Brooklyn Nets

[Cyd]

Размазали Филу

[ceasar]

Жалко Нвабу конечно, но придётся его отчислять и возвращать Шумпа или там Юта отчислила Грина.
Варианты есть. Муса опять же время получит.

[Saner]

2 часа назад, ceasar сказал:

Жалко Нвабу конечно, но придётся его отчислять и возвращать Шумпа или там Юта отчислила Грина.
Варианты есть. Муса опять же время получит.

Муса лох

Почему Куруц не играет?

[ceasar]

4 hours ago, Saner said:

Муса лох

Почему Куруц не играет?

Для первого сезона и 20 лет Муса неплохо играет, а Куруц слабо выглядел на старте, выпал из ротации и потолок у него ниже чем у Мусы.

Изменено 24 декабря, 2019 пользователем ceasar

[Heyd]

Пофантазировал насчёт варианта трейда Таунса 

https://www.sports.ru/tribuna/blogs/brooklyn/2686804.html

[Cyd]

Прервали наконец лузингстрик

[Cyd]

Ирвин аут оф сизн. Взяли же на свою голову травмата

Хоть на Двд с Левертом смотреть и радоваться)

[Saner]

28 минут назад, Cyd сказал:

Ирвин аут оф сизн. Взяли же на свою голову травмата

Хоть на Двд с Левертом смотреть и радоваться)

да полюбому может сыграть, но решил подождать дюранта

[Cyd]

В 19.02.2020 в 07:48, Saner сказал:

да полюбому может сыграть, но решил подождать дюранта

По сикрету скожу, Дюран уже готов играть. У руководства другие планы на сезон, ну и обещали ему отдых и лечение в этом сезоне

 

[Cyd]

Надеюсь увидеть его в Бруклине в ближайшее межсезонье

[Cyd]

Шикарные блоки от Аллена, новая порция)

[Cyd]

2-1 c Бостоном. 

Неудобный соперник для зеленых или совпадение?

Леверт шикарную игру выдал конечно

[Iversson]

Обидно будет, если летом Нетс спихнут Леверта, Динуиди и Аллена на третью звезду в угоду Ирвингу и Дюрэнту.

По хорошему было бы, Кайри куда-то обменять, пока он не развалился совсем от травм, и ждать возвращения Дюрэнта)

[Cyd]

Кенни Эдкинсон аут. 

[alex1917]

жаль, что эта помойка пруклинского вора миши в по всё-таки будет видимо...

[Iversson]

Ждём Марка Джексона и финал конфы в следующем сезоне)

 

[Cyd]

Цитата

Как сообщает инсайдер Nets Daily Энтони Пуччио, «некоторые игроки хотели, чтобы он ушел».

 

[Cyd]

1 час назад, Iversson сказал:

Ждём Марка Джексона и финал конфы в следующем сезоне)

 

сколько Марк не тренил? Куча времени утекло...

Так хотелось увидеть Эткинсона в деле с Дюрой и Кайри, но увы...не случилось. 

Только в прошлом сезоне Кенни по-настоящему проявил себя, команда отобралась в плов, Рассел действительно по-взрослому заиграл. Динвиди, Дло, Леверт, Харрис - это его заслуга, наверное. Аллен - до сих пор, загадка лично для меня. 

Однако спасибо коучу Кенни за проделанную работу. Думаю, будет пользоваться огромным спросом среди перестраивающихся команд.

[Bullettime]

Бгг.

[Cyd]

Только не Лю. Надеюсь, Шон не пойдет на поводу переколеченных звезд. До этого не замечалось грехов за ним, всегда со здравым умом подходил к своей работе. Из такого дерьма команду вытянул...

[Red Scare]

Вовремя Михаил обналичил то... 

[Ellie]

Руководство сошло с ума или "гнилой" Ирвинг снова дал о себе знать? Зачем "Бруклин" уволил главного тренера

"Бруклин Нетс" обыграли "Сан-Антонио Сперс" (139:120) в "Барклайс Центре" в субботу утром. После обеда "Нетс" расстались с главным тренером Кенни Аткинсоном. Помощник тренера Жак Вон занял пост временно исполняющего обязанности главного тренера. CBS Sports разбирается в причинах неожиданного увольнения Кенни Аткинсона с поста главного тренера "Бруклина". 

