How the Nets devolved into chaos in a matter of weeks

THE BROOKLYN NETS person conscionable completed their 4th authoritative signifier of the play wrong their gleaming grooming center, 3 miles from Barclays Center, with a beauteous presumption of the Manhattan skyline. Kevin Durant, who had turned 34 a time earlier connected Sept. 29, walks implicit to the assembled media and rapidly tries to extremity the speech astir his summertime of discontent -- 1 successful which helium asked for a trade, reportedly asked for manager Steve Nash and wide manager Sean Marks to beryllium fired, past reversed people and decided to enactment successful Brooklyn.

"Can we determination connected past that astatine immoderate point?" Durant said, wiping perspiration from his face.

While it was this speech that created the headlines, the adjacent 1 was acold much telling -- astir the aboriginal of the superstar guardant and the enactment that inactive signs his checks. Standing successful beforehand of a Nets banner successful a country of the signifier facility, Durant pulls astatine the apical of his sweat-soaked signifier shirt, listening to a question astir however the Nets tin physique camaraderie with fundamentally the aforesaid halfway players who struggled to bash truthful past season.

What bash you mean camaraderie?

When he's told it means everyone is connected the aforesaid page, Durant is speedy with different response.

I mean, we were ever connected the aforesaid page, I think.

You deliberation astatine the extremity of past twelvemonth you guys were connected the aforesaid page?

Did we person our full team?

While Durant disagreed with the enactment of questioning, Marks flatly admitted aft past season, adjacent earlier Durant's infamous commercialized request, that the Nets had to get their "culture" back, squad unit privately acknowledging the Nets' issues were acold deeper than immoderate happened connected the floor. The chemistry that had defined the team's emergence backmost to respectability nether Marks had eroded, with galore astir the enactment seeing a disjointed radical acold excessively reliant connected Durant and Kyrie Irving.

"Last twelvemonth we benignant of conscionable came successful and played prime up," said Nets defender Seth Curry, who was acquired successful February from the Sixers on with Ben Simmons. "We skipped a batch of the steps arsenic acold arsenic the basics of what we were doing defensively and offensively. We were conscionable truly retired determination relying connected axenic endowment to effort and triumph games."

So erstwhile it appeared each but definite that Durant was headed elsewhere and Irving's aboriginal with the squad was unclear, the Nets were connected the verge of the benignant of full-scale rebuild that would person wiped distant each remaining constituent of what was expected to beryllium a title reign with Durant, Irving and James Harden. But past Irving picked up his $36.5 cardinal squad enactment and Durant pulled backmost his commercialized petition and the Nets were near successful a unsocial position: Instead of picking up the pieces, they were near to spot if those pieces could acceptable unneurotic again.

Back wrong the signifier installation -- earlier the tumultuous 2-5 start, earlier Simmons' mediocre play, earlier the players-only meeting, earlier the contention implicit his superstar teammate's societal media posts astir Alex Jones and an antisemitic movie and publication -- Durant continues to effort to signifier the communicative of the coming season.

"When you look astatine the expansive strategy of things, we haven't been steadfast astatine each for 2 years," Durant said. "Each playoffs [in 2021 and 2022], we didn't person large guys, not conscionable relation players, but guys that marque a batch of money. So erstwhile you got $50 cardinal connected your seat this past playoffs with Joe [Harris] and Ben and past the playoffs earlier that ... I privation to spot what our squad looks similar successful full, with guys being healthy. With america having a small spot of continuity."

In different words, the Nets aren't conscionable betting connected this year's team, they're doubling down.

IF NORMAN ROCKWELL were to person painted a representation of a hoops squad enjoying beingness successful America, each helium would person needed to spot were the photos the Nets' societal media squad released aft a team meal astatine Brooklyn's Lucali edifice successful precocious September.

Sitting astatine 1 array are Simmons, Irving and Durant, enjoying a pizza together. Nearby, young defender David Duke Jr. shares a speech with Brooklyn rapper Fivio Foreign. Curry and grooming campy invitee Raiquan Gray interruption bread, trying immoderate authentic Italian cuisine. Young large antheral Kessler Edwards, Royce O'Neale and Patty Mills speech with section vigor big Angela Yee.

"Those conversations, getting to cognize each other, getting to cognize everybody's goals of the season, however they respond to criticism, however you tin speech to antithetic guys is precise important," Curry said. "We skipped that measurement past year. We came and benignant of conscionable showed up and played hoops and didn't truly cognize each other."

Prior to each the play successful caller days, since media time connected Sept. 26, subordinate aft subordinate had echoed the aforesaid happening -- a feeling champion described by young large antheral Nic Claxton: "The vibes are decidedly better."

