Who is to Blame for the Coaching Mess With the Nets?

I, much like many other people, was stunned to see Kenny Atkinson lose his job, near the end of the season, with a Nets team that is going to make the playoffs again. I thought he was one guy that was safe. After what he oversaw at first, all the losing and no first round draft picks forever, to what they did last year, and I know they weren't great, but they had a winning record, won a game in the playoffs and looked like a fun team. And then they signed KD and Kyrie Irving this offseason. I assumed Kenny Atkinson was set in stone. I didn't, not even once, expected this to happen.

Sure, this season has been different. They traded away guys that clicked last year to clear the space for two stars. The cohesion hasn't always been there this year. They have suffered a rash of injuries to starters and key bench guys. Kyrie, when he was playing, was saying dumb shit again, to reporters in the locker room so everyone could hear him. He also wasn't playing all that well. They have tried to play DeAndre Jordan far too much. Jarrett Allen is younger and much better. KD hasn't stepped on the floor at all this year, which was expected. But still, when the news flashed on Saturday, I was shocked.

Then stories started to trickle out that neither KD nor Kyrie wanted him to be the coach, that Atkinson didn't want to coach them, that Deandre Jordan was upset that he wasn't playing as much as he would like, you know, the typical stuff when this happens. My first thought was, well it's true, Kyrie is a coach killer. But, as I sat back and thought about it, Brad Stevens is still in Boston, and Ty Lue was still the coach after Kyrie left, and LeBron was gone anyway, so why would he want to leave.

Look, I know all the stuff that is out there about Kyrie, and I agree with most of it. He is a cancer to the locker room. He isn't as great as he would like us to think, or he thinks. He has never won anything without LeBron. Yes, he hit a humongous shot in the Finals, one of the biggest shots ever, but a lot of stuff that didn't involve him led to that moment. Teams do seem to play better when he is out, or injured. Again, it's all true. But, Kyrie is a magician with the ball, and when he is on the floor, he is great. He can score, he can handle, he is an average defender. But, if I look at all the top point guards in the league right now, he is right up there. I don't know if I would want him on my team, but I don't necessarily think this was all on him.

I feel the same with the KD noise. First off, KD is a much better teammate, more coachable and is a better player than Kyrie. I know he has this new, wannabe "bad boy" image to the media, but I have never once thought he was a coach killer. He played for Scott Brooks, Billy Donovan and Steve Kerr, and none of them have said a bad word about him. He has also been out all year, so why would his words hold any bearing over this season. Next year, when he is back, sure, but this year, no way. So I don't blame this on KD either.

Deandre Jordan's opinion holds absolutely zero bearing on anything of importance. He is well past his prime, the Nets have better and younger guys at the same spot and he is a total non factor. If his anger at playing time had anything to do with this that is absurd.

I don't think it is Kenny Atkinson's fault either. I think Atkinson is a good coach, who can get the very best out of guys that were castoffs, or rookies. D'Angelo Russell was a pariah when he came to Brooklyn, and Atkinson helped turn him into an All Star and a max player. Caris Levert was oft injured at Michigan and skinny coming into the league. Now he is a key cog to this team. Spencer Dinwiddie has bounced around the NBA, and now he has found a spot that has helped him get to where he is today. Joe Harris was your typical white shooter when he came to the league, now, while he can still shoot, he can play defense, drive to the rim and handle a little bit. Most of the praise goes to the individual player for working on stuff, but I also give some praise to Atkinson. He has to believe in the player, and harbor their want to get better. I just think that Atkinson doesn't want to coach super stars. Not everybody can be Phil Jackson or Steve Kerr or even Mike D'Antoni. Look at a guy like Greg Poppovich. Yes, he had Tim Duncan, but Duncan is the most understated star the league has ever seen. While Atkinson is no Pop, far from it, Pop has won with, for the most part, guys willing to play roles. Billy Donovan is doing that in OKC right now, and I know they have Chris Paul, but he is a billion years old. Kenny Atkinson has way more Rick Carlisle than Doc Rivers in him, if you ask me.

So, while you have been reading this, I'm sure at this point you are asking me, who's fault is this then Ty? Well, I'll tell you now. I feel this is totally, and completely on the front office. They feel a ton of pressure now, and it will only get bigger next season. They want to appease their stars. They want to become the team in New York. Side note, that will never, ever happen, no matter how bad the Knicks are, or will be. They feel like they need to be much better than a 6 or 7 in the East. The front office panicked, listened to outside people talk and made a rash, and impulsive decision. I simply don't know who the Nets are going to get that will appease the stars. Maybe, maybe Ty Lue. After that though, most of the big name guys are set. Rivers isn't leaving the Clippers, Jason Kidd will soon be the Lakers head coach, Budenholzer will stay with the Bucks as long as Giannis is there, Carlisle and Donovan have a plethora of young talent they want to mold, Nick Nurse is beloved in Toronto, I mean, the Nets options are small and, maybe, bleak.

This was a puzzling move, and I am very curious to see what direction they go in. This is a wild story in what is usually a down time in the NBA.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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