Erik Slater Articles - Page 45

Following a week of unprecedented drama, Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets rode into Dallas Monday on a two-game winning streak. The Nets had a chance to take down one of the West’s top teams and gain more momentum heading into a matchup with their crosstown rival. The game was a back-and-forth affair that saw […]

Just hours after the Brooklyn Nets announced the firing of head coach Steve Nash last Tuesday, breaking news emerged that the team would hire suspended Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka to fill the vacant position. NBA insiders Shams Charania and Adrian Wojnarowski both made strong reports detailing Brooklyn’s intentions, with the latter indicating that a […]

NBA commissioner Adam Silver is expected to meet with Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving as early as Tuesday, according to Marc Stein. Silver released a statement Thursday voicing his displeasure with Irving’s refusal to apologize for his promotion of an antisemitic film. Less than an hour later, Irving again refused to apologize at Nets practice, […]

The shorthanded Brooklyn Nets may receive a significant reinforcement Monday. The Nets upgraded Ben Simmons to questionable for their upcoming road matchup with the Dallas Mavericks. Simmons missed Brooklyn’s last four games while dealing with swelling and soreness in his left knee. The three-time All-Star did not travel with the Nets for their back-to-back this […]

During the opening week of Brooklyn Nets training camp, Kevin Durant offered his thoughts on the “vibes” surrounding the team. “The vibes have been straight. But who knows what the vibes will be if we hit a skid or we’re not playing well or somebody gets injured,” Durant said. “I think that’s what makes a […]

No Kyrie Irving, no problem. In the team’s first performance since announcing Irving’s suspension Thursday, the Brooklyn Nets dismantled the Washington Wizards 128-86 Friday night at Capital One Arena. The 42-point victory is tied for the largest road win in franchise history and the third-largest overall. The win comes as a much-needed morale boost for […]

The week-long drama surrounding Kyrie Irving’s social media posts linking to an antisemitic film finally came to a head Thursday. The Brooklyn Nets announced they would suspend Irving for at least five games without pay. Irving issued an apology on Instagram hours later, to which general manager Sean Marks said he must do more. The […]

Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks addressed the media at a team shootaround Friday less than a day after suspending Kyrie Irving for at least five games without pay. The suspension came after Irving repeatedly refused to apologize for linking to an antisemitic film on social media. Statement from the Brooklyn Nets pic.twitter.com/699px8XYpx — Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) […]

The Brooklyn Nets announced Thursday they have suspended Kyrie Irving for at least five games without pay after the guard’s repeated refusal to apologize for social media posts linking to an antisemitic film. Despite a statement from NBA commissioner Adam Silver less than an hour prior voicing disappointment that Irving had not apologized, the Nets guard […]

The Brooklyn Nets will be without Ben Simmons for at least their next two games, according to interim head coach Jacque Vaughn. Vaughn said at Nets practice Thursday that Simmons will not travel with the team for matchups against the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets this weekend as he deals with soreness and swelling in […]

For the first time since a heated postgame press conference Saturday, Kyrie Irving addressed the media Thursday at Brooklyn Nets practice. Irving drew an uproar over the last week in response to his social media posts linking to an antisemitic film. Despite a statement from NBA commissioner Adam Silver less than an hour prior saying […]

Kyrie Irving’s social media posts linking to an antisemitic film drew an uproar in the past week. The guard’s heated press conference Saturday in which he stood by the posts, along with the absence of punishment from the Brooklyn Nets, led to further outrage. Brooklyn did not make Irving available to the media on Monday […]

Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks said Tuesday that head coach Steve Nash told him Brooklyn’s players were “not responding to him” in the opening weeks of the regular season. The Nets subsequently fired Nash and are expected to hire Ime Udoka as their next head coach. Brooklyn opened the season 2-5 under Nash and […]

On a day when Brooklyn lost head coach Steve Nash, Kevin Durant and the Nets had an opportunity for a morale-boosting victory. The Nets led by as many as 12 points in the second half Tuesday against the Chicago Bulls. But as has been the case to start the season, Chicago stormed back to claim […]

Several reports have said the Brooklyn Nets plan to hire former Celtics Head Coach Ime Udoka following the firing of Steve Nash. Despite this, Nets General Manager Sean Marks said Tuesday that Brooklyn has “absolutely not” decided on its next head coach. The Brooklyn Nets plan to hire Ime Udoka as their new head coach, […]

Brooklyn Nets General Manager Sean Marks addressed the media Tuesday following the team’s announcement of the firing of head coach Steve Nash. The Nets are 2-5 through their first seven games. Brooklyn ranks 29th in defensive rating and 16th in offensive rating while posting the fourth-worst per-game point differential (-6.4) in the NBA this season. […]

The Brooklyn Nets plan to hire former Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka as head coach after the team announced Tuesday they had mutually agreed to part ways with Steve Nash. Shams Charania reported the move: “The Brooklyn Nets plan to hire Ime Udoka as their new head coach, sources tell The Athletic and Stadium. Boston granted […]

Following the controversy surrounding his social media posts linking to an antisemitic film and a heated press conference Saturday, Kyrie Irving returned to action for the Brooklyn Nets Monday. In response to Irving’s actions, a group of Jewish fans sat courtside wearing “Fight Antisemitism” shirts during Brooklyn’s 116-109 win. The fans sat between the scorer’s […]

Right before the bombshell Steve Nash firing, the Brooklyn Nets announced Ben Simmons will miss his second consecutive game Tuesday while dealing with left knee soreness. Simmons appeared on Brooklyn’s injury report Monday prior to the team’s 116-109 win over the Indiana Pacers. The three-time All-Star had not missed a game this season prior. Before […]

