KD 'shocked' by Nash's exit despite 'rocky' year

NEW YORK -- Nets prima guardant Kevin Durant said helium was "shocked" erstwhile helium learned of Steve Nash's exit arsenic Brooklyn's manager Tuesday, a determination that was announced by the enactment arsenic mutual.

"You're ever shocked erstwhile a determination similar this happens," Durant said aft a 108-99 nonaccomplishment to the Chicago Bulls connected Tuesday night. "But it's mean successful the NBA. It's astir getting acceptable for the crippled tonight. It's a speedy crook ever successful the league, particularly during the season. You've got practice, games coming up, truthful you can't deliberation excessively overmuch astir it. It was connected my caput for a small spot today."

Durant said helium recovered retired astir the quality regarding Nash astir 1:15 p.m. ET aft helium woke up from a pregame nap and watched ESPN. Nets wide manager Sean Marks said earlier the crippled that nary players were consulted earlier the decision, which is notable, fixed Durant reportedly asked for Nash and Marks to beryllium fired implicit the summertime earlier rescinding his commercialized petition earlier the season.

Durant developed a coagulated narration with Nash during their clip with the Golden State Warriors, erstwhile Nash served arsenic a subordinate improvement consultant. He was asked wherefore helium thought it didn't enactment retired for Nash successful Brooklyn.

"A batch of stuff," Durant said. "We didn't person a steadfast team. We conscionable didn't play well. And that's what happens successful the league. S--- happens. That doesn't instrumentality distant from Steve's hoops IQ, however helium teaches the game. I don't deliberation that takes distant from anything. It conscionable didn't enactment out."

Durant said helium has not yet spoken to Nash since the determination became official. With Jacques Vaughn serving arsenic interim caput coach, the Nets fell to 2-6 aft Tuesday's loss. Durant has said respective times implicit the past year, and reiterated again Tuesday night, that helium believed Nash wasn't dealt a just manus fixed each the circumstances surrounding his two-and-a-half-year tenure.

"Let's beryllium real, we're pros, we're veterans. We had a pugnacious start," Durant said erstwhile asked if helium was consulted astir the determination beforehand. "It was a rocky twelvemonth past year, rocky summer. We knew that everybody was being evaluated.

"That's conscionable however it is successful the league. So I liked moving with Steve. I similar moving with the coaching staff. It was a roller coaster the past fewer years, but the halfway of it -- hoops -- is thing we each emotion to do. So careless of who the manager [is], careless of the circumstances, you inactive got to travel to work. So I enjoyed coming to enactment with Steve."

Durant was asked if helium thought determination was excessively overmuch volatility astir the squad for it to triumph implicit time.

"That's the NBA," Durant said. "Everybody got volatility if you privation to look astatine it. It's conscionable a substance of -- extracurricular radical mightiness look astatine what we bash arsenic bigger than what it is, but we travel to enactment each azygous day. Guys person asked for trades before, coaches get fired, we person disagreements successful our locker room, it happens successful the NBA. But astatine the extremity of the time we each came to work. It conscionable didn't enactment retired connected the floor."