Nets from super team to super flop
2019 was the year in which Brooklyn shook up the Association with the acquisitions of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, a powerhouse duo that has been considered the most talented in the league since they came together; later, another All-Star, James Harden, arrived in the final stretch of the 2021 season. What could go wrong, what team would have the ability to stand up to him and stop the title run of this ‘Big Three’?
The talent on the roster was there, the stars had arrived; it looked like the title was guaranteed. So what went wrong?
A lot of things, and what was missing?
Injuries and off-court situations were some of the factors for Irving, KD and ‘The Beard’ playing together only 16 games (16-3). Harden was subsequently traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons and other assets and that was the beginning of the end for what could have been a legendary franchise.
After the trade of ‘The Beard’ the Nets went into a tailspin. More than ten consecutive losses put in check their pass to the Playoffs to which they finally acceded, but the doubts were many for coach Steve Nash’s team, doubts that were cleared in the first round of the Playoffs.
They were swept by the Boston Celtics.
“We have to face facts and I was out, Durant was out, James Harden was traded, it was a combination of things that happened this season,” Irving said as they closed out the first-round series of a season in which the Australian point guard missed half the games because of his refusal to get vaccinated and while the vaccination mandate was in effect in New York and other U.S. cities, plus Canada.
“I have no regrets, it’s just stuff that happens,” Kevin Durant commented after the sweep to assure then that Steve Nash was the right coach for the Nets. So, KD was not the right guy to be the leader of the Nets? By asking for his departure he already answered.
Irving’s tenure with the team is in question.
“I’m not planning on going anywhere, I’m looking forward to the summer and building the draft with the guys,” Irving assured after the elimination against the Celtics….
Thus, more than a thousand days after Irving and KD landed in Brooklyn, their failure will be one of the most resounding and remembered in the NBA.
While what’s left on the Nets roster may still be enviable for any franchise, the label of title contenders must be removed. Ben Simmons (who hasn’t even made his debut), Seth Curry, Joe Harris, LaMarcus Aldridge, Blake Griffin and company (if they don’t leave in the next few days) will have to rewrite history for the Barclays Center locals and really bet on at least improving on last season and start a new rebuild.
What’s next for the Nets?
In the absence of knowing the pieces that will be part of the franchise for next season, the Brooklyn project will have to resign itself to rebuild. Reboot, move pieces around and start over.
To do so, two key points must be emphasized: Steve Nash and Ben Simmons.
The former 76ers starter will be starting from scratch and will have to prove with facts that his trade was right and that he has the ability and character to command Brooklyn once it is known if Irving and KD leave. What happened while he was not on the court is not his fault and the best way to reverse the criticism will be with facts.
Likewise, Nash’s continuity will have a lot to do with what happens with the ‘new Nets’. For the moment and after the sweep in the Playoffs and the criticism received, he has the support of Joe Tsai, as reported by Marc Stein a few months ago. We will have to watch and be patient to see if he is able to make competitive a team that had everything to make history and that seems to be one more anecdote in the NBA.
