As their downslide continues, there have been persistent rumblings now that batter the Brooklyn Nets.
From starting the season with such high hopes and flirting a 13-10 card, Brooklyn turned into a splash in the pan and proceeded to stumble in 15 of their next 19 games. They are now in a peculiar spot with a 17-25 record and are continuing to get tagged by league circles as one of the key teams to watch heading to the Feb. 8 trade deadline.
In the wake of their struggles, there are also questions about whether the franchise will adapt to changes within its brain trust. As such, a team insider dismissed this idea, with the Nets aiming to go deeper and flip their season around in the second half.
No signs of Marks, Vaughn getting ousted by Brooklyn
In a recent interview, New York Post’s Nets reporter Brian Lewis deflected the possibility that both Sean Marks and Jacque Vaughn could be placed on the hot seat as he saw “no indication” that Brooklyn would sack both officials.
According to Lewis, Marks still holds the navigator role of the Nets' future. And while the team is struggling with him in charge, Vaughn is still poised to end the season as the franchise's lead mentor.
“It's impossible to look at Sean hiring a fourth coach and think that's standard or normal. But I haven't seen any indication that Sean Marks is on a hot seat or is getting fired. So I have to presume that he would be back and that he'll be finish out the year, that he'll be in charge of this rebuild or retooling. There are some things that I see from Jacque that concern me. … But if you're asking me if do I think we gonna wake up tomorrow and Jacque Vaughn will be out of the job? No. Do I think he'll be out of the job this week? No. I expect that he'll be here and I certainly expect that Sean Marks will be here for the near future.”
Front office change might just be an overreaction
Marks, 48, has been the Nets’ general manager since 2016. He oversaw the franchise's three eras — starting from the D'Angelo Russell run, then the Kevin Durant-Kyrie Irving era, and now their ongoing timeline with Mikal Bridges at the front. Under his management, the Nets saw five winning seasons, and while their superteam partnership with Durant and Irving crashed into a disastrous failure, he was able to splendidly give the franchise a bright future by restoring the team's draft chest and by gaining promisingly top-rated role players.
Meanwhile, Vaughn notably inherited the team's coaching mantle from Steve Nash last season. Despite the embattled exits of both KD and Kyrie, he was able to steer Brooklyn into the 2023 postseason.
A potential dismissal for the two might mean overreaction, especially on the side of Marks. The Nets might have been disappointing this year, but there's still plenty of time left on the clock to flip their fortunes around. In addition, a probable managerial change can only disturb the team's direction that appears already set based on Marks’s directives and plans.
As they continue to evaluate their needs and lapses to address with the trade deadline just around three weeks away, the Nets will still look to maintain their competitive fight as well to achieve their desired outcome this season.
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