Steve Nash is the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets.
Nobody saw that coming 24 hours ago, and it’s a gamble by the Nets and GM Sean Marks. He gets a splashy big-name hire, he gets someone with a strong relationship with Kevin Durant, he gets someone with an incredible basketball IQ, he gets someone as diligent in preparation to play as anyone in the league, and he gets a guy with a calm demeanor to get through to his firey point guard Kyrie Irving.
The Nets also get a guy who has never done the job before. Historically that has been hit and miss.
The NBA world reacted with shock, but praise, of the hire. Nets point guard Spencer Dinwiddie fired the first shot at Irving after the hire.
Y’all wanted a third star 👀 🍿
— Spencer Dinwiddie (@SDinwiddie_25) September 3, 2020
Just to expand upon this since I was having a little fun. I love the Steve Nash hire. So much of coaching at this level is being a psychologist
I think Caris is the third star so that’d mean 4 rockstars in the building
Further roster construction will be interesting. https://t.co/a81mdwgdIw
— Spencer Dinwiddie (@SDinwiddie_25) September 3, 2020
Steve Nash though 👀🔥🤯
— Terrence Ross (@TerrenceRoss) September 3, 2020
Congratulations to @SteveNash and thank you for all your work over the years with the @warriors. You are going to crush it in Brooklyn! @BrooklynNets
— Steve Kerr (@SteveKerr) September 3, 2020
Wow Didn’t see that coming
— Buddy Love !!!! (@buddyhield) September 3, 2020
Coach Nash has a good ring to it!
Congrats @SteveNash! pic.twitter.com/TjpUGreBE8
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) September 3, 2020
Congratulations to my friend @SteveNash on becoming the new head coach of the @BrooklynNets. Wishing you and the Nets franchise all the best! https://t.co/WBOYIHvhwl
— Jason Kidd (@RealJasonKidd) September 3, 2020
Derek Fisher, Jason Kidd all got jobs right away because of 20 years of HIGH LEVEL BBall IQ. Please don’t question Steve Nash’s hire or make this about anything else.
— Richard Jefferson (@Rjeff24) September 3, 2020
Definitely happy for Steve Nash but super disappointed in the @BrooklynNets. So many well qualified African American candidates and they get looked over by someone with no experience at all. The only reason they felt comfortable doing that is bc JV stayed onboard as the top asst.
— Trevor Booker (@35_Fitz) September 3, 2020
Kemba Walker‘s craftiness with the dribble — creating space to find Daniel Theis for a dunk to put Boston up two 103-101 with 0.5 seconds left — looked like the dagger that all-but ended Toronto’s season.
Then OG Anunoby called game.
Kyle Lowry made a brilliant pass over the outstretched arms of Tacko Fall to OG Anunoby on the weakside, who executed the catch-and-shoot game-winner to perfection and gave Toronto a 104-103 win.
Boston now leads the series 2-1, with Game 4 on Saturday.
If the Anunoby missed that shot and the Raptors had gone down 0-3, Toronto players could have started booking flights to Cancun. The Raptors, however, are champions who will not give up their crown so easily.
“We scrapped and fought,” Lowry said in his postgame interview on TNT. “We never quit.”
Toronto looked like they were in trouble again in the first half: Their halfcourt offense was stagnant, Pascal Siakam had more fouls than points, and as a team the Raptors were 5-of-22 from three. Boston was up 10, 57-47.
In the second half, however, the Raptors stalled Boston’s offense with some zone defense (which has bothered Boston all series but was a big spark in Game 3), meanwhile, Lowry (16 points in the half) and Fred VanVleet (17 in the half) found their shooting touch. Toronto was 8-of-19 from three in the second half, Boston 3-of-13. The Raptors got out and ran in the second half, a team that relies on transition but had been slowed for two-and-a-half games looked more like their regular-season selves.
The Celtics still almost got the win, but when it mattered most Anunoby hit the big shot then walked off like he does this every day.
