How an unstoppable force turned into ‘dysfunctional’ NBA rabble… with Ben stuck in the middle

Where do you begin with the Brooklyn Nets fiasco?

It’s been a tough begin to the season – each on and off the courtroom – in truth, it’s laborious to say the place they’ve had larger points.

The entire narrative surrounding the Nets looks like one thing straight out of a film or nonfiction e book, with a bunch of weird twists alongside the best way.

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Let’s begin with on the courtroom.

An enigma of types heading into the season, most had Brooklyn a rung under absolutely the prime groups within the Eastern Conference just like the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks, but nonetheless noticed them as a powerful playoff aspect.

After all, Brooklyn completed seventh within the East final season with 44 wins regardless of its large three of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden solely enjoying 16 video games collectively earlier than the latter was shipped to the Philadelphia 76ers in a commerce for Ben Simmons.

Plus final season, identical to this season, was mired in uncertainty because of Irving’s ongoing absence because of New York City’s Covid-19 vaccine mandate.

But with the vaccine mandate and Durant’s commerce saga (extra on that later) behind them, plus three-time All-Star and three-time All-Defensive workforce Simmons coming in, there was renewed hope about what this workforce may do and let its basketball do the speaking.

But inside simply over per week, Brooklyn’s document was 1-5, culminating within the firing of coach Steve Nash days later, changed by Jacque Vaughn on an interim foundation earlier than he

They now sit a extra respectful (however nonetheless lacklustre) 4-7, and to some concern, went 2-0 within the video games each Irving and Simmons missed.

Heck, some even thought Brooklyn received the Simmons-Harden commerce, suggesting the Aussie would match higher alongside Durant and Irving.

However Simmons, albeit enjoying for the primary time in 16 months, has regarded a shadow of his former self at each ends of the ground, battling foul bother and being too passive offensively.

Through seven video games, Simmons has averaged profession lows throughout the board (5.6 factors, six rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.1 steals), additionally hampered by a knee concern that noticed him come off the bench in Tuesday’s recreation towards Dallas – and he’s even linked to commerce talks.

Growing pains have been to be anticipated with Simmons after lacking a lot time, however there’s real considerations the previous Pick 1, who’s contracted till the 2024/25 season for a complete of $112 million, may by no means get again to the participant he as soon as was.

“Now it’s at a point where you just hope he can be Philadelphia Ben,” Fox Sports’ (US) Chris Broussard mentioned on The Herd.

“Forget Philadelphia (Simmons) plus add a little shot and he’s great. No, now you’re just hoping for that guy in Philadelphia who gave you 16 (points), eight (rebounds) and eight (assists) and never shot a jumper – he’s 30 per cent of that.

“They don’t have a shot if Ben Simmons does not become close to what he was in Philadelphia.”

This isn’t to pin all of the Nets’ woes on Simmons, however his scenario is much like Russell Westbrook’s in LA in that because the third star and third highest paid participant on the workforce, there’s a larger onus on his total worth, match with the aspect and thus want for it to carry out.

Beyond Durant and Irving (on the courtroom), Nic Claxton and Royce O’Neale are the one different gamers the Nets are getting good worth from, though Claxton’s clunky match with Simmons is a matter.

Key items Joe Harris and Seth Curry have been under their greatest type as they too ramp again up after accidents.

It’s largely been on the defensive finish the place the Nets have struggled collectively, ranked twenty second within the league in defensive ranking (113.2), whereas their middle-of-the-road offensive (112.4) hasn’t supplied sufficient of a buffer.

The chemistry simply hasn’t been there nor has it regarded like a real workforce, with Durant’s star energy at instances conserving them in video games.

Ultimately, the Nets are in a win-now construct with arguably the most effective participant within the league in Durant on the peak of his powers, but are barely within the playoff combine.

“They’re not even close to winning (a championship),” NBA legend Charles Barkley mentioned on NBA TNT.

“You’ve got two of the best players in the world and some good players … this thing is over.”