 

Победа над "Чикаго" установила баланс "Бруклина" в турнирной таблице на отметке 29-34, чего достаточно для седьмого места в слабой по конкурентоспособности Восточной конференции. Конечно, такой результат не стоит праздновать, но, учитывая обстоятельства, для смены тренера каких-то веских оснований не было. Кевин Дюрант не сыграл за "Бруклин" ни одного матча, Кайри Ирвинг вышел на площадку в 20 играх. Две суперзвезды, подписанные прошлым летом, получили зарплату в размере около 69 миллионов долларов, что составляет 58% от общего платежного баланса команды. 

Если увольнение Дэвида Фицдэйла из "Нью-Йорк Никс" в декабре заслуживает оценку 1 по шкале неожиданности, то уход Аткинсона из "Нетс" тянет на 9. Аткинсон продлил контракт с "Бруклином" перед стартом плей-офф в апреле прошлого года. Он сыграл важную роль в выводе "Нетс" на уровень, который позволяет подписывать игроков уровня Дюранта и Ирвинга. Стабильность "Бруклина" при Аткинсоне - одно из главных преимуществ команды. Сейчас Аткинсона уже нет в "Нетс". Задача генерального менеджера Шона Маркса состоит в объяснении причин такого поворота событий. 

На 22-минутной пресс-конференции в субботу Маркс потратил большую часть времени на обсуждение того, что не является причиной увольнения тренера. Маркс неоднократно говорил, что решение было принято совместно Аткинсоном, им самим и владельцем клуба. По словам Маркса: 

— Увольнение случилось не потому, что игроки хотели, чтобы Аткинсон ушел; 
— Увольнение случилось не из-за Дюранта и Ирвинга; 
— Увольнение случилось не из-за конфликтов в раздевалке; 
— Увольнение случилось не из-за игровых схем Аткинсона; 
— Увольнение случалось не из-за результата конкретной игры или какого-то события; 
— Увольнение случилось не из-за вражды между Аткинсоном и Марксом. 

Маркс говорил так будто расставание с Аткинсоном было чем-то неизбежным. 

"Это было чисто дружеское и взаимосогласованное решение", - сказал генеральный менеджер. 

Маркс не был удивлен, хотя могло показаться что решение об увольнении принято спонтанно. Маркс и Аткинсон провели ряд разговоров по душам, которые привели к тому, что "откровенно честный" тренер сказал: "Мой голос в команде уже не тот, что был прежде". 

По словам Маркса, стороны спокойно согласились расстаться, Аткинсон не предъявлял никаких претензий. Трудно увязать это с публичными заявлениями Аткинсона в течение сезона, когда он в целом казался оптимистично настроенным и заинтересованным руководить командой. Что изменилось? 

"С моей стороны будет нечестно делать предположения о том, что происходило в голове Кенни и тому подобное. Но я могу упомянуть наши разговоры по ходу нестабильного сезона. У нас были американские горки, взлеты и падения. Такое не может пройти бесследно для любого человека", - заявил Маркс. 

Если все действительно так просто и Аткинсон решил, что пришло время уходить, тогда руководству нужно найти тренера, который сможет опираться на созданный им фундамент. "Нетс" занимают восьмое место в лиге по защитному рейтингу. Команда постоянно прогрессировала в этом аспекте с каждым сезоном с момента назначения Аткинсона в 2016 году. "Нетс" делали это без элитного защитного подбора игроков, а за счет приверженности системе Аткинсона. Команда постоянно держала соперника подальше от краски и ограничивала попытки на периметре. 

Если руководство не было довольно игрой команды в этом омраченном травмами сезоне, возможно, причиной разочарования является нападение "Бруклина", которое занимает 23-е место в НБА. Возможно, было удивление результатом 8-12 в матчах с участием Ирвинга. Возможно, было ощущение, что будет легче начать все заново, чем интегрировать Дюранта в систему Аткинсона. 

