Brooklyn Nets: Steve Nash is the New Dude of Flatbush

From the desk of: THE HOOPS OF FLATBUSH

Sean Marks Doubling Down on His Investments; Goes All In With Steve Nash

Sean Marks was afforded considerable time for contemplating a new head coach - six months to be exact.  Granted, COVID froze everything in place.  But it didn't prohibit Sean Marks from donning a mask and shopping outside the bubble.  Meanwhile, the pundits entertained us with talk of Mark Jackson, Jason Kidd, Tom Thibodeau (until he was hired by the Knicks) and even Gregg Popovich.  That would have been something, I thought.  Add in the obligatory Jeff Van Gundy click bait and everything seemed like another day at the office.  The head coaching scuttlebutt only picked up again after Brooklyn's exit from the playoffs.  After which, Jacque Vaughn's name was rightfully added to the list of candidates.

But unbeknownst to almost everyone the decision had already been made.  Sean Marks didn't need to go very far either.  His candidate already resided in the Big Apple.  Which is to say Brooklyn's new head coach has been safe and socially distanced from the minds of every NBA executive and credentialed media member this whole time.  

Tom Thibodeau is a damn good coach.  I wanted him like I wanted Pop or Jackson.  But knowing what we know now, well, therein lies the silent assassin that is Sean Marks.  All that is so in the box.  Only now after being illuminated can I say with confidence that Thibodeau would have been a terrible fit for Brooklyn, much like the others, sans Pop(?).  In the first place I couldn't envision, say, Thibodeau yelling at Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving to get back on defense.  But it's really not about that or any of the aforementioned candidates.  Sean Marks is running a proactive organization.  MSG, on the other hand, is still operating a completely reactive shop therefore making Thibodeau the right guy for them to restore order on the floor.  Brooklyn is beyond that.  Pundits may not want to admit this just yet, but Sean Marks is the one pulling the wagon in this town.  Since taking over Brooklyn the Knicks have been steps behind his every move.  Insofar as the rest of the league, that's where Kyrie Irvin and Kevin Durant come in.

Ask yourself this question: would you rather have Kenny Atkinson or Steve Nash coaching Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irvin?  The Nets organization and fans are indebted to Kenny Atkinson for all his efforts.  He helped elevate this organization like no one's business and deserves all his due credit for this emerging situation in Brooklyn.  I liked him and appreciated him, and was dismayed like many other fans when the team and him parted ways.

Steve Nash does not have coaching experience.  I get it.  But does that mean he lacks experience with X's and O's, or does that mean he lacks interpersonal skills and the ability to negotiate multiple personalities, or that he lacks the requisite leadership qualities, or all three?  Because if these are just some of the criteria, I'm checking off the boxes.

Is this the right man to maximize Kyrie Irving's and Kevin Durant's potential together on the floor?  All the focus has been on Steve Nash's relationship with Kevin Durant and rightly so.  Nash will indeed coach him, but Durant trusts Nash unconditionally.  Who wouldn't want to perform under those conditions.  Then there's the enigmatic Kyrie Irvin.  Nash has been here long enough to have New York City coursing through his veins.  He and the New Jersey native will at least connect on that level.  However, Nash is not an authority figure.  He is a former NBA player and member of the Hall of Fame who behind closed doors could probably still toast Irving in a game of twenty-one.  Nash's acumen and resume are something Irving can grasp and respect.  When loners respect someone they quickly submit with little issues, and we know Kyrie has a few.

Durant and Irvin already have their uniforms, but they've lacked for playing time.  All that's about to change.  What the Nets needed moving forward was a coach for who these two stars would be willing to go through a brick wall.  Brooklyn has lots of brick walls.  

I believe Steve Nash is a brilliant hire ... now.

Never saw it coming.

That's how Sean Marks operates.