JUST NOW: Boston Celtics expert claims that even after sacking coach the Nets’ freefall won’t end due to…
Despite low preseason expectations, the Brooklyn Nets have fallen short on every level, exceeding even the most pessimistic predictions. The latest nail in the coffin came with the dismissal of coach Jacque Vaughn, whose last game with the franchise will be a 50-point drubbing at the hands of the Boston Celtics.
Gio Rivera of NESN doesn’t think the dismissal of Vaugn will magically rectify the Net’s disastrous campaign.
“Brooklyn’s downward spiral won’t end with Vaughn’s exit, but it does signal the start of a handful of changes needed to dig the franchise out of its divot, which by each day, gets even deeper,” said Rivera.
Boston Celtics won’t have to worry about Nets anytime soon
It’s impressive how the Nets continuously underestimate their doom-day scenarios and how the Celtics are seemingly always involved. In 2013, Brooklyn pushed all their chips to the center of the table and acquired Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to pair with Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. In doing so, they sent Boston unprotected first-round picks, which led to the drafting of franchise cornerstones Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
In 2019, the Nets signed Celtics castoff Kyrie Irving to be the face of their franchise, directly leading to pairing him with Kevin Durant and James Harden to form their version of “the big three.” The trio played only 16 games together, failing to stay healthy and out of drama.
GM Sean Marks was in a disastrous situation, albeit one he was partly responsible for. He focused on getting value wherever he could to rebuild the roster on the fly. Some of that went shockingly well, like flipping Kevin Durant for Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson, with a mountain of picks being a delicious cherry on top. Some of that was so inept it could be malpractice, like panic trading James Harden for the human soap opera that is Ben Simmons.
The Nets have a collection of nice pieces that don’t make sense together and are void of a blue-chip guy with profound All-NBA potential. Mikal Bridges is the player the front office wants to build around. Still, he is too stiff and unpolished offensively to be a consistent number-one option on a team with any serious aspirations. Cam Thomas has no problem creating his own shot and putting the ball in the basket, but he struggles in every other aspect of the sport. Nic Claxton and Cam Johnson are excellent complementary players but aren’t moving the needle without an established foundation around them.
Brooklyn has moves to make, but they must be more definitive and less around the margins. Shedding Dorian Finney-Smith and Ben Simmons from the books would be an excellent start, and use the freed-up cap space and war chest of picks to target high-end free agents and trade targets.
The Nets aren’t dead in the water yet but must ace the off-season. They’ve given themselves four months to get their ducks in a row and audition new front-man Kevin Ollie and the players to see who will fit their plans. Finding out how to be competitive with the Boston Celtics is undoubtedly on their to-do list.
Leave a Reply