Однако система Аткинсона сделала чудеса для Кариса Леверта, Спенсера Динуидди и Джо Харриса - трех игроков, которых "Нетс" привели на пресс-конференцию в субботу. Каждый из них выразил разочарование тем, что тренер, который помог им развиваться, больше не будет частью организации. Они узнали об увольнении из утреннего сообщения Маркса.  

"Определенно шокирован и удивлен. Я думаю, что парни, которые выступали здесь в течение последних нескольких лет под руководством Аткинсона, расстроены. Мы многому научились. Можно просто поблагодарить его за совместное время работы, за предоставленную возможность. Всем нам нравилось играть под руководством Кенни. Мы сильно выросли как игроки и как люди за этот период", - заявил Харрис. 

Харрис также сказал, что большая часть его успеха как игрока может быть приписана Аткинсону, поскольку тренер помог ему найти свое место в лиге. 

"Кенни - мой парень" - сказал Динуидди, который написал сообщение Аткинсону с благодарностью за предоставленную возможность играть и учиться на ошибках. 

"Любой, кто знает меня, знает, что я и Кенни были очень близки. Он сыграл огромную роль в моем развитии на площадке и за ее пределами. С первого дня мы работали сплоченно. Очевидно, что его увольнение неприятно, но это часть бизнеса. Это часть бизнеса, который является полным отстоем. Но это то, что есть", - отметил Леверт. 

За 305 минут совместной игры Ирвинга и Динуидди "Бруклин" набрал 117 очков за 100 владений и имел чистый рейтинг +7. Возможно, Аткинсон не самый подходящий тренер для команды с лидерами в лице Дюранта и Ирвинга. Возможно, при всех выдающихся заслугах Аткинсона в первой фазе восстановления "Нетс", франшизе нужен другой человек, чтобы сделать следующий шаг. У Аткинсона так и не будет возможности доказать обратное.

[Ellie]

Кевин Дюрэнт и Кайри Ирвинг почти не общались с Кенни Эткинсоном

Инсайдер The Athletic Шэмс Чарания, ссылаясь на источники в клубе, сообщил о возможных причинах отставки главного тренера «Бруклина» Кенни Эткинсона.

Подписанные летом звездные игроки почти не общались с наставником, а внутри организации постоянно нарастало убеждение, что Эткинсон не будет руководить командой в следующем сезоне. Однако перед началом сезона Дюрэнт заявлял, что баскетбол Эткинсона стал одной из причин продолжения карьеры именно в «Нетс».

 

[Ellie]

Если интересно, что произошло в "Нетс" подробнее: https://telegra.ph/Inside-all-that-went-into-the-Nets-and-Kenny-Atkinson-parting-ways-03-09 

[Red Sonja]

 благодарности Элли для привидённого материала по ссылке, для товарищей кто заинтересован углуибитьця далее в изучение англоязычного аналитицизма на тему придлагаетця далее для прочтенье по ссылке:

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Hollinger: On the Kenny Atkinson split up and what’s next for the Nets

By John Hollinger 3h ago 19 
BOSTON – Look, it was a weird weekend.

From the coronavirus looming in the background at a conference where nobody was shaking hands (shoutout to Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, y’all were ahead of your time), to players asking media members about whether they’d be playing in empty arenas soon, to the fact that it was actually pleasant in Boston and not freezing, it was all a little different.

So in that vein, maybe it wasn’t so odd that Brooklyn decided to double down on the weird Saturday by replacing head coach Kenny Atkinson … one day after mashing the Spurs by 19. This is the type of thing the Knicks do, not the Nets. (In a reassuring piece of normalcy, the Knicks spent the weekend openly discussing how a player who turns 35 in May could be the cornerstone of their rebuild.)

Yes, the Atkinson dismissal was odd on the surface, and the timing was even odder. But there was logic to this, if you look deeply enough.

RELATED: Inside all that went into the Nets and Kenny Atkinson parting ways
Replacing a coach is one of the most difficult, jarring admissions an organization can make. It’s an admission of failure, in many cases, although I’m not sure it is on this one. Here, the case is more a different admission: That the goalposts in Brooklyn have moved several miles down the road.

