Friday, November 18, 2022

J-Speaks: The Tough, The Good, The Rough and Possibly Good Times Again For the 2022-23 Brooklyn Nets

No team came into the 2022-23 season under more pressure to get off to a good start than the Brooklyn Nets. They did not get off to a good start and that resulted in their head coach essentially being fired. On top of that, their second-best player made a controversial post about a very controversial film that got major backlash and resulted him being suspended after he failed to sincerely apologize for that post. The Nets under their now new head coach in their assistant the previous five seasons did right the ship behind more consistent defense and their best player continuing his impressive scoring streak. The Nets though came back to Earth with consecutive losses to begin this week and the question for them is with said second-best player on the verge of returning from the team posed suspension can they build any kind of momentum to make something of this season?

Even with their 116-109 victory back on Halloween night (Oct. 31) versus the Indiana Pacers (7-6), the Nets (7-9) were just 2-5. That led to the ouster of head coach Steve Nash as he and the Nets mutually agreed to part ways at the start of this month as according to Nets’ General Manager Sean Marks the team was no longer responding to Nash’s voice.

Nash, who was hired by the Nets in the summer of 2020 after they and now Golden State Warriors assistant coach Kenny Atkinson also parted ways, posted a 94-67 mark in his 2-plus seasons.

The Nets though were considered under achievers because of the exceptionally talented roster led by their Hall of Fame head coach.

The Nets hired the two-time Kia MVP in Nash because of his ability to navigate the talented but head-strong personalities of two-time Finals MVP and two-time NBA champion in Kevin Durant and fellow NBA champion and perennial All-Star guard Kyrie Irving. That partnership between the three though became more of a bust.

The Nets played most of last season without Irving who because of his refusal to comply with the New York City mandate instituted by Mayor Eric Adams (D-NY) to take the COVID-19 vaccine shot. There was also the challenge of navigating through significant injuries to sharp-shooting wing Joe Harris as well as an unhappy perennial All-Star and 2018 Kia MVP James Harden, who the Nets acquired in a three-team deal with Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for three First-Round picks, and wingman Caris LeVert and center Jarrett Allen.

For a brief period, it looked like Durant, Irving, and Harden were going put the Nets into the championship circle in the years ahead.

Instead, the only highlight of the Durant-Irving era is Durant’s supposed game-winning triple in Game 7 of the 2021 East Semifinals versus the eventual NBA champion Milwaukee Bucks was ruled a two-pointer because Durant had his left big toe on the line. The Bucks won Game 7 in overtime and the series.

Since then, things have gone south for the Nets with the main reason being the inability of the Nets’ front office constant flipflopping of taking a stand with Durant and Irving and giving in to their every wish.

Last season, the Nets front office of Tsai and Marks telling Irving that he could not be a part-time player because he did not want to get vaccinated. They reversed course after Durant went down with a knee injury in the middle of January and that Irving was not going to waiver from his decision to not get vaccinated, meaning he could not play in home games at Barclays Center.

That resulted in the Nets never developing any kind of continuity or chemistry the rest of the season.

Harden seeing that his chances of winning a title with the Nets very murky requested to be traded and was dealt at the 2022 trade deadline to the Philadelphia 76ers along with Paul Millsap in exchange for three-time All-Star Ben Simmons and sharp-shooting guard Seth Curry.

“He has certainly not had an even playing field over two years here,” Marks said of Nash at the start of this month. “I can list the distractions. I don’t want to get in there, because I know how competitive Steve is and I think if I sat here and listed one-by-one all the things that he had to go through over his tenure here, I’d be doing him a disservice because he doesn’t want excuses…I certainly feel some responsibility because this does not all fall on him.”

Mr. Tsai added about Nash saying he is “not one to shy away from challenges. That his “admiration” and “respect for Nash” grew over his two seasons as Nets head coach.  

Among the challenges Nash took on last season was Simmons, who sat out all last season both for the 76ers and Nets because of issues with his mental health and a back injury that required surgery has struggled to find his place and way alongside Durant and Irving.

