The Nets And Steve Nash Part Ways After a Disastrous First Half With Kyrie Irving And Kevin Durant

(CTN News) – After a 2-5 start, Steve Nash is out as coach of the Brooklyn Nets. As Steve Nash last game, the Nets defeated the Indiana Pacers on Monday night.

Hours before playing at home against the Chicago Bulls, he is leaving the team.

ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Nash had been fired, while Shams Charania of The Athletic reported the two sides had parted ways. In either case, Nash’s tumultuous tenure as Nets head coach is over.

According to Charania, Jacque Vaughn will be Brooklyn’s acting head coach against the Bulls on Tuesday. Nets coach Ime Udoka is reportedly being hired to replace Nash. The Celtics will let Udoka leave for another job while he’s on suspension for his sex scandal.

During Steve Nash tenure as Nets coach, the team finished 94-67. The expectations were much, much higher. With Steve Nash as head coach, Brooklyn advanced past the first round of the NBA Playoffs in 2021 before losing to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks.

Next year, the Nets entered the 2021-2022 season as the favorites to win the championship, but they didn’t win a single playoff game before getting swept out of the first round by the Boston Celtics.

During Nash’s offseason trade demand, Durant reportedly asked him to be fired.

Following news that he was out in Brooklyn, Nash released the following statement.

As Brooklyn’s head coach, Steve Nash faced controversies he couldn’t control

As of Sept. 30, 2020, Nash will be Brooklyn’s head coach. He replaced Kenny Atkinson, who coached Irving and Durant during their first year with the organization while KD was out with a torn Achilles. Steve Nash had never held a head coaching position.

Nash and the Nets always had high expectations, but when James Harden was traded to the team on Jan. 14, 2021, those expectations changed dramatically.

Jarrett Allen, Caris LeVert, three first round picks (2022, 2024, and 2026), and four first round pick swaps (2021, 2023, 2025, and 2027) were shipped to Houston in the deal. A historically talented ‘big three’ of Durant, Harden, and Irving led the Brooklyn Nets, but they never lived up to the hype.

Injuries defined the rest of the 2021 season for the Nets. In the second round, the team lost a hard-fought 7-game series to the Milwaukee Bucks after winning their first round series against the Celtics.

Both Harden and Irving were injured during the series, with Harden returning toward the end. It was Durant’s toe on the line for a potential game-winning three-pointer in Game 7, and the Nets lost in overtime.

In the following year, the Nets were widely expected to win the championship. After Kyrie Irving refused to take the Covid vaccine mandated by New York City, James Harden grew frustrated and demanded a trade.

The Nets were eventually swept by Boston. A long-term contract for Irving was refused by the team, and Durant demanded a trade.

After Udoka is announced as head coach, the Nets will resume their season. Brooklyn was never a right fit for Nash. We’ll see how Udoka does.

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