The Nets spent four years saying the word “culture” so often you’d think they ran a yogurt factory, which was an appropriate choice when they had no other tangible asset on which to hang their hats. With no lure of draft picks or precocious young talent, and no franchise history to draw upon, the Nets had nothing to sell but their own insistence that they wouldn’t allow a horrific trade with the Celtics to condemn them to suck.

Atkinson was a huge part of it – possibly the hugest. Arriving with a sterling reputation in player development, he backed it up by turning late draft picks and scrap-heap finds such as Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris, Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert into productive NBA starters with eight-figure deals, and along the way teamed with GM Sean Marks to build one of the league’s most cohesive locker rooms.

That mattered when the alternative was a nightly embarrassment. The Nets even made the playoffs last season, years ahead of schedule, and are highly likely to do so again despite missing their two best players for nearly the entire season. The reward for Atkinson was a contract extension last spring.

Then 2019 free agency happened.

Everything changed for this franchise the moment that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving agreed to join the Nets last summer, putting the franchise’s precious culture in the hands of the league’s two most quixotic quests for basketball fulfillment.

There is an odd Heisenberg-y element to all this – those two (and, lest we forget, DeAndre Jordan) reportedly chose Brooklyn in large part because of the Nets culture, even though their arrival immediately and irrevocably changed it.

Once they arrived, a long-term team immediately became a short-term team. Forget “culture” and “player development” and all the other code words for “look, we have a bunch of great guys here and we try really hard but we’re probably gonna get our asses kicked” – Brooklyn’s mission now is to max out a three-season window with a generational player at the tail end of his prime.

It can’t come fast enough, for a variety of reasons. A basketball franchise whose origin story is essentially as a footnote to a real estate deal, Brooklyn is near the bottom of the league in both attendance and TV ratings and has near-zero local market visibility outside the borough. The franchise had a small base of fans in New Jersey, but Brooklyn might as well be in Uzbekistan for those people.

The Durant/Irving tandem is a rare chance to change the Nets’ position in the local market, especially with the Knicks mired in their usual Knicksiness. While this season was effectively a gap year while they wait for Durant’s torn Achilles to, um, heel (sorry), it appears the Nets could already see the writing on the wall that it wasn’t going to work with Atkinson and Irving in particular … and that Atkinson saw it clearly enough that it wasn’t even worth waiting until the end of the season for the inevitable. (Also: Surely this decision wasn’t made without consulting the two max All-Stars.)  Asking around this weekend, some in the league were surprised by the timing, but nobody was blindsided by the idea of this happening.

All of this makes sense on some level. Atkinson’s strengths are in building culture and player development, and less so in game management and strategy. The Nets had some notable late-game fails in the early part of 2018-19 in particular, and some questioned Atkinson’s lineup choices this season. He may have also made a political miscalculation by not starting Jordan, even though Allen is plainly better by any objective standard.

Looking ahead, Atkinson may not have to move far. He’s represented by the CAA agency that has essentially been running the Knicks for the last decade-plus, and would seem to be well-suited to the rebuilding job that franchise now faces. Other jobs will presumably open at some point (coughChicagocough), and he’ll be on the shortlist for most of them.

But what now for Brooklyn?

Jacque Vaughn has taken over for the rest of the season, but absolutely nobody expects him to be the coach when the Nets begin play next fall. In fact, given the underwhelming results Vaughn produced in Orlando, it would be virtually impossible to justify an Atkinson-for-Vaughn exchange as a desirable long-term endgame.

From the front office side, this is actually one of the risks of an in-season coaching change – that the interim guy will do so well that you’ll be forced to keep him permanently, even if he wasn’t your first choice. What happens if the Nets improbably beat Toronto in the first round, for instance?

Hilariously, Vaughn’s first “adjustment” was to start Jordan over Allen on Sunday, offering some smoke signals of the internal politics that went into the coaching change.

In terms of the permanent hire, that’s where the question of “Who makes this call?” becomes important. Will it be Marks? Owner Joe Tsai? Irving and Durant? Some combination of the above? If so, who pushes the hardest?

The answers to those questions inform the list of coach candidates.