Simmons has looked nothing like the player who was a three-time All-Star and one of the best defensive players in the league, who was the runner-up for Kia Defensive Player of the Year two seasons back.

Over the summer, 2014 Kia MVP and perennial All-Star Kevin Durant at the start of this past offseason asked Nets Governor Joe Tsai to either fire Coach Nash and Marks or trade him. In August cooler heads prevailed and Durant, Tsai, Marks, and Nash agreed to move forward together.

“It was an amazing experience with many challenges that I’m incredibly grateful for,” Nash said in a statement about his two seasons as Nets’ head coach. “I wish the Nets all the success in the world and the [Nashes] will be rooting for our team as they turn this season around.”

Marks did say that he did not consult the players about the decision to let Nash go. Durant learned of Nash’s exit in the early afternoon of Nov. 1 when he tuned into ESPN after “woke up from his nap.”

“I’m shocked,” Durant said of the Nets decision to let Nash go. Durant also said that he did not feel that Nash’s voice was being tuned out by the team. But added that he “can’t speak for Steve.”

Taking over for Nash was assistant coach Jacque Vaughn, who served as the interim head coach for the Nets in the 2020 restart in Orlando, FL in the midst of the global Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic.

The Nets in their first game under Vaughn lost 108-99 Nov. 1 versus the Chicago Bulls (6-9), dropping the Nets to 2-6.

The other challenge that the Nets had to deal with at the start of November was perennial All-Star floor general Kyrie Irving Tweeted a link on his social media to the anti-sematic movie “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America,” which consisted of the denialism of the Holocaust and quotations of antisemites from the likes of the late Adolf Hitler and Henry Ford.

Irving was called out by Governor Tsai and took down the post. But in Nov. 3 presser doubled down on his beliefs.

“I take my responsibility for posting that,” Irving said in his presser on Nov. 3. “Some things that were questionable in there, untrue. Like I said in the first-time you guys asked me when I was sitting on that stage, I don’t believe everything everybody post--It’s a documentary. So, I take my responsibility.”

Irving also said about the post that he “did not mean to cause any harm” and that he was not the one that “made the documentary.”

When asked about how surprised he was about the backlash that has come from his post, Irving asked, “Where were when I was a kid figuring out that 300 million of my ancestors are buried in America?”

“Where were you guys asking those same questions when I was kid dealing with learning about the dramatic events of my familial history and what I’m proud to come from and why I’m proud to stand here, and why when I repeat myself that I’m not going to stand down, it has nothing to do with dismissing any other race or group of people.”

“I’m just proud of my heritage and what we’ve been through and the fact that this has pinned me against the Jewish community and I’m here answering questions of whether or not I’m sorry or not about something I didn’t create and was something I shared, and I’m telling everybody I’m taking responsibility, then that’s were I sit.”    

Irving when asked by Nets reporter for ESPN Nick Friedell that if he had any antisemitic beliefs, Irving seeming to get even more annoyed said how he does not know how that “label becomes justified.” How this is “not going to turn into a spin-around cycle of questions upon questions.”

That he “respects” all walks of life and “that’s where I sit.” That he “cannot be antisemitic if I know where I come from. I cannot be antisemitic if I know where I come from.”

After speaking for over six minutes, a member of the Nets’ Public Relations staff cut the Irving’s presser short.

Irving also in that presser declined to answer a question if he had met with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Their CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted on Nov. 3 @JGreenblatADL, “The answer to the question, ‘Do you have any antisemitic beliefs’ is always  ‘No’ without equivocation. We took @KyrieIrving at his word when he said he took responsibility, but today he did not make good on that promise. Kyrie clearly has a lot of work to do.”

The day before, the Nets and Irving announced they each would donate $500,000 to anti-hate causes.

Irving, the Nets, and the ADL also released a joint statement on Nov. 2 that announced the donations.

Irving said in the statement that he “opposes all forms of hatred,” “oppression,” and that he “stands strong with communities that are marginalized and impacted every day.” That he is “aware” of the very negative impact that his words towards the Jewish community and that he takes “responsibility.”

