuit.
For the Nets, bringing in Pop would not only make the team better on the court, but it should improve their culture in the locker room as well.
Whether or not he’d even be willing to leave the Spurs, however, is a huge question mark. Even if he does, there’s no promise he won’t walk away from the game for good.
Needless to say — the scenario is a long-shot for Brooklyn, but one that could bring some amazing results if it happens.