Does Irving want his old coach from Cleveland, Tyronn Lue, as some have suspected? Does Durant’s connection to Mark Jackson, via his agent Rich Kleiman, make the former Warriors coach a strong contender? To put a finer point on it, is Marks actually picking this coach at all, or are his two superstars, in concert with Tsai, essentially parachuting one in for him?

One name that nobody has mentioned yet that would seem an obvious candidate, should he become free, is Brett Brown. Marks has drawn heavily from the Popovich-Budenholzer family tree in building out his staff in Brooklyn to date (including Atkinson and Vaughn, naturally), and Brown would be the most prominent available member from that tree should things go sideways in Philadelphia.

Other names that come on the market will inevitably draw mentions as well. Houston’s Mike D’Antoni will likely be a free agent after the season, barring a title run by the Rockets. Tom Thibodeau spent the weekend lurking around the Sloan Conference while he hunts his next gig, and the brothers Van Gundy are never far from people’s lips in these discussions.

This will be one of the league’s most desirable jobs, despite the potential headache of managing the Irving-Durant partnership. Usually coaching spots become available in part due to lack of talent, but not here – the Nets should be a top-4 team in the East at a minimum, and could possibly be much more.

It will come with huge expectations too, and the bar for success will only be higher after the Nets let go of one of the most successful coaches in franchise history with 20 games left in a playoff season. It was a weird exclamation point on a weird weekend, and a possible prelude to more strangeness in Brooklyn.

(Top photo: Matteo Marchi / Getty Images)

What did you think of this story?

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John Hollinger’s two decades of NBA experience include seven seasons as the Memphis Grizzlies’ Vice President of Basketball Operations and media stints at ESPN.com and SI.com. A pioneer in basketball analytics, he invented several advanced metrics — most notably, the PER standard. He also authored four editions of “Pro Basketball Forecast.” In 2018 he was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. Follow John on Twitter @johnhollinger.
19  COMMENTS
Add a comment...
Eli A.
3h ago
3 likes
Not sure Jarrett Allen qualifies as a scrap heap find
Eli A.
3h ago
but great article!
Anthony A.
1h ago
Yeah neither is Caris. Both were drafted into the system.
John S.
26m ago
@Eli A. but he is a late 1st round draft pick...
Bill O.
3h ago
7 likes
Great reporting!
i was very surprised at Kenny Atkinson's removal this weekend. He has kept that team together and competitive through some very difficult times. This year is no exception.
With Durant and Irving on the shelf for, basically, all season, the Nets' expectations had to be put on hold.
Was Irving responsible for putting the idea in someone's ear about needing a change? That would be my bet. Irving has proven to be a 'locker room lawyer' stirring up negative emotions and poor attitudes. I hate to put this only on him, but, it might be very logical to think he is trying to assert his will upon the organization. If so, Ty Lue will probably get the job.
The Nets need an experienced hand to guide them in the next several years. Lue makes as much sense as anybody, however, there was nothing wrong with the job Kenny Atkinson was doing.
Drama ahead in Brooklyn!!
DAVID S.
3h ago
3 likes
Nicely written. It is hard to predict the future of this team. Seems like a combustible mixture of players.
Joe B.
2h ago
1 like
Good insight, thanks. What a mess.
Michael A.
2h ago
4 likes
Kenny did a great job bringing the Nets out of the abyss.
David S.
2h ago
8 likes
KD and Kyrie are going to blow up all the hard work this team has done to dig out of the hole. What happens if KD and Kyrie miss a bunch of time next season (very possible) or they flame out in the first round...does Marks go next? This is a disaster waiting to happen and it falls on Kyrie and KD. Warriors dodged a bullet when KD left. Grab your popcorn..the show is just starting.
Darryl M.
2h ago
4 likes
Atkinson was one of the better coaches in the NBA. He developed Levert, Dinwiddie, Allen, Harris into quality NBA players. His guidance finally developed DLo into a star.
They made the playoffs last season after literally starting from the basement due to trade with the Celtics which robbed them of picks to rebuild.
I don't know why Sean Marks expects their record to be better they lost DLo and his replacement, Kyrie, has been out half the year due to injuries. Yet, Atkinson still had them in the playoffs this season. The basketball gods believe in karma, good luck to the Nets.
Bulat G.
2h ago
John, since you return to writing you came in a top place of laughing at Knicks whether its necessary or not.
It hurts.
Jacob S.
2h ago
Here's a crazy suggestion for the new HC: Phil Jackson.
Bill C.
2h ago
3 likes
@Jacob S. He'll be 75 this year. Maybe you'd prefer Red Auerbach.
Jacob S.
2h ago
Pop is 71. The team will need an ego manager, and Phil is one of the greatest ego managers of alltime, irrespective of sport.
Mark T.
2h ago
7 likes
Given how fickle KD & Kyrie are, they should wait until Labor Day to select the next guy. It might be Kyrie’s dad. Or maybe Durant’s mom.
Bill C.
2h ago
3 likes
Please, let it be Jax. He and these superstars deserve each other. Although, maybe when Jax (again) starts calling out his assistants as spies for ownership or bringing his Bible to practice, they may regret the hire.
Nick G.
2h ago
Brett Brown?! Good lord
Jeffrey M.
1h ago
1 like
I doubt that Kenny Atkinson's bootlicking skills are sufficient to warrant a call from Chicago. GarPax know what they want in a coach.
Mark B.
1m ago
Yogurt factory, awesome
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A coaching change was inevitable once the arrival of stars altered Nets culture