“I do not believe everything said in the documentary was true or reflects my morals and principles. I am a human being learning from all walks of life and I intend to do so with an open mind and a willingness to listen,” Irving added. “So, from my family and I, we meant no harm to any one group, race or religion or people, and wish to only be a beacon of truth and light.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, who is Jewish said in a statement that Irving made a “reckless decision” posting a link to the film that contained very “offensive antisemitic material” and needed to go further with his remorse for that post.

“While we appreciate the fact that he agreed to work with the Brooklyn Nets and the Anti-Defamation League to combat antisemitism and other forms of discrimination, I am disappointed that he has not offered an unqualified apology and more specifically denounced the vile and harmful content contained in the film he chose to publicize,” Commissioner Silver said.  

Irving’s refusal though to give an exact apology during that Thursday led to the Nets suspending him for at least five games without pay saying that he is “currently unfit to be associated with the Brooklyn Nets.”

“We were dismayed today, when given the opportunity in a media session, that Kyrie refused to unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs, nor acknowledge specific hateful material in the film. This was not the first time he had the opportunity—but failed—to clarify,” the Nets said in a statement on Nov. 3.

“Such failure to disavow antisemitism when given a clear opportunity to do so is deeply disturbing, is against the values of our organization, and constitutes conduct detrimental to the team.”

“We’ve have decided that Kyrie will serve a suspension without pay until he satisfies a series of objective remedial measures that address the harmful impact of his conduct and the suspension period served is no less than five games.”  

Following the Nets suspending Irving for the minimum of five games, he issued an apology on his Instagram page four hours later saying, “To All Jewish families and communities that are hurt and affected from my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize. I initially reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labeled Anti-Semitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish Brothers and Sisters that were hurt from the hateful remarks made in the Documentary. I want to clarify any confusion on where I stand fighting against Anti-semiticism by apologizing for posting the documentary without context and a factual explanation outlining the specific beliefs in the Documentary I agreed with and disagreed with. I had no intentions to disrespect any Jewish cultural history regarding the Holocaust or perpetuate any hate. I am learning from this unfortunate event and hope we can find understanding between us all.”

Irving also said in his post that the movie consisted of “some false anti-Semitic statements, narratives, and language that were untrue and offensive to the Jewish Race/Religion, and I take full accountability and responsibility for my actions.”

At the close of last week, Governor Tsai tweeted @joetsai1999 that he and his wife Clara met with Irving and his family saying that they all spent quality time to “understand each other.”

“It’s clear to me that Kyrie does not have any beliefs of hate towards Jewish people or any kind,” Tsai also said in that Tweet. “The Nets and Kyrie, together with the NBA and NBPA (National Basketball Players Association) are working constructively toward a process of forgiveness, healing and education.”  

In order for Irving to get back on the court though, he had to complete six specific task, which they delivered to him on Nov. 5.

According to the “The Stadium’s” and Bally Sports NBA Insider Shams Charania, Irving had to apologize and condemn the Anti-Semitic move. Donate $500,000 to anti-hate causes. Complete sensitivity and antisemitic training. Meet with the ADL, Jewish leaders and meet with Nets Governor Tsai to demonstrate understanding of why people were so upset about his tweet about a movie that has antisemitism. 

The Nets initially went 4-1 without Irving in the lineup where they displayed some real continuity on both ends of the floor for the first time this season holding opponents those five straight opponents to under 100 points.

The Nets got that string of four wins in five tries started with an emphatic 128-86 victory Nov. 4 at the Washington Wizards (8-7), outscoring the homestanding Wizards 59-29 in the second half for a franchise-record tying 42-point road win. They used a 27-3 run spanning the first half and the beginning of the second half to take control of the game and never looked back.

Durant led the way with a near triple-double of 28 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds on 10/21 shooting. Starting center Nic Claxton chipped in with 18 points, nine boards and three block shots, while starting forward Royce O’Neale chipped in with 13 points and eight boards, going 3/5 from three. Fellow new addition Edmond Sumner, starting in place of Irving had 11 points and two steals.

