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The Brooklyn Nets are making another change at head coach, but general manager Sean Marks is reportedly still in “strong standing” with the organization.
After the Nets announced Monday they fired head coach Jacque Vaughn, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reported there has been some “speculation” around the league Marks could also be on the way out since he has now hired and fired three head coaches during his eight years running basketball operations for the team.
However, Fischer noted “among NBA figures with knowledge of the situation, there’s been little doubt, sources said, of Marks’ ongoing strong standing with Nets governors Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai.”
Brooklyn hired Kenny Atkinson ahead of the 2016-17 campaign, and 118-190 until he was fired during the 2019-20 campaign. While the overall record wasn’t impressive, the team went 20-62 in his first year and improved enough to make the playoffs in his third and the year he was fired.
Steve Nash was the next head coach and found more success with a 94-67 record and multiple playoff appearances. He also led the Nets to the second round of the postseason in 2021, which still stands as the team’s best finish during the Marks era.
While Nash had better players than Atkinson, his tenure still didn’t live up to expectations.
The grouping of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden led to far more headlines than postseason wins, and all three players are now on different rosters around the league. Vaughn took over after Nash was fired during the 2022-23 season and helped the team reach the playoffs, but Brooklyn lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round.
The Nets are 21-33 this season and 2.5 games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the final spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament.
While Mikal Bridges is a talented player, the overall roster is not good enough to compete with the best teams in the league. Vaughn did not find success given the circumstances, and now the Nets’ immediate future is once again up in the air.
There will be no shortage of pressure on Marks to get the next hire right given the franchise’s overall struggles during his tenure. But, for now, he can at least take solace knowing the team’s governors reportedly still believe in him.
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