By Michael Lee 2h ago 14 
In the closing minutes of their 39-point annihilation of the Brooklyn Nets last week, Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies celebrated a three-pointer by hopping on one leg and swinging the other side-to-side like some bootleg version of the Rockettes. The gleeful mockery of rapper Tekashi 69’s “Tati” dance – which had become the signature celebration of the Nets last season – was the flamboyantly disrespectful young Grizzlies’ effectively prancing on the grave of the culture Kenny Atkinson had spent three-plus years helping to establish in Brooklyn.

When Atkinson and the franchise decided to part ways three days later, it was an acknowledgement of what the Nets had become the moment Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant told them – without so much as an introductory meeting – that they were coming to New York’s other team.

The Nets were no longer the plucky overachievers; no longer the franchise that turned rejects and/or projects into productive, foundational pieces; no longer the fun-loving guys dancing their way into respectability.

What the Nets had been could no longer be, with championship-winning superstars in the fold. The careers and Day One-levels of success of Irving and Durant didn’t match the identity of the team with which they were joining. Beans and franks weren’t going to work with caviar and crepes tastes. And while Atkinson’s abrupt departure caught most of the NBA off guard, a separation was inevitable once the Nets added star power to the equation.

Suddenly, the culture that made Brooklyn appealing to Irving and Durant was going to be about acquiescing to their whims and quirks. And as well it should be, in a star-driven league.

Recognizing the inevitable shift in dynamics taking place, Atkinson told general manager Sean Marks his voice didn’t resonate with the team anymore. Didn’t matter that the Nets stayed in playoff contention without their two best players. They all knew this partnership wasn’t going to last long-term and it was better to act before the situation became an ugly or embarrassing public spectacle.

Franchises seeking to go from ashy to classy can still use the Nets as an organization worth emulating. They didn’t skip steps. They focused on progress rather than a protracted process. They took gambles, bet on what they could accomplish through a dedicated plan and then cashed in when the opportunity presented itself to go big-name hunting. Like their fellow overlooked big-city counterpart on the left coast, the LA Clippers, the Nets proved that there is some value in substance and structure.

This nomadic superstar era has also revealed the struggles that can initially come from the addition of box office talents to a roster of underdogs. The Clippers are a championship contender this season — while the Nets are engaged in an expected gap year — because Kawhi Leonard has been properly load managed and Paul George has been around just enough to make them dangerous.

But even that marriage has been tested as the players who helped create that relentless, grinding culture with the Clippers have had to adjust to a double standard of special treatment being reserved for players with the most accolades and larger bank accounts. Doc Rivers hasn’t had to worry about his job security because he has the ring, reputation and longevity to command respect.