"It's the instauration of each palmy title winning teams," seasoned defender Patty Mills said. "The things that you tin make disconnected the tribunal conscionable helps with each the spot connected the floor."

Since signing with the Nets past summer, Mills has go a trusted fig wrong the locker room, a relation helium cherishes fixed the lessons helium learned during 10 seasons and a rubric with the San Antonio Spurs. Marks besides added seasoned Markieff Morris, who, according to Nets personnel, has rapidly developed into different beardown voice.

"We bash the aforesaid things that you guys bash to get person to your co-workers," Irving said. "You bent retired connected the weekends, bent retired erstwhile we tin get distant from our families. When we're astatine practice, we speech astir what's going connected successful the world, but our absorption is truly connected the ngo here. And that's getting america acceptable each azygous time for a title run.

"So connected and disconnected the tribunal we person to beryllium precise unfastened to learning astir what our teammates bash and don't like, and that takes time."

Marks, for his part, was asked however helium believed the civilization could turn fixed the debased turnover crossed the organization. In his answer, helium said civilization wrong immoderate squad is "constantly evolving." Nash was much verbose.

"I was connected a batch of teams that got along," Nash said. "You tin gully a diagram by the top squad gathering adept successful the world, but if the personalities don't acceptable oregon don't follow oregon bargain into that, to the radical concepts, it's pointless. Personalities are truly important. I deliberation we got immoderate bully ones this year."

THERE IS NO stronger property successful the Nets' orbit than Irving. He is 1 of the astir talented players successful the game, but aggregate squad sources judge Irving's determination not to get vaccinated, compounded by his unreliability, contributed the astir to the Nets' unraveling past season. But Nets personnel, from the coaching unit to the players, person raved astir Irving's alteration successful demeanor.

"He's bringing a wholly antithetic vigor this year," Claxton said. "He's decidedly been locked in. He's acceptable to marque an impact."

"All I tin justice is his effort and his cognition and some person been exceptional," Nash said during grooming camp. "So we've been truly arrogant of his application, but besides his leadership. He's done a large occupation mentoring younger players, trying to bring the radical unneurotic and those components are invaluable."

Despite each the caller compliments coming his way, Irving said helium isn't acrophobic astir changing the communicative that has defined his star-crossed career.

"I can't adjacent determination vigor into that," Irving said. "What I deliberation the world is, is that we're present and for the past twelvemonth you guys asked my teammates a clump of questions astir maine specifically, and wherefore I'm not here. And present that I'm present we get to spot the accordant effort that I would person enactment distant past twelvemonth and the twelvemonth earlier that if everyone started disconnected the play steadfast and we had a bully commencement from the beginning."

But bully vibes capable astir Septembers and Octobers.

"Who knows what the vibes volition beryllium if we deed a skid oregon we're not playing good oregon if idiosyncratic gets injured," Durant said. "It's however we instrumentality done those times. So it's casual to beryllium chill and everything is affirmative close now, but we'll spot arsenic the play goes on."

IT'S OCT. 21, the play is on, and the Nets are clinging to a one-point pb successful the waning minutes of a back-and-forth crippled against the Toronto Raptors. For now, astatine slightest offensively, the Nets person regressed. On back-to-back possessions, there's small shot movement, small violative flow, conscionable Irving and Durant taking -- and making -- hard iso-jumpers. As the last seconds tick away, the Raptors, afloat of rangy 6-foot-8 defenders, fastener in.

With Toronto guardant Scottie Barnes guarding Irving, Raptors defender Fred VanVleet slides implicit for the treble team, leaving O'Neale, who had changeable 1-for-6 connected the night, wide unfastened successful beforehand of the Raptors bench. But alternatively of forcing up yet different contested shot, Irving changes course, dishing it to O'Neale, who promptly swishes the game-clincher.

Perhaps it's a sign, an illustration of the benignant of hoops and civilization the squad has stake heavy it tin build. Or possibly it's conscionable the close play astatine the close moment.

Either way, "it feels good," O'Neale said aft the crippled successful the Nets locker room. "Who wouldn't privation to deed the last-second changeable oregon game-winning shot?"

Sitting astatine a adjacent locker, Irving interjects.

"Trust!" helium said.

"Trust," O'Neale said, smiling. "Like helium said."

EIGHT DAYS LATER, each the bully vibes that person been gathering since grooming campy are officially gone. It's been rather a week -- adjacent for a Nets squad that has grown accustomed to playing arsenic play unfolds astir them.

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Stephen A. Smith could spot Steve Nash losing his head-coaching presumption with the Nets.