Off the bench, second-year guard Cam Thomas chipped in with 17 points and six assists. New addition Yuta Watanabe had 14 points and eight rebounds with two block shots.

Nets outscored the Wizards 60-40 in the paint and 50-21 in bench points. They outrebounded the Wizards 48-39; shot 55.6 percent from the field (50/90 FGs) and went 14/28 from three-point range. They had 32 assists on their 50 made shots, registering eight steals and seven block shots. The Nets held the Wizards to 36.1 percent from the field (30/82 FGs) and 8/34 from three-point range.

A night later, the Nets overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth period and a deficit as high as 12 points for a 98-94 win at the struggling Charlotte Hornets (4-12) using a 17-6 run to open the fourth period to lead by as many as 13 points.

It was the first time in the early portion of this season the Nets registered consecutive wins.

Durant led the way again with 27 points, eight rebounds and three blocks on 10/20 shooting, registering 25-plus points for the 10th straight game to open 2022-23. Durant’s 315 total points the first 10 games of 2022-23 are the most the first 10 games of a season in his NBA career.

“I just think we’ve rallied around each other,” Durant said postgame about the Nets resurgence the last two games. “I mean, it was a tough week for us and its always good to just get back to the game, you know.”

“Once the balls tip, all the other [bleep] goes out the window. So, I think everybody’s just waiting to just get back to playing. We also lost three to four games before that. So, we just felt some pride and wanted to come out here and get some W’s.”

Thomas had 21 points off the bench going 10/11 at the charity stripe. Veteran reserve guard Patty Mills had 11 points on 3/5 from three also off the bench. Claxton also scored 11 with nine boards, three steals and four blocks.

Nets overcame a 39.3 percent night from the field (33/84 FGs) and 12/36 from three-point range by holding the Hornets to 37.2 percent from the floor (32/86 FGs) and 14/42 from three. The Nets also were 20/22 at the foul line.

Kevin Durant’s Most Points Scored Through First 10 Games In A Season In His Career
2022-23 With Brooklyn Nets: 315 Points
2013-14 With Oklahoma City Thunder: 296 Points
2021-22 With Brooklyn Nets: 286 Points
2010-11 With Thunder: 284 Points

The Nets were in position to win their third straight, but Durant missed two critical free throws in the closing minutes in the 96-94 loss Nov. 7 at the Dallas Mavericks (8-6).

Durant, who had 26 points in the loss on 10/20 shooting got fouled with 06.7 seconds left in regulation by the Mavericks’ Reggie Bullock with the Mavericks ahead 96-93. Durant made the first free throw to pull the Nets to within 96-94. But his second free throw rimmed out, which snapped a streak of 62 made free throws to start this season. Durant intentionally missed the second foul shot, and then the third, and the Mavericks eventually got the game sealing board.

The Nets bounced back two nights later with an emphatic 112-85 win versus the crosstown rival New York Knicks (8-7) Nov. 9 on ESPN.

This was the Nets’ first wire-to-wire victory of 2022-23 as they led by as many as 35 points.

The Nets also registered their eighth consecutive victory over the Knicks, tying their second longest winning streak all-time against their now in city rivals. Now three shy of equaling the 11-game winning streak they had over the Knicks from 1984-86.  

Durant led the way again with his 17th career triple-double of 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists on 10/19 from the field and 8/10 at the foul line.

This was Durant’s 12th straight game to open 2022-23 scoring 25-plus points, a new Nets record. He is now 20-3 in his career with the Thunder, Golden State Warriors, and Nets against the Knicks having not lost to them since 2013.

Curry had season-high 23 points going 6/11 from three. Sumner also had a season-best of 18 points, five boards and two steals, making three of his four triples.

Durant, who triple-double total included his fifth as a Net, which is tied for the third most in franchise history, scored or assisted on 26 of the Nets’ 38 first quarter points. He registered nine of his 12 assists in the opening half, tying a career-best for assists in any half. He also became the first player since Hall of Famer and six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan in 1988-89 with the Chicago Bulls to score 25-plus points in one’s first 12 games of an NBA season.