OK, so the Nets’ defence is dangerous they usually’re simply not clicking on the courtroom. That can occur to even essentially the most gifted of rosters, they usually can flip it round … proper?

Unfortunately there’s way more at play right here because of the off courtroom stuff, with Brooklyn continuously engulfed in drama in arguably a much bigger mess threatening to self destruct the workforce.

Looming over all of it is Irving (there’s a typical theme right here).

There’s not way more to say in regards to the controversial guard that hasn’t already been mentioned. While there’s no doubting his basketball expertise, drama simply follows his man and one thing new at all times comes up.

The newest was Irving initially refusing to apologise for an anti-Semitic put up on social media earlier than ultimately doing so, with the Nets handing him a minimal five-game suspension and 6 “remedial measures” to finish to be able to return.

There’s reportedly considerations although across the league he could by no means return to the Nets – and the NBA at giant.

NBA insider Marc Stein reported the listing of things he should undertake to return have been in truth made with information of the probability he’d be unable to do them and thus safe a launch from the workforce, which suggests the Nets need him gone.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania did report Irving had a “productive” assembly with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, paving the best way for the suspended star to work via his steps with the Nets on a possible plan transferring ahead.

But nobody actually is aware of what lies forward for Irving, who’s set to develop into an unrestricted free agent at season’s finish, and when or if he’ll return.

For ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, the Nets ought to take one final probability on the seven-time All-Star.

“We know he’s a superstar talent, we also know he’s a headache and is a distraction every single year. But it’s never been a distraction of this magnitude … this is different, because this is a tsunami of criticism of a highly sensitive nature,” Smith informed ESPN.

“You insulted the Jewish community and as a result you created a maelstrom of controversy and there is no getting around that.

“I think unlike ever before, his career is in jeopardy… I think Kyrie recognises he’s on his last chance – I don’t think he ever saw it that way before.

“The are plenty of examples we can use in the world of professional sport where dudes had a lot left, but they weren’t considered worth the risk because of the cancerous impact they were perceived to have on a locker room.

“I think that’s where Kyrie Irving is at this particular moment in time. I think because of that, if there was ever a time where he would just focus on playing, and outside of that not have much else to say, I think this would be it.

“All those things being taken into consideration, I would say this is the most unique situation Irving has found himself in and arguably the most humbling situation he’s found himself in, where his career is absolutely, positively on the line.

“Knowing that, that encourages me, If I’m the Brooklyn Nets, to take that very last chance.”

But former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins disagreed, saying he thinks Irving returning would spoil the Nets’ new discovered “commerardie” and be an excessive amount of of a danger to the opposite gamers’ careers.

Perkins additionally prompt it wasn’t definitely worth the danger given even with Irving, the Nets probably aren’t a real contender.

“If I’m the Brooklyn Nets, I can’t bring Kyrie back into that locker room. The locker room and the basketball is the guys’ sanctuary. This is when they come together and this is their livelihood,” Perkins mentioned on ESPN.

“When it comes down to the team and those other individuals in that locker room, you cannot afford to put those guys in harm’s way.

“You can’t afford for him to slip up and say something wrong in the media. You can’t afford for him to have a wrong tweet or answer a question that could jeopardise their careers.

“I’m not taking anything away from Irving, we know he’s a spectacular basketball player. But as we have known over the last couple of weeks, this situation is bigger than the game of basketball.

“If I’m the Brooklyn Nets, I politely tell Irving: ‘Hey man, do whatever you have to do and let us rock out the rest of the season’.

“What is the Brooklyn Nets’ ceiling with Irving with this team as currently constructed as far and winning the championship or even coming out of the Eastern Conference?

“They’re not better than the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks and I don’t even know if they’re better than the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks at this moment.”

As it seems, it hasn’t been Irving’s solely act of defiance.

An NBA scout says in the course of the Nets’ loss to the Pacers on October 30 – certainly one of Irving’s final video games earlier than being suspended – he waved off a play referred to as by Nash … on 10 seperate events. Yes, 10.