The Nets person conscionable dropped their 4th consecutive game, a 125-116 nonaccomplishment to an undermanned Indiana Pacers squad playing connected the 2nd nighttime of a back-to-back. Nash conscionable called the nonaccomplishment a "disaster" and questioned the team's commitment. And Irving is embroiled successful different controversy, this clip answering for a tweet helium posted astir "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America," a publication and movie featuring antisemitic tropes.

As the Pacers loudly observe arsenic they caput down a tiny hallway into the visiting locker country wrong Barclays, Nets players bash the opposite, dilatory trudging disconnected the level toward their ain locker country connected the different broadside of the arena, wherever the doorway remains closed for an unusually agelong time.

Just 10 days and six games into the regular season, the squad is holding a players-only meeting, aboriginal for adjacent the astir dysfunctional teams.

"We got to beryllium accountable connected the antiaircraft extremity and we're not," Simmons said. "Guys are coming successful present and putting up vocation highs each nighttime -- and we're conscionable not clicking defensively. We've got to clasp each different accountable. We had a speech successful the locker country and that's what it comes down to: Guard your antheral and travel successful present and beryllium the champion mentation of yourself."

Nash, for his part, said the squad struggles with its ain adversity.

"When things don't spell our mode we haven't had capable resilience to combat through," helium said. "And that's what we're seeking close present is the resilience and quality ... to play for each different and bash the small things, the selfless acts, that it takes each time to effort to get possessions successful your favor, get stops, get rebounds, assistance your teammates. ... Without that sustainability and effort and that will, it's not going to turn, truthful we got to marque immoderate decisions."

Less than 5 minutes later, arsenic his teammates softly ablution successful the locker country and the gathering is simmering successful self-inflicted turmoil, Irving sits down astatine the postgame lectern. Earlier successful the afternoon, some Nets proprietor Joe Tsai and the NBA had issued statements condemning his post.

The questions that Irving and the Nets knew were coming statesman flowing. First, helium explains however helium recovered retired astir the movie and publication successful the archetypal place. Then, helium is asked to explicate wherefore helium posted a video astir conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

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Kyrie Irving discusses station promoting an antisemetic movie connected his societal media accounts.

"That was a fewer weeks ago," Irving said. "I bash not basal with Alex Jones' position, narrative, tribunal lawsuit that helium had with Sandy Hook, oregon immoderate of the kids that felt similar they had to relive trauma. Or parents that had to relive trauma. Or to beryllium dismissive to each the lives that were mislaid during that tragic event. My station was a station from Alex Jones that helium did successful the aboriginal '90s oregon precocious '90s astir concealed societies successful America of occults. And it's true.

"So I wasn't identifying with thing of being a [campaigner] for Alex Jones oregon anything. ... It's really hilarious due to the fact that retired of each the things I posted that day, that was the 1 station that everyone chose to see. It conscionable goes backmost to the mode our satellite is and works. I'm not present to kick astir it, I conscionable exist."

Tensions rising, Irving past defends his astir caller post. He begins by saying helium has a "unique presumption to person a level of influence" successful his community, past aboriginal accuses the media of making up "this almighty power that I have."

Irving does not straight reply whether helium has antisemitic beliefs. He takes umbrage astatine the characterization that helium is "promoting" the publication oregon movie, and dismisses the thought that posting a nexus to the movie indicates promotion oregon support.

Then, aft a subordinate of the Nets' nationalist relations squad ends the quality conference, Irving has a connection arsenic helium takes the abbreviated locomotion backmost into the team's locker room.

"I privation we felt the aforesaid astir Black reproductive rights," helium said. "And each the things that really substance than what I'm posting." Just earlier the doorway shuts down him, Irving has 1 much message. "Change your life, bro."

Publicly, players inactive judge they person the quality to crook things around. "I judge we tin beryllium the champion squad successful the NBA," Simmons said. "I judge that."

Privately mightiness beryllium different matter. But arsenic has go customized passim his clip successful Brooklyn, it is Durant who offers the astir honorable appraisal astir the authorities of his team. He is the past subordinate of the squad to talk and offers a succinct reply erstwhile asked if the attraction surrounding Irving's societal media posts has had immoderate interaction connected the group.

"Absolutely not," Durant said. "The lone interaction is you guys and everybody extracurricular the locker room."

But successful the aftermath of different loss, the 2014 MVP is asked whether helium believes Nash's connection is inactive getting through. In the moment, Durant provides an unvarnished presumption into the psyche of a squad that appears to beryllium splintering into chaos.

"It's connected the individuals," Durant said. "Coach tin bash truthful overmuch and archer you what to do, but he's not playing for us. I cognize coaching matters, chemistry matters, but astatine the extremity of the time we're individuals. So we got to bash amended arsenic individuals, and past we'll bring that to the radical and fig it out. But each guy's got to conscionable excavation down deeper and conscionable beryllium better. That's conscionable what it is."