The Nets outrebounded the Knicks 55-46. Turned 15 Knicks turnovers into 25 points. They also held their fifth consecutive opponent under 100 points, their longest such streak since holding eight straight opponents under the century mark in the 2014-15 season.

“I just like how we were all on the same page, you know. I’m only as good as my teammates,” Durant said after the win to ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth about the Nets teamwork on both ends of the floor.

“Them setting me up. Them being there for me, especially on defense when I’m guarding one-on-one. Help me rebound. So, it’s a team effort for me to get going because a lot of teams are putting a lot of attention on me offensively. So, I got to rely on my guys to get me open.”

Earlier in the day, the Nets made it official naming Vaughn their new head coach, signing him through the 2023-24 season.

In his pregame presser before their tilt versus the Knicks, Marks said there were a number of factors in why Vaughn was the right person to be named the 22nd head coach in Nets history. For starters is him knowing Coach Vaughn going back to their playing days with the San Antonio Spurs. How he has been a part of the Nets since being an assistant since 2016-17. The “person” Vaughn is. The connection he has with the players.

“I obviously look at what has happened over the last sort of four games,” Marks added about his evaluation of Vaughn. “But you know, it’s not entirely that’s what we’re looking at. We’re looking at the big picture here and having a relationship with him for seven years. His connection with players. His competitive spirit, you know. A lot of that goes a long way. And we’ve seen how this team to be quite frank has responded to him lately.”

At the start of November when the Nets announced they axed Coach Nash, there were reports that the Nets had plans to hire former Nets assistant coach and former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka as their new head coach.

Udoka took the Celtics to The Finals a season ago in his first season on their sidelines. But he was suspended by the team before the start of this season because of “violating team policy.”

It was reported by “The Associated Press" that Udoka was suspended for the entire 2022-23 season for having an inappropriate relationship with a female subordinate within the Celtics organization.

While Udoka, 40 would have been a major upgrade, just the optics of hiring him not even 100 days into his suspension (40 days to be exact) were not something the Nets really could afford at the moment.

Also, the team has responded well to Coach Vaughn and unlike his first head coaching opportunity with the Orlando Magic, where he went 58-158 from 2012-15, he has a talented roster and so far, it has worked.

Vaughn, who played in the NBA for 12 years (1997-2009) with the Utah Jazz, Atlanta Hawks, Magic, then New Jersey Nets, and Spurs is the fourth former Net to be named head coach, joining now Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, Hall of Famer Willis Reed, and Ernest “Kiki” VanDeWeghe. 

“It means a lot,” Vaughn, who went 7-3 as the interim head coach of the Nets in the 2020 restart in Orlando, losing in the First Round 4-0 of 2020 Playoffs versus the Toronto Raptors said being named the Nets new head coach. “I played for this organization (2004-06). I’ve been here for seven years and really been a loyal servant along the way. Now I get to serve in a different capacity, and I’m looking forward to it.”

Coach Vaughn added jokingly about being named the Nets new head coach that in referencing this past midterm election cycle that he was “the write-in candidate.”

But he said he’s “okay” with that and added that he said to his now wife of over two decades that she might not have been her first choice in terms of a long-time mate.

“I can all work out. So, off we go” Vaughn said.

After the win, Durant presented Coach Vaughn with the game ball for his first official victory as the new head coach of the Nets.

“The interim tag is gone. Head coach’s first win. Congratulations,” Durant said as he handed Coach Vaughn the game ball while giving him a hug.

“I was excited for him,” Durant said about Coach Vaughn during his postgame presser. “I know the work that he puts in every day. I know how much he cares about the development of each player and this team as a whole. Looking forward to playing for him.”

“All the guys have responded to how he wants us to play. And so, I’m looking forward to how we progress after this.”    

The good times kept rolling for the Nets as they opened their four-game West Coast road trip with a 110-95 victory at the Los Angeles Clippers (8-7).

