The Nets have had enough drama this season to rival the best soap operas.
On August 8, a little before 8 p.m. Brooklyn Nets owner Joe Tsai tweeted “Our front office and coaching staff benefit from my support. We will make decisions in the best interest of the Brooklyn Nets.” Not even 90 days in, head coach Steve Nash was fired after a 2-5 start.
If there’s one word to describe this Nets era, it’s controversial. There is some form of drama with almost every major character on this team.
Kyrie Irving: Conspiracy Theorist
All-star guard Kyrie Irving is almost as famous for his off-the-court antics as he is for his on-court accomplishments. The most vivid dispute took place last year, when he refused to accept the vaccine against COVID-19. As a result of this decision, he was unable to play in home games for most of the season.
This season, he continued his controversial behavior by tweeting a link to an anti-Semitic filmand then proceeded to defend his actions by saying, “I’m not going to give up what I believe in.”
The Brooklyn Nets have suspended Kyrie Irving for at least five games without pay as a result of his recent actions and “refusal to renounce anti-Semitism.”
“Over the past several days, we have made repeated attempts to work with Kyrie Irving to help him understand the harm and danger of his words and actions, which began with him posting a video that contains deeply disturbing anti-Semitic hate speech,” the Nets said in a statement. . statement on Thursday, November 3. “We believe he is not currently eligible to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.”
Ben Simmons: The Non-Playing Star
The young guard was an NBA All-Star the last time he played a full season. Ben Simmons missed last season due to mental health issues after a terrible run in the 2021 playoffs.
“I was in such a bad place where I was like, hell, I’ve been trying to get here and you guys are throwing all these other things at me where you’re not helping. And that’s all I wanted was help,” Simmons told former Philadelphia 76ers teammate JJ Reddick. “The Old Man and Three Podcast with JJ Reddick and Tommy Alter..
His refusal to play since the end of last season has been a big source of discussion for both him and the Nets, who traded for him for star James Harden.
Simmons finally got back on the court this season only to have the worst year of his career in almost every statistical measure and a surprising lack of aggressiveness when it came to attacking the rim.
This led to incidents with his teammates on the court, especially Irving, who shouted at him score in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Kevin Durant and Joe Tsai: Ultimatums and stubbornness
Tsai’s tweet wasn’t a random reassurance to the team’s staff. He came after the superstar Kevin Durant’s public ultimatumin which he demanded to either fire Nash or he wanted to trade him.
Tsai did not succumb to the star’s whim. The owner stubbornly decided to support his head coach. This drama was heightened by the fact that Nash was is widely criticized for his inability to win games.
In the first round of last year’s playoffs, Nash was coached hard by Ime Udoka, head coach of the Boston Celtics. The nets were swept despite having the second-highest salary in the NBA.
Tsai’s rash decision to back up Nash backfired less than 10 games into the season. Nash’s lack of coaching ability continued to show during this regular season, leading to his firing.
Udok’s name: A disgraced recruit
Who did Tsai hire instead of Nash? Udok’s name, the man who surpassed Nash.
Udoka was the catalyst for the Celtics’ league-leading defense last year. He even led a young team to the Finals in his very first season as an NBA head coach. It seems like a perfect fit for a team in need of leadership and coaching.
However, there is one caveat. He was suspended by the Celtics. for an affair he had with a woman in the organization. While trying to improve, the Nets walked into even more drama.
Contact Pablo Acaris at [email protected]
