Reading between the lines after another dramatic day in Brooklyn

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  • Brian WindhorstESPN Senior Writer

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    • ESPN.com NBA writer since 2010
    • Covered Cleveland Cavs for 7 years
    • Author of 2 books

Brooklyn Nets wide manager Sean Marks has had to woody with galore precocious accent days and get done a fistful of uncomfortable quality conferences implicit the past year.

Tuesday was peculiarly rough.

Marks had to explicate wherefore helium mutually parted ways with manager Steve Nash conscionable 7 games into the play -- portion seemingly already having engaged successful a analyzable process to sanction a arguable imaginable replacement, reportedly Ime Udoka.

All of this quality arsenic Kyrie Irving had thrown the squad into yet different tempest, which the Nets publically had done small about, with Marks having to code galore questions portion Irving was spared from facing scrutiny for a 2nd consecutive day.

In facing pugnacious questions implicit these past months, Marks often would bash it alongside Nash, a longtime friend. Nash was relieved of this work arsenic well, and the wide manager handled it alone.

He's an annotated look astatine what Marks said -- and didn't accidental -- arsenic the franchise faces play connected astatine slightest 3 antithetic fronts:

Editor's note: Interview edited for brevity


On whether Nets players were consulted successful the determination to determination connected from Nash:

"Zero. There was zero input from immoderate of the players connected this. I deliberation this was a determination that we didn't request that. Steve and I didn't request that. Obviously I've talked to [owner] Joe [Tsai] astir this, but the players were not consulted. They were told up of clip that this was the absorption we were going."


On the timing of the communal determination betwixt the Nets and Nash:

"When we're having these conversations, [Nash] is alert of 'they're not responding to maine close now,' oregon 'that was not the show I needed to spot retired there,' and truthful forth. We were unfastened with that dialog ever happening. And truthful you know, implicit the people of, you know, the past week, 10 days, we've conscionable been talking and talking, and I deliberation it came to a head."

  • It's exceptionally uncommon for an NBA manager to beryllium fto spell connected a crippled day, overmuch little astir 12 hours aft a triumph (the Nets bushed the Indiana Pacers 116-109 connected Monday night).

  • Marks explained the concern determination had been successful the works for days. If the timeline helium refers to present is accurate, these conversations would person really started lone a fewer days into the 2022-23 regular season.

  • If Marks and Nash knew wherever things were headed, it would person allowed the Nets to already statesman the process of vetting Ime Udoka's concern with the Boston Celtics.


On whether the Nets person determined their adjacent coach:

"No. Absolutely not."

  • Marks could statement the meaning of the connection "determined," but ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported wrong hours of Nash's departure that Udoka was apt to regenerate Nash wrong a time oregon two.

  • Considering the concern with Udoka serving an opaque suspension portion nether declaration with the Celtics, it is ostensible the process of bringing successful Udoka and sending retired Nash has been going connected for immoderate clip now.


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1:21

Kendrick Perkins breaks down what's adjacent for the Nets aft Steve Nash's exit.

On what a caller manager would bring to the Nets:

"When I look astatine the radical of guys retired there, I would emotion to spot them competing astatine the highest level. I mean, we saw games this twelvemonth where, I'll beryllium honest, I don't deliberation we brought it. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. There were times wherever a 4th was taken off, a fractional was taken off, a crippled was taken off. We didn't compete. ... The candidates that we're looking for, are going to beryllium looking for, that's going to beryllium 1 of their attributes. Competitive and having a dependable to clasp guys accountable.

  • This is the lone clip Marks was genuinely captious of Nash and the players passim the quality conference. Referring to a dependable to clasp players accountable mightiness beryllium a archer for the imminent hiring of Udoka, who crafted a estimation for doing conscionable that with his prima players during his 1 play arsenic the caput manager successful Boston.


On whether the Nets would beryllium comfy hiring Udoka:

"Obviously, there's a crushed wherefore we made this determination erstwhile we did, due to the fact that clip is ticking. So we bash privation this process to beryllium a thorough one. We're not going to skip steps connected that. And we'll bash our owed diligence."

  • This was a coded question astir Udoka and his suspension for improprieties successful the workplace. Marks gave a coded answer, implying the Nets person looked into it but are inactive acceptable to marque the prosecute due to the fact that the play is already underway.


On however Nets fans should respond to the latest quality and controversy:

"Look, it's understandable. I'm wholly empathetic to what's going connected here. I'm surely not arrogant of the concern we find ourselves in, you know? ... As it pertains to Kyrie, we are having discussions. ... From the highest levels [that] we're progressive with the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) and getting their proposal and conscionable hopefully they tin counsel us. We tin bring thing to the array that some parties, each parties tin beryllium astatine slightest understandable to 1 different present and recognize that determination is nary tolerance and nary country for immoderate hatred speech, immoderate antisemitic remarks whatsoever, whether it's successful this enactment oregon immoderate enactment for that matter."