Trailing 86-84 with 7:42 left in the fourth period, consecutive threes made by Curry, a layup by Claxton, and a three by O’Neale capped a 20-2 run that put the Nets up 104-88 with 2:22 left. They outscored the Clippers 35-24 in the fourth quarter

Durant led the way in the win with 27 points, six boards, two steals and two block shots on 10/16 shooting and 3/5 from three.

Curry had 23 points on 9/15 from the floor, including 4/8 from three, scoring 14 of those 23 points in the fourth period on 5/6 shooting overall from the floor, including 4/4 on his triple tries.  

“Trying to be aggressive, make plays,” Curry, who has gone 10/15 from three-point range the last two said to YES’ (Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network’s) Meghan Triplett after the win. “Been working hard on my game the past couple of weeks. Just trying to get my legs back into it. So, just trying to get some confidence out there. Just getting good shots and I knew they would eventually fall.”

“But like I said, guys are making it easy on me. K (Durant) been doing a good job setting screens, moving the basketball and everybody’s a threat out there.” 

Claxton had a double-double of 13 points and 14 rebounds with three blocks. O’Neale added 12 points and five boards, going 3/6 on his threes. Sumner had 11 points and three steals, scoring in double-figures for the third time in his five starts in place of Irving. 

The Nets defensively held the Clippers to 9/21 from the field in the fourth period (42.9 FG%), including 2/7 from three. Perennial All-Star Paul George scored just 17 points on 5/21 shooting and 1/6 on his threes.

“I felt like all night we made then shoot over our hand,” Durant said of the Nets defense against the Clippers. “The shots they did make were all tough, you know. I felt like, you know, you’ve got tough shot makers over there. Marcus Morris [Sr.], PG [Paul George], John Wall, Reggie Jackson, Luke Kennard. They all made tough shots. But you’ve got to live with some of those…But we hung our hat on making them shoot tough shots over us.”

To put into context the Nets improved play at the defensive end since Coach Vaughn took over on Oct. 31, the Nets have been ranked entering their tilt at the Clippers No. 1 in “The Association” in points allowed (96.3) and opponent’s field goal percentage (40.1 percent) as well as No. 5 in opponent’s three-point percentage (31.9 percent).

The Nets came back down to Earth with consecutive losses in California with a 116-103 loss Nov. 13 at the struggling Los Angeles Lakers (3-10) and an embarrassing 153-121 defeat this past Tuesday night at the surging Sacramento Kings (7-6) on TNT.

The Nets allowed the Lakers to shoot 48.4 percent (44/91 FGs) from the floor; were outrebounded 45-41, including 12-8 on the offensive glass; and were outscored 56-48 in the paint.

Durant was sensational again with 31 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists with two blocks on 13/14 at the foul line. Thomas had 15 points off the bench and Sumner had 13 points. Watanabe had 11 points and five boards. Joe Harris had 10 points and five rebounds.

The Nets just had no answers for perennial All-Star Anthony Davis who had 37 points and 18 rebounds on 15/25 shooting. He scored 21 of his 37 points in the second half, including 15 points in the third quarter. Davis had a career-high tying 10 offensive rebounds. 

New addition Lonnie Walker IV had a season-high of 25 points on 9/15 shooting, including 4/5 from three-point range. Former 2017 Kia MVP Russell Westbrook also had a double-double with 14 points and 12 assists with six rebounds off the bench.

It did not help that the Nets were without Curry because of left ankle management and Simmons (sore left knee). Claxton was also lost in the third quarter to a left eye contusion and did not return.

Two night later, the Kings torched the Nets in their second straight outscoring the Nets 117-91 the final three quarters, using a 27-4 run in the second quarter to put the game out of reach leading by as many as 39 points. The Nets allowed 59.6 percent from the field for the evening (56/94 FGs), including 20/41 from three-point range and 21/25 at the charity stripe.

The Nets were outrebounded by the Kings 43-29, including 9-3 on the offensive glass, outscoring the Nets 11-1 in second chance points. The Kings had 39 assists on their 56 made shots. They scored 25 points off 17 Nets turnovers. Outscored the Nets 26-10 in fastbreak points; 66-44 in the paint and 83-63 in bench points.

