spencer dinwiddie

Brooklyn Nets: Spencer Dinwiddie Weighs in on possible continuation of NBA Season

by
Brooklyn Nets, Spencer Dinwiddie

Recognized as one of the most active Brooklyn Nets on Twitter, Spencer Dinwiddie had a few drinks on Sunday night and decided to share his thoughts on the NBA possibly salvaging the rest of this season. Here are a series of Dinwiddie’s tweets from Sunday night:

So according to Dinwiddie, saving this season is not worth it the reasons he listed. He also has a very creative thought process as to how the NBA could play next season without fans. I personally find Dinwiddie’s plan for the NBA extremely feasible and really think the NBA could stand to gain something from listening to his and other players’ suggestions.

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On This Day Last Year: The Brooklyn Nets Take a 1-0 series lead on 76ers

by
Brooklyn Nets, D'Angelo Russell

A look back to this day last year with the Brooklyn Nets taking on the Philadelphia 76ers.

On this date last year, April 13th, 2019, the Brooklyn Nets defeated the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of the 1st round of the NBA playoffs by a final score of 111 – 102. It was the first playoff win for the Nets since the 2014 – 2015 season.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

What turned out to be a dominant game on both ends for Brooklyn, they respectively won the scoring battle in the 1st quarter by 9 points and the 3rd quarter by 3 points, only losing the 2nd and 4th quarter by a combined 3 points.

D’Angelo Russell led Brooklyn with 26 points and 4 assists, while Caris Levert scored 23 of his own in just 23 minutes. Ed Davis was a monster on the boards, grabbing 16 rebounds and pouring in 12 points off the bench. Brooklyn had 6 players in double digits that night.

While Jimmy Butler (36 points) and Joel Embiid (22 points) both had solid scoring nights, Brooklyn stymied the rest of the 76ers, even limiting Ben Simmons to just 9 points. The only other player in double figures for Philadelphia was Boban Marjanović, who finished with 13.

The Nets would go on to lose the series in 5 games, dropping four straight after their Game 1 win. Once Philadelphia modified their game plan to start attacking the rim, the momentum of the series shifted. Jarrett Allen and Ed Davis were no match for all-star center Joel Embiid, who, along with Marjanović and Ben Simmons, tortured the Nets inside for most of the series.

This would turn out to be D’Angelo Russell’s last several games with Brooklyn, who was magnificent for Brooklyn the majority of the year. In the off-season, Russell would go on to be traded to the Warriors, a move that allowed the Nets to acquire Kevin Durant and sign Kyrie Irving as the point guard of the future.

We look back on the Nets season last year glowingly, as a team that overachieved through gritty play and teamwork, with not a ton of skill on the roster. While it’s easy to remember the emergence of guys like Deangelo Russell and Spencer Dinwiddie, it’s also essential to recognize the contributions from key role players such as Jared Dudley, Ed Davis, Treveon Graham, and DeMarre Carroll, all guys that were dealt or let go this past off-season, but helped Brooklyn achieve, what many considered, a successful season.

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Brooklyn Nets: Spencer Dinwiddie Trolls Bulls & Knicks in Recent Tweets

by
Brooklyn Nets, Spencer Dinwiddie

The “Tech guy with a jumper” is at it again. Spencer Dinwiddie, who has been the most active Brooklyn Net on Twitter by far since the NBA suspended its season indefinitely almost a month ago, has decided to apply for the open Chicago Bulls general manager position, as you can see in his tweet below:

Dinwiddie, no stranger to sarcasm, took his joke a few steps further by breaking down what he thinks the Bulls should do in the short term in order to fix their broken franchise.  He starts off his plan by saying Chicago should trade Tomáš Satoranský for himself and appoint Dinwiddie the GM, with Chicago also giving Brooklyn an additional pick to make it fair because “Dinwiddie gets buckets.”

His next step includes Klutch Sports signing Dinwiddie to their agency, if and only if, Anthony Davis joins the Bulls. Pretty foolproof plan so far right? Dinwiddie then breaks down what his roster would look like with the addition of himself and AD, as you can see below:

Dinwiddie even goes as far as to discuss what the Bull’s bench rotation would look like under his supervision as well:

Dinwiddie would go on to tweet about his hypothetical plan as the future player/GM of the Chicago Bulls 9 more times, finishing his thread by tweeting “THEY CALL ME JACKIE MOON”, the infamous player/owner/coach played by Will Ferrell in the fictional movie Semi-Pro. It seems he put a lot of thought into this sincere troll of the Chicago Bulls.

Dinwiddie wasn’t finished lending his roster decision-making expertise on Twitter, tweeting directly at the Knicks:

After thinking it over, Dinwiddie decided that his attempt to hypothetically fix the Knicks roster would be “too dicey.”

Nobody knows if Dinwiddie will be on the Brooklyn Nets next season, but wherever he ends up,  let us hope he never stops tweeting.