Toronto is alive and is making this a series again.
It was not unanimous — 99 out of 100 select media members voted Memphis’ Ja Morant as the 2020 NBA Rookie of the Year. One voter (not yet identified) selected Zion Williamson.
That one vote does not change the outcome: Memphis’ Ja Morant is the runaway NBA Rookie of the Year.
— Ja Morant (@JaMorant) September 3, 2020
Kendrick Nunn of the Miami Heat finished second, Zion finished third. Memphis’ Brandon Clarke finished fourth, and Coby White of Chicago was fifth.
So long as he can stay healthy, Zion may end up being the best player in this class — he was the best player this season when he was on the court, averaging 22.5 points a game on 58.3% shooting. His presence, once he returned from knee surgery, helped turn New Orleans’ season around.
Morant wins based on one simple stat: 59>19.
That’s the number of games played by Williamson and Morant. While Zion was sidelined for much of the season, Morant was on the court and averaged 17.6 points and 6.9 assists a game. Morant’s play turned a team expected to be one of the NBA’s worst into a team that almost made the playoffs (they lost to the Trail Blazers in the play-in game).
Nunn was the starting point guard all regular season long for the Miami Heat, averaging 15.3 points a game and helping lead the Heat into the postseason. Nunn contracted COVID-19 just before going to the bubble, which pushed him back to coming off the bench for Miami in the playoffs.
Other players who received votes for Rookie of the Year (voters had to select first, second, and third place) were Golden State’s Eric Paschall, Terrence Davis, and RJ Barrett.
Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki had some nice years together with the Mavericks. Their playing partnership could have been even more successful, but – before he developed into a two-time MVP – Dallas let Nash sign with the Suns.
It’s not too late for Nash and Nowitzki to partner as coaches, though.
Just hired as the Nets’ head coach, Nash apparently tried to relink with his former teammate.
Marc Stein of The New York Times:
New Nets coach Steve Nash sounded out his longtime former teammate and close friend Dirk Nowitzki to gauge his interest in coming to Brooklyn as an assistant coach, @NYTSports has learned, but Nowitzki is not looking to return to the game full-time so early in his retirement
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 3, 2020
Nash and Nowitzki have no coaching experience. That’s why Brooklyn is retaining former Magic coach Jacque Vaughn as lead assistant.
NBA coaching staffs are large. There’s room for varying types of contributions. Nowitzki certainly has something to teach the next generation of players (and would have added even more name recognition to the Nets).
Maybe, as he progresses into retirement, Nowitzki will eventually join Nash in Brooklyn.
It’d help if Nash – a risky, though intriguing, hire – holds the job a few years.
Ever since he became a star point guard with the Pistons and Nuggets, people have been telling Chauncey Billups he’d make a good coach. But Billups had a different dream job in retirement – running an NBA front office.
Well – despite dalliances with the Cavaliers, Timberwolves and Pistons – he hasn’t landed an executive job yet.
But becoming an NBA head coach with no coaching experience? As Steve Nash just showed with the Nets, that can be done.
So, even though it’s not his ideal role, Billups might settle for a different premier job.
Former NBA champion and five-time All-Star point guard Chauncey Billups is interested in pursuing an NBA head-coaching job, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Billups, 43, has toyed with the idea of leading a team from the sidelines since retiring in 2014, but now it appears he’s fully invested in making the jump a reality, sources said.
Billups has plenty of skills that’d make him a good NBA coach. He possesses high basketball intelligence, both offensively and defensively. He knows what it’s like to be a role player and a star. He connects well with people. He communicates clearly.
However, he has no coaching experience. There would be new challenges he’d have to confront on the job.
Teams could do worse than taking a chance on Billups. But – especially for a roll of the dice – he might not come cheap. If willing to spend, teams should generally prioritize luring proven good coaches. That’s the catch-22 with Billups.
Of course, some teams might prefer the splashy, high-upside hire. Billups qualifies – and is apparently ready.
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