“This was an abject failure of Brooklyn’s leadership” - Kevin Wildes criticizes Steve Nash and Sean Marks on their handling of the Brooklyn Nets ‘Big 3’
The 'Kyrie-KD-Harden era' of the Brooklyn Nets has officially ended and basketball fans around the world never got to see what the superstar trio could accomplish together. Fox Sports Analyst Kevin Wildes attributed the reason to lack of leadership rather than injuries.
Kevin Wildes appeared on FS1's First Things First and discussed the iconic breakup of the Nets Big 3 and how we never got to see them at full strength. He said:
"I think this was an abject failure of Brooklyn's leadership. The leadership is what destroyed this Big 3....It's no one's place to do anything and that is why this team is rudderless. No one wants to be a leader..."
"The idea that Steve Nash and Sean Marks couldn't keep three iconic superstars of this generation together is not a failure of injuries and health but is a failure of leadership."
The Brooklyn Nets' "Scary Hours" never materialized because there was no voice in the locker room. Head coach Steve Nash was new to the job and he was given the gargantuan task of keeping three egoistic superstars happy on the team.
The Big 3 of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and James Harden were arguably the most lethal offensive trio on paper but won just a single first-round series against an injured Boston Celtics.
"The leadership is what destroyed the Nets Big 3. ... No one wants to be a leader. The idea that Steve Nash & Sean Marks couldn't keep 3 iconic superstars of this generation together is not a failure of injuries & health, it's a failure of leadership." — @kevinwildes https://t.co/84rNdBOGkU
Kevin Wildes explained how the pattern of lack of leadership started off early. He mentioned how Irving stated on Durant's podcast that they didn't need a head coach after Nash was hired. Wildes also brought up Irving's vaccination status and how nobody in the organization tried to convince him. He also spoke about how GM Sean Marks publicly stated that Irving isn't welcome on the team if he wants to remain a part-time player because the Brooklyn Nets value teamwork and comradery. But then the organization changed their minds a few months later because they were losing games.
There is a lot of truth to the fact that there was no legitimate leadership in the locker room and that is one of the reasons why this trio failed. It was supposed to be about how many championships they can win but ended up winning just one playoff series.
.@Chris_Broussard's 4 groups that were more disappointing than Harden-KD-Kyrie:
West, Chamberlain, Baylor
Barkley, Olajuwon, Drexler
Kobe, Shaq, Malone, Payton
Kobe, Pau, Dwight, Nash
"Ultimately, the Nets were a failure but they never had a chance. They played 16 gms together." https://t.co/jwqYz5oOBn
Are the Brooklyn Nets better with Ben Simmons and Seth Curry?
The idea that the Philadelphia 76ers would trade Ben Simmons and Seth Curry for a title-contender in their own division is alarming. The Brooklyn Nets could very well be the roadblock to the 76ers' path to a championship.
On the topic of who won the trade, many analysts have given different views. The Sixers did not get any production from Simmons and the front office turned that into James Harden. On the other hand, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving just got one of the NBA's best defenders in Ben Simmons, along with one of the best sharpshooters in Seth Curry.
If I replace James Harden right now with Ben Simmons, I say the Nets become a much better, more threatening basketball team in the postseason. More @Undisputed, now on FS1 twitter.com/undisputed/sta…
Ben Simmons can provide the Brooklyn Nets with incredible defense and playmaking and not worry about the offense. He can be their Draymond Green-type player who will do anything to win except score a bunch of points. Seth Curry is a premier sniper who averages over 40% from beyond the arc on over 5 attempts a game. They got both these players in exchange for James Harden who wasn't playing his best version of basketball.
Just like every new team assembled, only time will tell who won the trade and how it panned out for either team. The Brooklyn Nets take on the Philadelphia 76ers on March 10th, 2022 for the first time after this trade, and all eyes will be on this emotional and heated battle.