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Brooklyn Nets: Three Reasons to Look Forward to 2020-21 Season

by
Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets

With the 2019-20 NBA season’s return looking bleak, I thought it would be appropriate for us to begin looking forward to next year. There is no team with more hype and uncertainty surrounding them than the Brooklyn Nets. Assuming the Nets don’t make any major moves this off-season (big assumption here) let’s break down 3 reasons that Nets fans should be excited for next year.

3 Reasons for Nets Fans to Look Forward to Next Season

3. THE DEVELOPMENT OF NIC CLAXTON – Claxton showed flashes of brilliance during his rookie season with the Nets, but unfortunately received limited time with the team and was held in the G-League for most of the year. Still, Nets fans are excited to see what this sophomore will be able to do when given the chance. Claxton’s lengthy wingspan of 7’2.5 and his ridiculous athletic ability makes him a viable future option for the Brooklyn Nets at the power forward position. While he may not be as explosive as a Jarrett Allen or Deandre Jordan, his agility is extremely impressive for someone his height and he can prove to be a nightmare on the boards paired with Allen or Jordan.

2. THE RISE OF CARIS LEVERT – Now in his 4th season in the NBA, Caris LeVert is finally starting to come into his own. As one of the primary scoring threats for Brooklyn down the stretch, LeVert was incredible, averaging 20.6 ppg in his last 10 games of the season. His notable moments this season consisted of putting up 51 in a win against the Celtics in one of greatest 4th quarter performances in recent memory and notching his 1st career tripe double in what ended up being Kenny Atkinson’s final game as Nets head coach. He also looked much more confident shooting the 3 balls this season, hitting 38% of his attempts, the highest % of his career. LeVert, who is known for doing most of his scoring off the dribble, will have to work on his off-the-ball game as he appears to be 3rd in the offensive pecking order behind Kyrie and KD. It will be fun to see how LeVert can do produce in this star-studded offense.

1. THE RETURN OF KEVIN DURANT & KYRIE IRVING – This is what many Nets fans have been waiting to see since KD and Kyrie made their announcement in July last year; the vision of one of the games greatest scorers of all time being paired with one of the elite scoring point guards in our game today. We saw what Durant was able to do playing with Curry and Thompson in Golden State, it shouldn’t be a stretch to think him and Kyrie can dominate the East in a similar fashion, especially if the supporting cast is able to buy-in. Kyrie and Durant will be a dynamic pairing for several reasons – both have the ability to create their own shot in any given situation, both have proven to be clutch in their career, and maybe the most important factor of all, both guys are out to PROVE something to the rest of the league. And both stars left their previous team with a sour taste in their mouth. Now the two have a chance to lead Brooklyn to a championship together.

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Brooklyn Nets: Top 5 Moments during the 2019-20 Season

by
Brooklyn Nets, Caris LeVert

This tumultuously shortened NBA season has been a roller coaster ride for Brooklyn Nets fans. From Kyrie Irving being hurt for a good portion of the year, to Brooklyn moving on from head coach Kenny Atkinson, the Nets have definitely had their fair share of low moments this year. Even Kevin Durant took a big L last night when Derrick Jones Jr. demolished him in the first round of the players-only NBA 2K tournament on ESPN. With all that said, there have been a ton of special moments this year that should have Nets fans excited headed into next season, and I wanted to highlight several of those moments here.

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Top 5 Moments of 2019-20 Season for Brooklyn Nets

10/25/19 – Kyrie Irving hits big shot to beat crosstown rival New York Knicks

After dropping 50 points in his Nets debut and losing a heartbreaker to Minnesota, Irving had a chance to redeem himself in just the second game of the season. In a back and forth battle with the Knicks in Madison Square Garden, Kyrie hit the go-ahead three-pointer with just 22 seconds left in regulation over rookie RJ Barrett to put the Nets up by two and help secure the eventual 113 – 109 victory. To many Nets fans, this was Kyrie’s first “welcome to Brooklyn” moment, since beating the Knicks is an important goal every season for Brooklyn, who often plays little brother to the historic Manhattan-based franchise in the headlines.

12/21/19 – Dinwiddie & the Nets beat Atlanta in Brooklyn despite Trae Young’s 47 points with Kobe and Gianna Bryant in attendance

This was a special game for many reasons. Let’s start with the fact that this was one of the last times we were able to see Kobe and Gianna at a public sporting event together and spawned the popular video of the two breaking down the game together. The 2nd major story-line was that this was most likely Vince Carter’s last appearance against the Nets in Brooklyn, a player who provided many highlights and stellar play for Nets fans during his tenure in New Jersey earlier in his career.

And last but not least, the game itself was incredible! The Nets came back from 13 down headed into the 4th quarter to win in a tightly-contested battle, despite a 47 point effort from Trae Young. Dinwiddie played one of his best games of the season, dropping 39 points in their 122 – 112 win. Spencer had extra motivation that night, mentioning that before the game, Bryant, who was Dinwiddie’s favorite player of all time, had told him he was “playing like an all-star.” In the post-game interview, Dinwiddie spoke about how special the win was in front of Kobe and even joked about how he was mad at himself for not getting to 40.

