Where’s Brooklyn At? Nets lost season proves to be failure
By Dan Stokes
After a headline-making offseason, there were high hopes for the Brooklyn Nets this year. Their 30-34 record and fired head coach show that the team was a huge disappointment.
The Brooklyn Nets currently hold the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference with a 30-34 record at the point when NBA Commissioner Adam Silver hit the pause button on this season, amid the battle against the deadly coronavirus. An illness that four Nets players, including darling free agent acquisition Kevin Durant, have tested positive for.
To quote The Notorious B.I.G.: “Where Brooklyn At?”
For a team that had new deep-pocketed ownership, an All-Star studded free agency splash, a strong GM/coaching tandem and a top-four seed on its mind… the Brooklyn Nets have vastly disappointed this season.
Nets fans never expected to see Kevin Durant take the court in the Barclays Center rocking a Nike Swingman jersey in the 2019-2020 season. However, they didn’t think their other perennial All-Star, Kyrie Irving, would be limited to only 20 games, due to a balky right shoulder.
It’s fair to say former head coach Kenny Atkinson got the most out of his players. He turned Spencer Dinwiddie into a $34M man. He also helped turn third-year center, Jarrett Allen, into a formidable big man. Atkinson even made Caris LeVert and Joe Harris into building blocks for the franchise.
But with all those positives, Atkinson currently finds himself jobless after his “buddy” GM Sean Marks handed him a pink slip as originally reported in the New York Post.
"“Kenny was instrumental in developing our players and building the identity and culture we have become known for over these past four seasons,” GM Sean Marks said.” The foundation he helped put into place here is one that we will continue to build on in the coming seasons. We are forever grateful for all of Kenny’s hard work and dedication to the Nets and the Brooklyn community.”"
Marks talked about the culture Atkinson helped build, including a surprise trip to last year’s NBA playoffs, and building an identity for the franchise. That’s bunk, Atkinson deserved better and he should be a highly coveted prize for any organization that wants to develop talent and win.
Atkinson didn’t suddenly lose a team midway through the season like he’s alleged to have done. No, this was the doing of Brooklyn’s “Big Three”… Durant, Irving and DeAndre Jordan. If you think otherwise, you are foolish. They want to have “their guy” in place.
I doubt interim head coach Jacque Vaughn will remain at the Nets helm next year. The GM probably has meetings already set up with free agent coaches Ty Lue, Mark Jackson, and Jeff Van Gundy. All of course under the direction of Brooklyn’s Big Three.
It’s sad to see that one of the NBA’s brightest executives has sadly become a puppet for the overpriced trio he signed. With the infusion of owner Joe Tsai’s cash, Marks ditched Atkinson as well as the organization’s trajectory.
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Instead of building a championship contender through development, they opted for injury-prone veterans in hopes of winning a cheap title.
The Association’s temporary stoppage is probably in the Brooklyn Nets best interests. They are a win-now team with NBA Finals aspirations, yet find themselves with more question marks than solutions.
It’s been a rollercoaster season, that I’d deem a failure. Nets fans, In the KD-Kyrie era, all I can say is hold onto your seats.
Nets fans, do you think this season was a failure? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.