Who’s in charge of the Brooklyn Nets?
Based off of Kyrie Irving’s postgame press conference after the Nets were swept by the Celtics in their first-round series Monday night, it almost seems like the rumors are true: the inmates are running the asylum.
Irving was asked if he plans to seek an extension this summer – he has a player option for $36.5 million for 2022-23 that he could still decide to not exercise – and his response was that “I don’t really plan on going anywhere, and I’m looking forward to the summer and building with the guys here.”
He then said “I’m here with 7 (Durant) and here to build a great team,” and when asked if he sees a long-term future for KD and Kyrie in BKN, this is what Irving said:
“When I say I’m here with Kev, I think it entails us managing this franchise together, alongside Joe (Tsai) and Sean (Marks) and everyone in our locker room. It’s not just about us – we’re cornerstones here, but we have Ben (Simmons) and some other guys on contract, and we have to make moves this offseason and really talk about it, really be intentional about what we’re building.”
Nowhere in that answer, or any other answer during his 12-minute exit interview, did Irving mention head coach Steve Nash, who was seemingly hand-picked to lead the team by KD and Kyrie but has led them to a 7-9 record in the postseason over two years.
A lot of issues both on and off the court caused the Nets to regress this season compared to last, but Kevin Durant
“Come on man…like, yeah,” he said when asked if he believed Nash was the right head coach. “Steve’s been dealt a crazy hand the last two years and had to deal with so much as a first-time head coach. I’m proud of his focus and passion for us.”
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That said, he also agrees that the franchise player(s) should be involved in personnel decisions.
“Of course, I want to know who I’m playing with out on the floor,” Durant said. “Sean (Marks), the front office, we all talk basketball in general because we enjoy it, and sometimes our team and what we need comes up, so I give what I see from a player’s perspective. We always have those conversations.”
Nash, at least, believes he’ll be part of running it back next year, with some added weapons.
“I’ve loved doing this, and love these guys, love my staff and we have a great working environment. I want to continue doing it,” Nash said. “I think Ben Simmons and Joe Harris will give us a big lift and we’ll see how the roster rounds out, but we should be excited about that.”
And, hopefully, it’ll be the same staff as this year, unlike the change from Year 1 to Year 2 where Ime Udoka was hired by the Celtics to become the head coach.
“We’ll see if anyone has a job opportunity to be a head coach, but my staff has been unbelievable.”
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