The Nets allowed the most points in a regulation game in their history and is the most points allowed since they gave up 161 points in their 161-157 double-overtime loss ironically enough to the Nash led Suns on Dec. 7, 2006.

After allowing just 94 points on 38.8 percent shooting the first six games under Coach Vaughn, the Nets allowed on average 134.5 points on 54.3 percent from the floor in their two losses at the Lakers and Kings.

Durant in defeat led the way with 27 points and six rebounds on 11/11 at the foul line. Sumner had 18 points. Thomas had 12 points. Simmons had his first game scoring in double-digits this season with 11 points and five rebounds off the bench, while Watanabe also scored 11 points on 3/5 from three.

While the Nets have gone 4-4 under Coach Vaughn and have somewhat picked themselves off the canvas, they are still behind the eight ball in terms of where many felt they would be at the start of this season. With Irving poised to return to the lineup having completed the aforementioned six task necessary to show his understanding of how disrespectful he was to the Jewish community. Will his return make a difference?

The last time Irving played was on Nov. 1 just a couple of days after posting a link to film with antisemitic content, he scored just four points on 2/12 from the field, including missing all six of this triple tries.

A report from “The Athletic” said that Irving will return from suspension on Sunday night  when the Nets host the Memphis Grizzlies (9-6) at Barclays in Brooklyn, NY.

While Coach Vaughn would not confirm or deny that report, he did say when Irving does return, he better be ready to full amerce himself into the Nets new true team concept on both ends of the floor. 

“My approach is, the trains going to keep moving,” Coach Vaughn, whose team has gone 4-3 without Irving said before the Nets Thursday night contest at the Western Conference leading Portland Trail Blazers. “That train is: playing hard, playing together, being a team and that’s going to continue. And that’s going to be up to me to get our group to incorporate everybody.” 

As important as it is to get Irving back into the fold, the Nets as a whole need to play at a consistent level on both ends of the floor if they have any sliver of hope of living up to their championship expectations if those expectations remain.

They showed a spirt of that as mentioned in a five-game stretch where they played solid defense and had some cohesion offensively to where Durant was the focal point as the point forward where he scored at a high level as well as facilitated.

That facilitation led to the likes of Curry getting open shots that he made at a high clip. He and Harris have to continue to strike a match from the perimeter at a high level if the Nets want to get back on track.

The Nets also need for Simmons to some way. Somehow find his game again on both ends. He showed some signs of life with his first game scoring in double figures of this season with 11 points off the bench with five rebounds in the previously mentioned loss at the Kings on Tuesday evening.

He really showed out for the first time in over two years with a double-double of a season-best 15 points with 13 rebounds and seven assists on a perfect 6/6 from the floor off the bench in the Nets 110-107 win on Thursday night at the Trail Blazers (10-5).

What was even more eye opening about the performance by Simmons was that he made three of his four free throw attempts.

Simmons was part of a total team effort by the Nets, who overcame an 11-point deficit late in the third quarter.

Durant led the way again with 35 points and eight boards on 13/22 from the field and 8/10 at the foul line. Watanabe scored 11 his 20 points off the bench in the third quarter with seven rebounds on 5/7 from three-point range. Harris had 15 points on 4/8 from three-point range. O’Neale, who had the game-winning tip-in with 00.7 seconds left in regulation capped his first career triple-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists.

The Nets defensive effort on Thursday night equated to them outrebounding the Trail Blazers 47-39 and held the home team to 38.7 percent from the field (36/93 FGs).

“He was incredible tonight,” Durant said of Simmons’ stellar performance. “I thought he did a good job of commanding the offense, commanding the team on the defensive side of the ball. He was able to control the game and get us back into it.”

It has been well documented that a big reason why the 76ers in 2020-21 went down in flames in the postseason two springs ago when the lost to the eventual East runner-up Atlanta Hawks in the 2021 East Semifinals was Simmons dismal free throw shooting and how he simply lost confidence in his ability to perform on both ends of the floor.

On this night when the Trail Blazers began intentionally fouling Simmons with 3:28 left in the final period, the career 59 percent foul shooter made three of his four tries at the charity stripe to keep the Nets in front 103-99.

