Comment Mired in an uninspiring start on the court and mired in another round of off-court controversy, the Brooklyn Nets parted ways with coach Steve Nash on Tuesday just seven games into the NBA season. Nash, 48, leaves with a 94-67 (.584) record and just one playoff series win in his two-plus seasons in Brooklyn. Assistant coach Zach Vaughn, who coached the Orlando Magic from 2012 to 2015, will take over as interim coach for Brooklyn’s game Tuesday night against the Chicago Bulls. Vaughn previously served as interim coach following the 2020 firing of Nash’s predecessor, Kenny Atkinson. In a statement, Nets General Manager Sean Marks said Nash had “faced a number of unprecedented challenges” and that the Nets were “sincerely grateful for his leadership, patience and humility throughout his tenure of”. In a press conference later Tuesday, Marks revealed that Nash had concluded that the Nets were no longer responding to his coaching and that the two men agreed it was “time to make a change.” Marks said he hadn’t asked for the player’s input on the fly. “To be honest, the team didn’t do what they needed to do,” Marks said. “We had fallen short of our goals. … We’ve seen games this year where, I’ll be honest, I don’t think we brought it. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. There were times when a quarter took off, a half took off, a game took off and we weren’t competing.” NBA stars already have trouble staying healthy after returns The Nets have begun pursuing exiled Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka as Nash’s full-time replacement, according to two people with knowledge of the situation. Marks said Tuesday that the Nets “have not compromised at all” on Nash’s replacement, adding that they will target a candidate who is “competitive, has a voice and can hold kids accountable” while also having “equity and charisma.” Udoka was suspended by the Celtics for the season in September for having an inappropriate relationship with a female team official. Udoka, 45, served as an assistant coach for USA Basketball at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where Nets forward Kevin Durant led a gold medal effort, and as an assistant on Nash’s staff during the 2020-21 season. Boston, which replaced Udoka with assistant Joe Mazzulla on an interim basis, is not expected to block Udoka if the Nets offer him the job. After a tumultuous summer in which Durant requested a trade, Brooklyn started the season 2-5 and owns the NBA’s 29th-ranked defense. The first two weeks of the season have been filled with warning signs: Ben Simmons lashed out at the refs after picking up two fouls in his first three games, Nash earned his first career ejection last week for an angry confrontation with the refs, and Kyrie Irving was caught on a courtside microphone yelling at Simmons to shoot the ball. Meanwhile, Irving has come under fire after posting about an anti-Semitic film on social media last week. The NBA, the National Basketball Players Association, the Nets and owner Joe Chai reprimanded Irving in separate statements, but the All-Star guard refused to apologize in a heated postgame exchange with reporters on Saturday. Irving, who eventually deleted his post about the film, has yet to be punished by the NBA or the Nets, though he was greeted by a line of fans sitting courtside wearing “Fight antisemitism” T-shirts during Monday’s win over the Indiana Pacers. in Brooklyn. That latest saga followed a season-long ordeal over Irving’s refusal to get vaccinated. “I’m definitely not proud of the situation we’re in,” Marks said when asked about the backlash to Irving’s post. “I would like to return to basketball. … There is no tolerance and no room for hate speech or anti-Semitic comments in this organization.” Chai and Marks spent the summer pledging to change Brooklyn’s dysfunctional culture after a humiliating first-round sweep against the Celtics. Tsai backed Nash in August after a report that Durant was seeking a coaching change, but the Hall of Fame point guard nevertheless entered the season on the hot seat due to Brooklyn’s unresolved culture issues and the need to improve the internal his responsibility. Former Spur Josh Primo reportedly exposed himself to a former team employee Nash, known for his relaxed off-field personality, was hired in 2020 as a player-friendly alternative to Atkinson, who was seen as a disciplinarian. Brooklyn envisioned the two-time MVP overseeing a free-flowing offense that made the most of Durant and Irving’s abilities. The plan was set in his first season, as the Nets traded for James Harden, boasted the NBA’s best offense, and reached the conference semifinals, where they lost a heartbreaking Game 7 to the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks. Along the way, Nash proved willing to concede key coaching decisions, such as how many minutes his stars played in postseason games, even when injured. Last season, the Nets cemented their reputation for bending to the whims of their stars when they allowed Irving, who was ineligible to play in New York because of a local vaccine mandate, to return as a part-time player. That decision forced Nash to constantly juggle his starting lineups, and Irving’s inconsistent presence was a contributing factor to Harden’s desire to seek a trade to the Philadelphia 76ers in February. So Nash was without his best playmaker, and Harden’s replacement, Simmons, was a shell of himself after back surgery and a season-long mental absence. The Nets’ once-vaunted offense has fallen to 16th this season and lacks the pace and ball movement needed to make Brooklyn a top contender. With the Nets on the same path as last year, or perhaps worse, they had every incentive to make Nash the first coach to be fired this season. “I have gotten to know Steve during his time in Brooklyn and he is not one to shy away from a challenge,” Tsai said in a statement. “My admiration and respect for him grew over time as he brought hard work and a positive attitude to our organization every day, even during times of extraordinary storminess surrounding the team.” Nash retired after an 18-year career in 2014, working in player development and football commentary before being hired by the Nets. His hiring drew criticism for getting a plum gig — a big-market team with superstar talent — without paying his dues as an assistant coach. Nash acknowledged at the time that he had “stepped over the line”, but argued that his experience of the game would help him connect with the players. Instead, his inexperience in managing a dressing room contributed to his quick and predictable exit. “It has been an amazing experience with many challenges for which I am incredibly grateful,” Nash said in a statement. “I wish the Nets all the success in the world and the Nash’s will support our team as they roll this season.” Subscribe to the NBA Weekly Newsletter to get the best basketball coverage in your inbox