At moments it was pretty, at moments it was ugly, but the end result was all that mattered for a Brooklyn Nets team in desperate need of a victory. Brooklyn snapped a four-game skid with a 116-109 win over the Indiana Pacers Monday night. It was a much-needed bounce-back win for Brooklyn off the heels […]

The Brooklyn Nets have a significant need for a backup center behind Nic Claxton. Several veteran free agents such as DeMarcus Cousins, Hassan Whiteside and Dwight Howard have been mentioned as veterans who could fill the position. Howard appeared on the Club Shay Shay Podcast with Shannon Sharpe Monday, and the eight-time All-Star said that […]

Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets will be without Ben Simmons when they take on the Indiana Pacers Monday. The star point guard has been ruled out with left knee soreness. Moreover, Nets head coach Steve Nash was unsure of Simmons’ status ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls. “Ben just has a sore […]

The Brooklyn Nets held a players-only meeting Saturday after an embarrassing 125-116 loss to the Indiana Pacers. The loss, Brooklyn’s fourth in a row, came with Indiana on the back end of a back-to-back without one of their best players in Myles Turner. At 1-5, the Nets are one of five teams in the league […]

Kyrie Irving said Saturday that he doesn’t believe he did anything wrong after posting the link to a film on social media that many have labeled antisemitic. Irving spoke following the Brooklyn Nets’ 125-116 loss to the Indiana Pacers, standing by his posts of the film Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America, which led […]

There’s lazy, there’s lackadaisical, there’s uninspired, and then there’s whatever the Brooklyn Nets put out on the court Saturday against the Indiana Pacers. The Nets put forth as disappointing an effort as you could imagine in a 125-116 loss to a Pacers team on the back end of a back-to-back without Myles Turner. Brooklyn’s non-existent […]

Brooklyn Nets guard Seth Curry will make his season debut Saturday against the Indiana Pacers. Curry missed Brooklyn’s first five games while recovering from offseason ankle surgery. The Nets assigned the guard to their G-League affiliate in Long Island for practice earlier this week before recalling him. Curry said he is still feeling soreness in his […]

Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas has played just 14 total minutes through the team’s first five games. Thomas was a healthy scratch for the third time in four games in the Nets’ overtime loss to the Dallas Mavericks Thursday. And the 21-year-old did not hold back when asked if he was frustrated with his lack […]

Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving has drawn a strong response for his endorsement of a film and book that is widely considered antisemitic. On Thursday, Irving posted a tweet and Instagram story that feature an Amazon link to the 2018 film, “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America”, which is based on a 2015 book […]

One word could properly describe Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic’s performance against the Brooklyn Nets Thursday night: Masterclass. Doncic dominated the game in every aspect, posting 41 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists while leading Dallas to a 129-125 overtime win. The 23-year-old became the 10th player in league history to record three career 40-point […]

It was easy to see the Brooklyn Nets would be tested early when assessing their schedule to start the season. For the fourth-straight game, the Nets were in a dogfight Thursday night against the Dallas Mavericks. And for the third consecutive time, they came up short. Brooklyn fell 129-125 in overtime to Dallas. Luka Doncic […]

Steve Nash and Jason Kidd battled for years as the league’s top point guards in the early 2000s. Now with both nearly a decade removed from their playing days, the pair of Hall of Famers face off as head coaches. Kidd’s young Dallas Mavericks squad made a surprise push to the Western Conference finals last […]

The Brooklyn Nets were thought to be adding a skill set unlike any in franchise history when they traded for Ben Simmons. The 6-foot-11 point guard’s playmaking and scheme versatility were lauded as keys to the team’s new-look offense. The Nets have not seen those results through four games. A loss in Milwaukee Wednesday dropped […]

Kevin Durant said at training camp that the Brooklyn Nets’ response to adversity this season would be the true test of their camaraderie. Like students in the first week of class, that test is coming earlier than Ben Simmons and Brooklyn’s squad may have liked. The Nets fell to 1-3 with a 110-99 loss to […]

Ben Simmons’ lack of aggressiveness has been an issue for the Brooklyn Nets through the first week of the NBA season. Through three games, Simmons has taken 13 shots and been to the free-throw line three times. The Nets hope this will not be a long-term problem as the three-time All-Star is Brooklyn’s third highest-paid […]

Brooklyn Nets players and coaches emphasized throughout the preseason that Ben Simmons’ re-acclimation to NBA play would be a process. That has been the case to open the season with Simmons fouling out of two of three games and scoring 17 total points. Simmons showed a more aggressive mindset in the first half of Brooklyn’s […]

Ja Morant quickly emerged as one of the top young stars in the NBA over the last two seasons. The 23-year-old Memphis Grizzlies stud isn’t showing any signs of slowing down in 2022-23. The former second overall pick is leading the league in scoring at 35.3 points per game to start the year. Morant led […]

The Brooklyn Nets ran into one of the league’s top up-and-coming teams when they traveled to face the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday. Brooklyn faced another promising young squad in the New Orleans Pelicans to open the season. The result was an embarrassing blowout loss. The Nets turned in a more valiant effort this time, falling […]

The Brooklyn Nets expected a significant jump from fourth-year center Nic Claxton when they signed him to a two-year, $17 million contract this offseason. Claxton has delivered thus far, posting back-to-back double-doubles for the first time in his career to open the season. The big man provided a spark for Brooklyn in the second half […]

The Brooklyn Nets are not known for having one of the better home-court advantages in the NBA. When the team moved to Brooklyn, it hoped to cut into the fanbase of the struggling Knicks and stake a claim of New York City. Ten years later, the Knicks still reign supreme in New York. However, the […]