Sean Marks finds Jacque Vaughn a ‘catalyst’ for holding the Nets together: “He has shown us that we’ve taken the right steps”
The Brooklyn Nets promoted Jacque Vaughn to be their head coach on Wednesday. After reports that suspended Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka was going to be the replacement for Steve Nash, Brooklyn did its due diligence and decided against that move.
Sean Marks said Vaughn, who was named the interim head coach on Nov. 1, is a "catalyst" and believes he's someone who can help get the Nets (4-7) where they want to be. The team looks to finally be going in the right direction after all of the self-inflicted adversity it has faced.
"Jacque's basketball acumen, competitiveness and intimate knowledge of our team and organization make him the clear-cut best person to lead our group moving forward," Nets general manager Sean Marks said in a statement. "He has a proven ability to get the best out of our players, hold them accountable and play a cohesive, team-first style of basketball."
Nets players excited for Jacque Vaughn
It was clear that the Brooklyn Nets no longer wanted Steve Nash as their head coach. For whatever reason, the Nets players wanted a new guy. Kevin Durant issued an ultimatum in August, although owner Joe Tsai shot that down on Twitter within hours after the reports surfaced.
When a coach is not getting to his players, it's time to make a change. Although it's somewhat unfair considering that guys like Kyrie Irving didn't want to listen to their coach, a change needed to be made.
Nash was put in a bad position from the day he arrived in Brooklyn. Whether it was the Irving, Kevin Durant, James Harden or Ben Simmons situations, Nash had to deal with a ton. No other coach in the NBA had to deal with what he did.
The players are ready to play for a coach who has been with the organization since 2016.
"JV is a great coach," Nets guard Joe Harris said before Wednesday's announcement. "Having played in the NBA for a while, been a coach in the league for a while, having experience as a head coach, having a lot of experience now as an assistant, he's seen a lot, had a lot of different experiences. He's kind of fine-tuned what his approach is.
"He really just simplifies the game. I said that when we were in the bubble, same thing, but he makes sure that everybody is fully aware of what's going on. He's the type of coach we go through a scout (report) – there's going to be a lot of transparency and dialogue.
"It's not just him speaking hoping everybody understands. It's a collective thing where he makes sure that everybody fully is aware of what's going on and understanding what's happening."
Perhaps this could be the start of something in Brooklyn. With Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, this team can still be one of the best in basketball. If their guys go out and just play basketball, they can even win an NBA title.
The Nets haven't shown that they can do so yet, but the season is young. If Vaughn can get to these guys better than Nash, the talent can finally do what it is expected to do.