The Brooklyn Nets made a splash recently when they hired future Hall of Fame point guard Steve Nash to be their next head coach. Nash, who has no head coaching experience, served as an on-and-off consultant for a brief period with the Golden State Warriors during their recent run of success. Brooklyn ought to be a strong team next season after they return All Stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving from injuries. The Nets drew ire for hiring a coach with so little experience, but on Thursday their bigger plan was laid out clearly:
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsKyrie Irving speaks on the coaching situation: “I don’t really see us having a “head” coach. KD could be a head coach, I could be a head coach (some days).”
— Alec Sturm (@alec_sturm) October 1, 2020
KD adds: “Jacque Vaughn could be a head coach could do it one day. It’s a collaborative effort.”
Evidently, even if the title is Steve Nash’s to lose, the Nets are using the committee approach to their head coaching position. But Kyrie Irving’s answer leads to one more big question:
Who are possible coaches for this Nets team?
There are some obvious, and some not so obvious, options to explore. Lucky for you, we’ve got a breakdown of every option Brooklyn could go with.
The Official Nets Coach Steve Nash
Clearly, Nash is “RB1” in this committee. Nash ran a Mike D’Antoni “seven-seconds-or-less” Phoenix Suns team through historic regular season numbers. While injuries and bad luck plagued those Suns teams in the playoffs, they are considered a precedent for much of modern basketball. Mike D’Antoni, Alvin Gentry, Bryan Colangelo, and Steve Kerr were all active members of the operations both on and on the floor, and are all still active at high levels of basketball now. Of course it makes sense that the captain and on-court general Steve Nash would have a strong understanding of how to also run a team.
Kevin Durant
Listen, do you know who he is? He’s Kevin Durant.
Durant has the Hall of Fame in his future as well, but his skill set is more unique. He is truly a player with no historical comparison. He’s a seven-foot, long, explosive athlete that can play any of the five positions. He will defend the center on one end while coming off screens and isolating like a shooting guard on the other.
In paying attention to his time in Golden State, the Warriors clearly changed how they played to suit him. The ball movement Dubs relied more and more on Durant isolation oriented sets as he was there longer. They had trouble working him in to exactly what they were doing (even if it didn’t slow their success), so it makes perfect sense that he would head coach some days to help the rest of the Nets understand playing with him. They may not know, he is Kevin Durant.
Kyrie Irving
Listen, Kyrie Irving is clearly this high on the list because, well… He wants to be. Kyrie wants a lot of things. He wants to be in the Orlando bubble, until he doesn’t. Kyrie wants to tell you about his scientific discoveries, but not use science. He wants to play for championships, but only if it’s like he wants it.
But what other coach could help the team understand exactly what Kyrie wants better than Kyrie himself? It’s not like he’s ever said anything that could be confusing. If there are days Kyrie is the head coach, those ought to be days full of logical, concise explanations to exactly what Kyrie wants.
Jacque Vaughn
Ok so full disclosure: I was unaware Jacque Vaughn was on staff in Brooklyn until Kyrie Irving mentioned his name as a potential head coach. But, here’s one thing I do know about Jacque Vaughn: Jacque Vaughn was on the San Antonio Spurs team that swept LeBron James in the NBA Finals in 2007.
And Kyrie Irving, it appears, hates LeBron James. Irving hates James so much that he doesn’t even think he ever had to defer to him:
Kyrie says playing with KD is the first time he’s been able to defer late in games ?
(via @boardroom | @boardroompods) pic.twitter.com/qkJG5L9o2y
So if Kyrie Irving and the Nets ever faced LeBron James in the NBA Finals, I can assume Jacque Vaughn would be asked to head coach that day.
Mike D’Antoni, via Facetime
Ok so what’s better than having the point guard of those “seven-seconds-or-less” Phoenix Suns coach your team on running a historic offense? How about the head coach of those teams who has, in the last half decade, helped create other historic NBA offenses? What about a coach that can draw up perfect isolation plays for Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving? Yup! Mike D’Antoni.
It coincides perfectly with D’Antoni deciding against returning to the Houston Rockets. Nash and D’Antoni are friends and even if D’Antoni can’t physically be there, Nash definitely has his cell phone number.
The biggest thing in the way of this is there is a 84 percent chance the D’Antoni still uses a flip phone. He is turning 70 soon, and odds aren’t in his favor. But if the Nets can send him an iPhone and get him on Facetime, look out! They may really have something special.
Chris “Mad Dog” Russo
New Yorkers are famous for being opinionated about everything, but especially about their sports. Chris “Mad Dog” Russo is a famous hot take radio specialist in New York, and does a great job of pulling out their opinions on air. He would be a strong, democratic head coach on days he was called upon to do it. He’s not new to the city, and would even be able to get to the facility quickly.
Further, he has an epic coaching voice for the sideline interviews. Days he was the head coach become instant must watch TV.
Jay-Z
Brooklyn’s basketball club deserves Brooklyn’s Finest. Jay-Z is famous for bringing the Nets back to Brooklyn. If they’re handing out days as the head coach, he deserves on as much as anyone. Mentally he’s been places, but he’s Brooklyn’s own. From Marcy to Madison Square, Jay will be sure to have his team at the top in just a matter of years. And if they play the Lakers in the Finals? He’s been from Marcy to Hollywood and back again and back again… so he knows the directions! And Brooklyn- he goes hard!
Jerry Seinfeld
In sticking with celebrities, another all time celebrity sports fan born in Brooklyn, Jerry Seinfeld would definitely have a coaching day. As the head coach, Seinfeld would ask all the right questions. For example, what’s the deal with the airline food on the Nets’ jet?
Further, he’d know how to set the athletes straight. Jerry would understand shrinkage and the cold tub as necessary means of recovery. He’d be able to get the guys to wear something other than sweatpants on their way into work. He’d get it. And that’s why they need his head coaching days.
The Highest Bidder
At the end of the day, a team with Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and a cast of guys who can win games with even the most decimated roster is probably ok without a head coach…
So why not offer it up? Everyone continues to talk about how the comments about China a year ago, the pandemic, and general revenue is dropping in the NBA. One way to help solve that?
Have an auction to be the Nets’ head coach for the day. Have several for several days. Clearly, they’re going to be very used to changing messages from different head coaches. Who cares if it’s some random guy? And everything I’ve ever heard about Brooklyn indicates there are some people there with some strong feelings about basketball and the Nets. They could find someone to head coach for a day fairly quickly, for the right price!
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