The Brooklyn Nets made a major change on Tuesday, firing head coach Steve Nash after just over two seasons at the helm. There have already been reports that the former MVP lost the respect of many players in the locker room and this latest piece of news lines up with just that.
Per sources close to NBA insider Marc Stein, Kyrie Irving reportedly ignored Nash's game plan towards the end of his tenure, running completely different plays on the floor instead:
“In various corners of the NBA scouting community, furthermore, it had already become clear that Nash was being tuned all the way out. Advance scouts have extensive knowledge of opposing team play calls … and I heard from one club that, in one of Nash's final games, the Nets were in the ballpark of 10 easy-to-spot occasions that Irving ran something completely different after Nash shouted the play he wanted,” Stein wrote.
While we don't know if this is true for sure, it's definitely not unrealistic, either. Brooklyn has been a trainwreck and the latest Kyrie antisemitism drama isn't exactly helping them get things together.
It's honestly not a big surprise that Nash was canned. The Nets are struggling and they've yet to reach the Promised Land. Is that his fault? Not necessarily. But once he lost the locker room, it was game over.
Now, the Nets are expected to hire former Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka, who is currently suspended by the organization for having an improper relationship with a staffer. He previously served as an assistant under Nash in Brooklyn, therefore Udoka does have familiarity with the roster, especially KD and Kyrie. GM Sean Marks says the team has yet to make a decision on who the next boss will be, but it's looking more and more like it'll be Udoka.
As for Nash, he's probably just relieved to be past all of this.
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