“I love those moments. I’m not going to shy away,” Simmons said. “That was their plan, but obviously it didn’t work. But I’m just building. I love those moments.”  

“People make it seem like I had a sprained ankle or something. I came back from back surgery, that’s not easy,” Simmons said after the win. “I’m getting there.”

Durant concurred saying about when Simmons went to the foul line made those crucial foul shots saying, “We had no doubts when he went up there.”

Three seasons back, Brooklyn Nets and their GM Sean Marks and Governor Joe Tsai swung for the fences and brought in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, giving up nearly everything about their team-first culture in hopes of winning the franchise’s first NBA title.

They said goodbye to head coach Kenny Atkinson, who helped to build a decent Nets roster from the ground up. They replaced Atkinson with Steve Nash, who had a longtime relationship with Durant. Then the Nets decided to shoot for the stars in trading for James Harden two seasons back, giving up three First-Round draft picks as well as swingman Caris LeVert and center Jarrett Allen.

The experiment of Durant, Irving, and Harden lasted just 16 total games because of injuries and the fact that Irving as mentioned made more headlines for his unavailability then his availability. They won only one postseason series together, the 2021 First-Round over the Boston Celtics 4-1.

There without question the Nets are in this position because of how they have conducted business with their star players and their inability to hold themselves as an organization and the players accountable.

With the eventual return of Irving from an eight-game team posed suspension at the end of this weekend to rejoin Durant and Simmons, the question for the Nets is can they put it all together the rest of this season and be a serious threat in that Eastern Conference? Simmons thinks so.

“Regardless of what people say, we’re here to win,” he said. “We’re here to win a championship. It’s going to take everybody to do that. Everybody’s got to say focused, locked in and stay the course, not get caught up in all the other things going on.” 

Information, statistics, and quotations are courtesy of 11/2/2022 “Newsday” story “Report: Udoka To Get Job,” By Barbara Barker and “Nash Out As Nets Coach,” By Laura Albanese; 11/3/2022 www.espn.com story, “Kyrie Irving Suspended At Least 5 Games By Nets; Apologizes;” 11/3/2022 www.espn.com story, “Kyrie Irving Cites ‘Responsibility’ Stops Short of Apology,” By Nick Friedell; 11/3/2022 www.espn.com story, “Commissioner Adam Silver Disappointed Kyrie Irving Didn’t Apologize;” 11/4/2022 1 a.m. NBATV’s “Gametime,” presented by Kia With Chris Miles, Jamal Crawford, and Candace Parker; 11/6/2022 1 a.m. NBATV’s “Gametime,” Presented by Kia With Jared Greenberg, Brendan Haywood, and Greg Anthony; 11/7/2022 3 p.m. “NBA Today” on ESPN With Malika Andrews, Zach Lowe, Chiney Ogwumike, Kendrick Perkins, Richard Jefferson, Brian Windhorst, and Vince Carter; 11/9/2022 7:30 p.m. “Knicks versus Nets” on Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network (YES) With Ian Eagle, Sarah Kustok, and Meghan Triplett; 11/10/2022 7 p.m. “Inside The Association,” presented by AT&T 5G and Fanduel Sportsbook With Camron Smith, Shams Charania, and Pat Garrity 11/12/2022 10 a.m. NBATV’s “Gametime,” With Nabil Karim, Dennis Scott, and Greg Anthony; 11/12/2022 4 p.m. “Nets vs. Clippers” YES With Ryan Ruocco, Sarah Kustok, and Meghan Triplett; 11/17/2022 11 p.m. WABC 7 “Eyewitness News at 11,” With Bill Ritter, Sade Baderinwa, Lee Goldberg With Weather and Ryan Field With Sports; www.espn.com/nba/standings; https://www.espn.com/nba/recap/_/gameid/401468376; https://www.nba.com/game/bkn-vs-por-0022200221; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Brooklyn_Nets_head_coaches; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willis_Reed; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiki_VanDeWeghe; and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacque_Vaughn.  

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