Increased expectations ultimately led to the Nets and former coach Kenny Atkinson parting. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
For the most part, however, coaches are the easiest to push out. LeBron James established a template for Durant and Irving by deciding to return to Cleveland before ever meeting then-coach David Blatt. The Cavaliers let Blatt get one year — and one injured-riddled team in the NBA Finals — but got rid of him the next season despite having the best record in the Eastern Conference at the time. Winning a championship justified the decision but also gave organizations a quicker hook to attain more rapid results.

James then chose to join the Los Angeles Lakers in a similar fashion as Durant and Irving in Brooklyn: selecting a location first, and an organization second while confidently banking on his elite talents to make sure everything else came together. Luke Walton was unproven and never gained LeBron’s confidence. After Magic Johnson publicly lambasted Walton, the Lakers inexplicably let him finish out a season in which leaks made it plain that he had no future once exit interviews concluded.

In some ways, the Nets should be applauded for allowing Atkinson to leave with his reputation intact, assured in becoming one of the best coaching candidates available for teams looking to build from the bottom or the middle. D’Angelo Russell became an All-Star under his tutelage and was rewarded with a max contract. Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie resuscitated teetering careers. Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen excelled in their roles.

Whether Atkinson is capable of coaching ready-made elite talent instead of just coaching average players up will be left to his next employer to figure out. Durant has spent all season rehabilitating his right Achilles and Irving was only able to contribute 20 games before shoulder surgery ended his bizarre Tri-state area homecoming season. But everything that the Nets were about to become, began and ended with them, for better or worse. That’s just how it is when teams are fortunate enough to have franchise-altering talents on their rosters.

The Miami Heat were the first organization to test the program that it had built when James and Chris Bosh decided to give #HeatCulture a try. The first few months were challenging. You had power struggles, a passive-aggressive shoulder bump and moments of confusion and doubt. They were able to make it work because of the presence of an established star who could not only vouch for his coach, but also flash a championship ring that came as a result of his faith in what they were doing.

Miami also had top-to-bottom organizational symmetry to combat any newcomers or interlopers unwilling to buy in. Two championships and four Finals appearances later, Pat Riley spent years doubling down on what worked with James and Bosh, waiting for another star who would be willing to embrace his philosophies and take Micky Arison’s money. Jimmy Butler came in and had a mentality and approach that made him a fit.

“It’s different. That’s what I love about this game is being able to coach different kinds of personalities and players. But it all starts with sharing similar values,” Spoelstra said. “So, if you don’t have players that share the values that you share and vice versa, then it’s probably not the appropriate marriage. We’ve been very fortunate that we’ve had a lot of Hall of Fame marriages, really, and players that speak the same language and want the same things. It doesn’t mean that there’s not a little bit of friction along the way. That’s to be expected. But you have to share similar viewpoints about competition, and we’ve been very fortunate to have that.”

Spoelstra is still around to connect each Heat incarnation over the past dozen years. He has the championship rings to warrant the continued investment but coaches are rarely afforded that opportunity if the first or second season becomes a failure.

The Celtics’ commitment to Brad Stevens kept him safe after the addition of All-Stars Irving and Gordon Hayward elevated expectations but deflated the actual results. Irving was dealing with depression, following the death of his grandfather and struggling to handle what it took to be a leader.

Hayward was slow to recover from a gruesome leg injury. Stevens wasn’t able to manage all of the personalities in the locker room last season. And Boston flopped, miserably. But Boston has thrived this season with Kemba Walker replacing Irving with a personality and mentality that matches the culture of overlooked overachievers that Stevens has made his brand over the years, dating back to his time at Butler.

Atkinson never got the chance to coach the team that inspired so much enthusiasm during a 42-win season that culminated with a combined three championship rings, three gold medals and two signature Nike shoes bypassing the most recognizable basketball brand in New York for the long-overlooked stepchild. Of course, it can be argued that with these moves the Nets gained relevance but lost themselves.

With the addition of Anthony Davis, the Lakers are reaping the benefits of scrapping the youth movement and going all-in on James. The greats are worth it in the end. The Nets’ championship clock starts the moment Durant steps on the floor, but even if he and Irving are fully to blame for Atkinson’s dismissal, they are both responsible for where the organization goes from here.

