3 potential candidates to replace Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash, including the likes of Ime Udoka
The Brooklyn Nets have let go of their coach Steve Nash. Assistant coach Jacque Vaughn is acting as their interim head coach. The Nets want to contend for the Eastern Conference and possibly an NBA championship. They need a coach that can get them over the hump and get stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to buy in.
There are a few available coaches who have had success in the NBA as a head coach. The organization is unlikely to hire a first-time coach like Nash. They will need a coach with a resume that the players believe in. Here is a list of possible candidates.
Who are the 3 coaches who can replace Steve Nash?
#1 - Ime Udoka
Ime Udoka is a potential replacement for Steve Nash. Udoka led the Boston Celtics all the way to the NBA Finals in his first year as a head coach. Unfortunately, he got caught up in a scandal in the offseason that led the Celtics organization to suspend the coach for the entire season. There is no guarantee that the Celtics will bring Udoka back into the fold next year.
Udoka is familiar with the roster as he served as an assistant during the 2020-21 season prior to taking the Celtics job. Last season, with the Celtics, he did show that he can command the respect of the team and led the Celtics to a first-round sweep of the Nets in last year’s playoffs. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnaroski, Udoka could be the most likely candidate.
Suspended Celtics coach Ime Udoka has emerged as the likely next Brooklyn Nets head coach and his hiring could be finalized as soon as the next 24-to-48 hours, sources tell ESPN. Celtics will let him leave for another job.
#2 - Quinn Snyder
Quinn Snyder is another Steve Nash replacement. Snyder is an experienced head coach who is coming off an eight-year stint of coaching the Utah Jazz. Snyder has been a coach on both the college and NBA level for the past 30 years. He made the playoffs in his last six seasons as the Jazz’s head coach. Snyder was a Coach of the Year finalist in 2018 and was named the All-Star game coach in 2021.
Snyder gets his teams to play hard and play defense. That would be a plus for the Nets. Could he get Kyrie to buy in? They both have a Duke connection and maybe that could be a start for them to bond. Both played at Duke, and Snyder was an assistant to Coach K.
#3 - Mike D'Antoni
Mike D’Antoni might be an option for the Nets. He would implement a system that the players are familiar with due to him being an assistant coach during the 2020-21 season. D’Antoni coached former head coach Steve Nash in Phoenix when Nash was the MVP winner.
D’Antoni’s teams are usually good on offense but lack on the defensive side of the ball. What he does bring is the experience of a coach who has taken teams to the playoffs. Durant and Irving may be able to co-exist with D’Antoni and turn the ship around.
Whoever takes this job will have high expectations in front of them. Despite their 2-5 record, they do have two of the most talented players in the league and the organization believes they can contend.