By C.J. Holmes / New York Daily News/TNS
(Source Florida Courier):
NEW YORK — The Nets parted ways Jacque Vaughn on Monday after a frustrating 21-33 start. The responsibility of getting this seemingly broken franchise into the postseason now rests on the shoulders of interim head coach Kevin Ollie, league sources confirmed to the Daily News.
Ollie, 51, has never served as a head coach in the NBA. He did play 13 years in the league and led UConn to a national championship in 2014. Before Brooklyn hired Ollie as an assistant under Vaughn in June, he spent two seasons overseeing coaching and basketball development for the Overtime Elite program.
Ollie has already established himself as a prominent voice within the Nets’ locker room. Now, he will be tasked with salvaging what some already consider to be a lost season. Brooklyn’s 50-point loss to the Boston Celtics ahead of the All-Star break, and growing frustration from Mikal Bridges and others behind the scenes, according to reports, only supported that narrative.
Whether Ollie will be viewed as a long-term solution in Brooklyn will become clearer over the final 28 games of the regular season.
Vaughn had a record of 71-68 over parts of three seasons as head coach in Brooklyn. With the organization for eight years total, he was one of its longest-tenured figures.
“This was an incredibly difficult decision, but one we feel is in the best interest of the team going forward,” General Manager Sean Marks.
The Nets were 15-15 on Dec. 26. They have lost 18 of 24 games since, tumbling to 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings. Plenty of the team’s struggles fell directly on Vaughn. Questionable late-game decisions. Blown leads. Inconsistent rotations. An unsteady structure.
Bait and switch
But one could also argue that Vaughn was set up to fail. The 49-year-old thought he would be coaching two future Hall of Famers in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving indefinitely, with that duo surrounded by a host of high-level role players. What appeared to be an ideal situation fell apart through no fault of his own. The Nets got decent returns when Durant and Irving were eventually traded, but it created a Frankenstein’s monster of a roster with pieces that barely fit together.
Vaughn made do with what he had last season. He held the stitching in place the best he could. Newly acquired players at the time, such as Bridges and Cam Johnson, averaged 26.1 and 16.6 points per game after the trade deadline. Despite getting swept by the Philadelphia 76ers in the first round, the Nets were a playoff team under Vaughn’s tutelage.
Brooklyn’s early success this season should be credited to Vaughn, too. While the team lacked a true No. 1 scoring option, while it did not have enough big bodies on the roster capable of freeing up teammates with hard screens and stretching the floor, Vaughn had this group moving the ball well and knocking down 3s. Brooklyn was far from an elite defensive group, but its effort was good enough to win games.
But then opposing teams started attacking the Nets’ weaker defenders on a nightly basis. That limited their transition opportunities, which made open looks from deep a lot tougher to come by. Their schedule got more difficult, and the holidays were a distraction, as they are for most young teams.
Ben Simmons was supposed to be a constant presence at both ends of the court that held things together. Vaughn certainly did not plan on the three-time AllStar missing 38 straight games because of a pinched nerve in his lower back. The team’s offensive struggles and subpar point-of-attack defense can be traced directly back to his extended absence.
And while no team is immune from the injury bug, Vaughn could not have anticipated six key players all missing extended time at various points this season, too.
Many viewed the Nets’ Dec. 27 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks as the moment when their season went downhill. Vaughn was then made a scapegoat as the season began to unravel, whether it was justified or not. Over time it became crystal clear that he lost the locker room. Yet he continued to smile through it all, which rubbed fans the wrong way, especially after difficult losses.
As losses continued to pile up, it felt as if players did not have aligning incentives when the common goal should always be winning.
Smith, Walker and Spencer Dinwiddie — now with the Lakers — were playing for long-term deals. Claxton, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, was trying to showcase his versatility.
Johnson wanted to justify the four-year, $108 million contract he received last summer. Thomas wanted to prove he was a star guard in the NBA. Sometimes it felt as if players were out for themselves despite the constant messages of unity they projected. This is the delicate balancing act Ollie has inherited.
Turning the Nets’ season around will require difficult decisions. Roles must be clearly defined. Minutes must be cut. Rotations must be tighter,
Ollie’s best way to ensure success is to put his foot down from Day 1.
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