  • When Marks said this, Irving's societal media station referencing a movie with antisemitic tropes was 5 days old. Irving's comments successful which helium defended his choices were 3 days old, arsenic were the ceremonial statements condemning them by some Nets proprietor Joe Tsai and the squad itself.

  • Irving had deleted the station 1 time before. It is unclear the quality of the discussions that Marks and the Nets person had.


On imaginable punishment for Irving:

"As I mentioned before, we're talking to the ADL close now. That's connected the Joe Tsai level, our CEO and myself and the group, and truly conscionable trying to measurement retired precisely what the champion people of enactment is here. Part of it is going to beryllium getting sides unneurotic truthful they tin recognize wherever radical are coming from. There's an acquisition portion for everybody here. There's an empathetic portion to this and knowing that we request to determination connected and we request to bash the close happening without a doubt."

  • Marks implied determination is going to beryllium immoderate benignant of gathering betwixt Irving, the Nets and the ADL, but helium wasn't wide connected immoderate specified details.


Beyond a punishment, the taxable of Irving inactive playing with the Nets is addressed:

"We person tried to bash a small spot of some to beryllium honest. By keeping him -- helium did not bash media past night, he's not going to bash media tonight. At immoderate constituent helium volition travel up present and bash media again, but I deliberation astatine this constituent it's, we don't privation to origin much fuss close now, much enactment with people. Like, let's fto him simmer down and let's fto this whole, I conjecture let's fto cooler minds prevail. We request to spell retired and amended ourselves, amended the full radical and get immoderate direction, question from the experts, and the experts is 1 of them, is surely the ADL."

  • This is possibly the astir singular reply of the quality conference. Marks admitted the squad volition proceed to interruption league rules by not letting Irving speech to the media due to the fact that it mightiness origin "a fuss." Whether existent oregon not, this could connote Irving is not acceptable to apologize portion the squad is not acceptable to instrumentality substantive enactment regarding his erstwhile actions oregon comments.

  • The league did not denote immoderate good Tuesday for usurpation of media policy. Irving declined to talk to the media Monday nighttime aft helium scored 28 points successful helping the Nets interruption a four-game losing streak with 8 fans sitting successful the beforehand enactment astatine Barclays Center wearing "Fight Anti-Semitism" T-shirts.


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0:26

Kevin Durant says helium was amazed by Steve Nash's departure from the Nets.

On wherefore Irving inactive isn't talking with the media:

"Everybody knows he's going to person to reply these questions astatine immoderate point, and helium hasn't benignant of shied distant successful the past, but I deliberation the past postgame gathering didn't spell good and we're not trying to screen it up. I deliberation this is thing that has to beryllium addressed, but let's code it successful the close signifier oregon fashion, and erstwhile that is we'll fto you guys know."

  • The Nets are disconnected Wednesday. Irving, who played 1 of his worst games arsenic a Net connected Tuesday night, scoring conscionable six points, volition not person addressed the media for 4 days. Players' contracts and league rules necessitate speaking to the media pursuing each game.


On whether the Nets tin inactive pursuit a rubric this season:

"... My occupation present is to enactment this team, this enactment successful the champion imaginable spot to succeed, not lone present but agelong term. We don't privation to skip steps. We don't privation to accelerated way it here. But we bash realize, I'm going to beryllium honest, we person a model present and erstwhile we person this radical of players and this wage cap, and wherever we are, we anticipation to execute that. I deliberation we've each seen what's happened implicit the people of the past fewer years, there's been plentifulness of teams that astatine 1 constituent looked a definite mode and made immoderate moves and they changed. We anticipation to beryllium 1 of those teams, by [arriving] astatine the determination we volition [make] successful the adjacent fewer days, hopefully, that volition beryllium a catalyst for a turnaround."

  • The Nets person a $185 cardinal payroll and are scheduled to wage $108 cardinal successful luxury taxes, truthful the concern successful the squad is much than a 4th cardinal dollars this season. Between 2023 and 2027, the Nets' ain first-round picks are owed to the Houston Rockets either outright oregon successful swaps that dull immoderate rebuild discussions.

  • There person been calls by immoderate for the Nets to see tearing it down and trading Irving and Durant. Marks seemed to marque it wide with his answer: That is not happening. Replacing the manager is astir giving this squad each accidental astatine success.


On however the Nets' caller actions and changes volition impact Durant:

"You know, I deliberation we person to origin each of these things in. I mean, it's surely not an casual determination to get to this peculiar junction close present and erstwhile we marque the determination connected who we volition hire, I deliberation we person to look astatine what's champion for america present but besides agelong term."

  • Durant talked astatine the Nets' media time successful September astir wherefore helium asked for a commercialized from the squad during the summer: "I wanted everybody to beryllium held accountable for their habits arsenic a hoops player. I deliberation a batch of worldly was getting swept nether the rug."

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