Durant doesn’t just have to return from an injury that has ruined lesser careers. Irving doesn’t just have to recover from injury and restore a reputation that has been pelted since he left Cleveland in a huff. They now have to determine what the culture will be in Brooklyn. They’ve already changed it. Ended it. Watched the Grizzlies laugh and stomp all over it.

What made Brooklyn an attractive destination isn’t what will make it an attractive home for the best of the best. It’s on Durant and Irving to make it worthwhile to lose a good coach.

(Photo: Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE via Getty Images)

 

 

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Michael Lee is a Senior Writer for The Athletic. An award-winning journalist, Lee has covered the NBA for more than 16 years at The Washington Post, Yahoo Sports and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. His 20-plus years as a professional sports journalist have taken him to three Olympics, multiple NBA Finals and a World Series. Follow Michael on Twitter @MrMichaelLee.
14  COMMENTS
Add a comment...
JEFFREY S.
2h ago
24 likes
Goodness. The reason Miami worked is because Pat Riley stood his ground and said Spo was staying. League needs more Pat Riley’s.
Joseph S.
1h ago
3 likes
@JEFFREY S.
True, though most GM's don't have Riley's clout and championships to pull off that sort of move with a top-tier superstar. When LeBron tells Riley that he's wondering about Spo, Riley pulls out his then-seven championship rings and says "this jewelry store says that I know what a good coach looks like, trust me on this".
Most other GM's? You get an eyeroll and a sigh...and maybe an owner on the phone a couple hours later asking pointed questions.
Ryan C.
2h ago
12 likes
I think the nets made a mistake.
Mark B.
4m ago
@Ryan C. Just one?
David S.
2h ago
22 likes
2 very moody and unpredictable players who are injured....what could go wrong lol

They are about to tear down everything that was built.
Robert N.
1h ago
4 likes
Loved the concluding thought
George B.
1h ago
5 likes
Really well written Michael... exactly the reason I pay the subscriptions fees to the Athletic. My compliments on being excellent at your craft.
Jerry R.
1h ago
8 likes
Kyrie is a destroyer and KD a follower ! Lots of drama ahead for the Nets !
Walter M.
1h ago
1 like
This is a really good story. But this sentence -- forgive the English professor in me -- is not:
"For the most part, however, coaches are the easiest from which to dispose."
Matthew F.
1h ago
8 likes
“Suddenly, the culture that made Brooklyn appealing to Irving and Durant was going to be about acquiescing to their whims and quirks. And as well it should be, in a star-driven league.”

Really?????? As well it should be?? Why have coaches, then?
Robert F.
1h ago
@Matthew F. I couldn't agree more. It's time for the owners to grow a pair and put the power back in the coaches. This is one issue in which the owners should collude and change the league for the better...
John E.
1h ago
In other words. Atkinson quit because he didn't want to wait to be fired. Leaving his team swinging in the wind. He should be worried aboutt his reputation because I really don't think he comes out of this looking good.
Jim C.
1h ago
1 like
Miami, Golden State, San Antonio, Boston, those organizations have strong GMs and strong owners in synch with their chosen coaches and willing to back them. And the track record to make it stick.

The Nets don't have that yet, but imo any organization that kowtows to Kyrie Irving is in trouble. And I'm willing to bet that letting Durant and Irving drive what happens on this team will be a recipe for failure.
Anthony H.
42m ago
1 like
Irving and Durant didn’t come to NY for the team, they came for the marketing opportunities. And when they know they can get rid of the coach, why bother reaching out to him before hand.
READ MORE
The night Doug Moe and Michael Adams gave the NBA a sneak peek into its future
By  Mike Monroe

 1h ago

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Zach Harper
3h ago 54 Comments

Q&A recap: Dave DuFour answered your NBA questions on March 9
Dave DuFour
6h ago 216 Comments

‘Less high-fives, more daps.’ But for Magic and NBA, old habits hard to break
Josh Robbins
6h ago 3 Comments

Can’t call Anthony Davis or Lakers a ‘sidekick’: Lakers-Clippers first thoughts
Joe Vardon
Mar 8 44 Comments

Discuss: Brooklyn Nets part ways with head coach Kenny Atkinson
The Athletic Staff
Mar 7 41 Comments

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