“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” the scout informed The New York Post. “Nash would call something, and he’d run the opposite. I’ve never seen anything like that.”

To no nice shock, the Nets parted methods with Nash one recreation later.

Perhaps Durant put it in addition to anybody after Nash’s departure when he mentioned “volatility” had been an ongoing theme hampering the Nets – though Durant himself has been a part of the issue.

Durant requested a commerce in the course of the low season and Irving was additionally almost moved throughout a tumultuous interval for the Nets that was at all times going to place the franchise in a precarious place early within the marketing campaign.

Now with Simmons struggling and Irving once more inflicting issues, as brutal because it sounds, Durant has been let down by his co-stars as one thing of a one-man present.

And with the Nets in such a bleak place in any other case, it’s laborious to think about Durant’s need to go away Brooklyn has had any cause to vary – if not strengthen – until issues drastically change from right here.

The 34-year previous, who’s contracted till the 2025/26 season for a complete of over $190 million, wouldn’t wish to waste any extra of his prime enjoying for something lower than a title contender. While he’s additionally contributed to the disharmony, shedding him could be a hammer blow.

Surely the chaos that’s been this season is the ultimate straw for the previous MVP.

“It is hard to imagine right now … that by the time Kyrie Irving could potentially be back and Ben Simmons is playing at a high enough level, that the Nets will be competitive enough for Kevin Durant to not look around and say: ‘I’d like to revisit the conversation we had over the summer’,” ESPN’S Adrian Wojnarowski mentioned.

It’d consolidate the truth that the Durant and Irving period in Brooklyn because the celebrity duo joined the workforce within the 2019 low season has been an enormous failure regardless of a lot promise.

The Nets on the time have been extensively seen as the brand new close to unstoppable tremendous workforce in line to win a number of championships as the most important risk to difficult the Golden State Warriors throughout their golden period – notably given Durant had made the swap from Steve Kerr’s workforce.

But the deepest the Nets have gone throughout this era was the Eastern Conference semi-finals in a run that’s been marred by dysfunction.

The 2022/2023 season is quick shaping as one other chapter in that story.

“They’re discombobulated and dysfunctional,” NBA legend Shaquille O‘Neal mentioned on NBA TNT

“They’ve been together for four years. You’d think they’d have played for a championship or won a championship, so it’s been a wasted four years.”

On prime of all this mess, the Nets have been reportedly eyeing former Celtics boss Ime Udoka to interchange Nash as their new head coach earlier than appointing Vaughn on a everlasting foundation.

So they’ve a malfunctioning atmosphere, together with arguably the league’s most erratic and troublesome participant … then have been eager so as to add a determine who was suspended from his final function simply months in the past because of having an improper relationship with a workforce staffer?

Again, it’s actually like one thing straight out of Hollywood.

Yes, Udoka has proven he can coach in taking Boston to the NBA Finals in his first season. But at this stage, it shouldn’t matter if he was Gregg Popovich given the circumstances, and fortunately, widespread sense ultimately prevailed.

“Do the Brooklyn Nets have no shame?” ESPN’s Michael Wilbon mentioned after Nash’s firing.

“They’ve got nothing right in four years and you’re going to make this hire (Udoka) with somebody who’s attached to his own shame? You’re going to double down on stupid?

“The Brooklyn Nets can’t make this hire.

“If the league is upset about all the things that have gone on with Kyrie Irving and how that franchise looks in New York City, what in the world will that office think of the Nets if they make this (hire)?

“This is not about Ime, this is about the Nets.”

It all makes for a grim scenario in Brooklyn with extra questions than solutions for the interim.

Will Irving return? Should he? Will Simmons ever get near the participant he as soon as was? How lengthy till Durant requests a commerce once more?

Yes, it’s nonetheless very early within the new season, however this film – maybe a horror – doesn’t seem prefer it’ll have a cheerful ending.