Former Nets Coach Steve Nash Opens Up About Failed Stint in Brooklyn

The NBA has always been about star players. From the beginning, teams have put together rosters trying to bring in stars and keep them around.

One of the more interesting teams in recent memory is the Brooklyn Nets when they formed a big three of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving. The team hired former star point guard Steve Nash to be the head coach, partly due to the desire of the star players.

When the three players came together, many believed that a title was in their future. But instead, all the Nets got was drama.

Brooklyn never made it out of the second round of the playoffs in the two seasons that the three were together. Nash was subsequently fired after a little over two years with the team.

He was blamed for some of the issues that Brooklyn saw but Nash did what he could with all the controversy surrounding the team. While in Slovenia for Goran Dragic’s farewell game, Nash opened up about his time in Brooklyn.

“Coaching was a great experience,” Nash said, via Eurohoops’ Cesare Milanti. “I didn’t want to be a career coach. I don’t think coaching was about to be my career. I’m coaching my kids, teaching them life. I earned the opportunity to choose, and that’s rewarding. There are always projects, affiliates, and partnerships. I always have something going on. I’m focused on my family.”

Based on the way that Nash spoke, his coaching career may be over. He finished his time with the Nets by posting a coaching record of 94-67 in the regular season and a postseason record of 7-9.

The former league MVP said that coaching was never in his plans. However, he was presented with an opportunity to coach multiple All-Stars, making the Brooklyn job a tough one to turn down.

“I hadn’t planned to coach, there was a unique situation in Brooklyn that knocked on my door. It was a quick transition. You deal with a different dynamic. A lot of it is managing personalities, between front offices, players, and agents. That’s a huge component of my job. All the dynamics, personalities, and power that the players hold nowadays”, he said.

With the way things turned out in Brooklyn, Nash’s coaching stint will go down as a failure. He was tasked with helping the organization win a title and the Nets didn’t come anywhere close, albeit not all fairly being put on Nash.

If Nash is indeed done on the sidelines, he can at least say that he tried it. Coaching isn’t for everyone and Nash may be better off excelling in other areas in his post-playing days.

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