There’s no secret Steve Nash wasn’t great, however, the Brooklyn Nets’ problems are far from solved. According to CBS Sports, on Tuesday, the Nets decided to part ways with Nash. Yet, they have solved a problem by creating another one. The Hall of fame and beloved player around the league may have not been the best suited to coach, however, he did have assistant coaching experience at Golden State. To be fair, Nash’s first time as the head coach was surrounded by a ton of egos and dysfunction. Therefore, making it is hard to truly assess Nash’s ability as a coach.
Nonetheless, the Nets are looking for a new head coach and many have suggested former Celtics HC Ime Udoka as an alternative. This offseason, Udoka found himself in a scandal that resulted in him being suspended for the season. However, Udoka is looking to be a key target for the Nets going forward and with his history of being a head coach, many believe he can save their season.
Udoka’s roots in the Nets stem back to Nets GM Sean Marks and him being close friends. The relationships are there he also previously was on the Nets coaching staff in previous years. This may be an ideal landing spot and unique situation for an HC with a troubled past.
Will the Superstars Respect Udoka More than Steve Nash?
Many are questioning if the superstars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant will buy into Udoka going forward if he’s signed as the head coach. While in his first year coaching, he did find a way to lead the very young Boston Celtics team to the NBA finals. The biggest factor will seemingly be Irving.
Recently, Irving tweeted some controversial tweets regarding people of the Judaism faith. This went viral and many were upset and he received tons of backlash. Many believe Udoka will be able to reign in Irving’s antics and distractions off the court he continues to bring while chasing a championship. However, Irving is not the only factor in the equation.
While Durant isn’t nearly as filled with antics as Irving, he still knows how to cause trouble when not happy. In fact, this offseason, he requested to be traded or asked for Nash and marks to be fired. This will be an uphill battle for any coach they bring. However, if given to the right person there’s an opportunity they can turn this around.
