Chief among the many things that happened in early March in the NBA that now feel like a lifetime ago was the Brooklyn Nets parting ways with head coach Kenny Atkinson. General manager Sean Marks expanded upon that decision and what comes next — along with many other issues — in a conference call on Wednesday with local media.
Despite the uncertainty around the resumption of the NBA season during the coronavirus pandemic, the Nets have not moved forward with their coaching search, Marks said, out of respect to interim coach Jacque Vaughn. Previously, Marks said he would wait until the end of the year to begin that process, and it appears he is sticking to that timeline. Brooklyn would be in line to make the playoffs if they happen.
More pressingly, Marks admitted he will seek out the opinions of superstars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant during the hiring process, which Marks said has always been how he does business.
“I think that’s the approach we’ve taken with everything,” Marks said. “From four years ago, whether it was free agency or even in the draft, we had our own players come and watch draft workouts. I love getting their opinions, I love seeing what they see.”
Marks praised what he called a “collaborative approach” across the organization, but it’s worth mentioning that Irving’s connection with former Cleveland head coach Ty Lue was the center of much intrigue when Brooklyn originally moved on from Atkinson.