In an announcement that caught the basketball world by surprise, the Brooklyn Nets will hire Hall of Fame point guard Steve Nash as their next head coach.
First reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the organization has reportedly signed Nash to a four-year contract.
ESPN story on the Brooklyn Nets hiring Steve Nash on a four-year deal: https://t.co/xhYSAfzdpl
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 3, 2020
Not only had Nash’s name not come up at all in any reports about the Nets coaching search, but the guy has never even been an assistant on an NBA bench (maybe keep all that in mind as the Bulls search continues). In fact, the only post-playing NBA experience he has comes from his last six seasons with the Golden State Warriors as a consultant.
With zero time spent as a professional coach, it certainly seems fair to question whether or not he’s capable of handling a team with immediate championship aspirations. Also, as I think many of us have come to learn, coaching Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant (with whom Nash worked in some capacity in Golden State) hasn’t proven to be the easiest task. Yet, Nash, 47, is one of the most well-liked NBA players of the past several generations. Not to mention, he’s arguably one of the smartest minds to ever take the court.
According to Wojnarowski, Nash’s coaching career was a matter of when not if, and Nets GM Sean Marks – who played alongside Nash in Phoenix – made the “when” the 2020-21 season.
Interim head coach Jacque Vaughn will reportedly stay with the franchise as Nash’s lead assistant and become the league’s highest-paid assistant coach. Vaughn had been under consideration for the Nets job, and there is a good chance several other front office’s around the NBA would’ve given him an interview for their respective head coach job at some point this offseason. Alas, he’s off the market.
Anyway, this doesn’t mean too much for the Bulls. The two sides never seemed to be looking too closely at the same head coach, but I suppose this could convince another organization to go bold? Coach Luol Deng, anyone?
I kid. I kid (but … why not?).