1/31/20 – Kyrie drops 54 on Bulls in Nets Win following the tragic death of his friend/mentor Kobe Bryant 

We all process grief and mourn differently. When news circulated regarding the shocking death of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, Kyrie Irving chose to take some time off from basketball, a decision completely understandable given the relationship between the two. Kyrie viewed Kobe as a mentor; Kobe was actually the first person Irving called after he won his NBA championship in 2016 with Cleveland. When Kyrie decided he was ready to come back and play, he put what Bryant had taught him to good use.

The Nets point guard was electric in his return against the Bulls, scoring 54 points on 19-23 shooting in a convincing 133 – 118 win. He even received MVP chants from the crowd at Barclays. After the game, Kyrie spoke on how he was able to play through the grieving process: “It’s an open wound. But I think just coming out here knowing that this is a place where we connected on a deeper scale, it makes a lot of sense, what’s happening.” ESPN Game Recap by Associated Press

3/11/20 – Dinwiddie and the Nets shock Lakers in the final game of the shortened season

Coming off a three-game home stretch in which they went 2-1 against lesser competition, critics did not expect much from the Nets on the road against a Lakers team at full strength, especially with an interim coach in Jacque Vaughn still figuring out his rotations. In what would turn out to be the final game of Brooklyn’s shortened season, the Nets delivered with one of their best team wins in recent memory.

The momentum in the game went back and forth the entire night, with the Nets winning the 2nd and 3rd quarters to build a substantial lead heading into the 4th.  Being the elite superstars that they are, Lebron and AD stormed their way back into the game, tieing Brooklyn down the stretch at 102. Spencer Dinwiddie, who had 23 on the night, hit the go-ahead jumper over Avery Bradley with 28.3 seconds to put the Nets up by two. Anthony Davis had a chance to win the game for the Lakers with a wide-open look from three, but he clanked the shot off the back of the rim, and the Nets were able to hold on for a 104 – 102 victory. LeVert added 22 points of his own and finished the shortened season on a high note, playing the best basketball of his young career. Moving forward, LeVert will either be the 3rd star on this Brooklyn Nets team next year, or he will be a valuable trade asset for Sean Marks in the off-season.

Caris LeVert goes off against the Celtics for 51 points in Overtime Win

With the Celtics up double digits in the 4th and as much as 21 points in the second half, Nets fans (myself included) were ready to chalk this game up as a loss. The team had been defeated in their last four games, and Atkinson had most of his bench players on the court, basically surrendering the game, before subbing Caris LeVert into the game in the 4th. And then something magical happened.

Levert turned into a scoring machine in the 4th quarter, pouring in 26 points, including nailing all three free throws (after Marcus Smart had fouled him attempting a three) to tie the game up with .02 seconds left and complete their comeback in regulation. In overtime, the former Michigan Wolverine would go on to score all 11 points for the Nets to close out a 129 – 120 win, and LeVert finished the game with a career-high 51 points on 17 of 26 from the field. The Celtics had zero answers on defense, as LeVert torched the Celtics possession after possession by scoring in a variety of ways. Three-point shot off the dribble? Money. One-footed step back from the elbow? Cash. Finishing at the basket with contact? You betcha. LeVert single-handedly won a game that easily should have been a loss for the Brooklyn Nets.

The lesson here? No matter how much you’re down in the fight, don’t give up – there’s always a chance.

BONUS MOMENT: All 4 Nets players diagnosed with Coronavirus in mid-March, including Kevin Durant, are now all symptom-free after self-isolating for the last 14 days. While they will continue to quarantine themselves, this is the best possible news we can receive regarding the health of these players.

Stay tuned for the date of the tournament to be announced. Follow @firesidenets on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for your latest Brooklyn Nets news and listen to the Fireside Nets w/ Spen & Nick podcast!

Brooklyn Nets: Kyrie Plays Hero to Fan after his House Burns Down

by
Brooklyn Nets, Kyrie Irving

There are many moments in sports where professional athletes just don’t get it. It’s important to highlight the moments in which they do get it and are able to make positive differences in peoples’ lives. Brooklyn Nets‘ Kyrie Iriving undoubtedly gets it!

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Kyrie Irving had an opportunity to help out a Brooklyn Nets fan who recently lost their home. Fahad Saleem’s house burnt down in early March, and the only thing that survived was a Brooklyn Nets Kyrie Irving jersey. He posted on Twitter about the unfortunate life-changing event:

Once Kyrie learned of his story, he immediately got his hands on Fahad’s jersey and signed it, writing a personal message to Fahad in the process:

Earlier in March, Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie also reached out, tweeting“Jerseys are replaceable. You are not 🙏🏾.” Fahad had lost two of his signed Spencer Dinwiddie jerseys in the fire.

As a Nets fan, I love the way the Nets community has received Fahad and went out of their way to support him during this troubling time. Please donate to help Fahad recover from this horrible ordeal below:

Check out the GoFund Me page here!

Stay tuned for the date of the tournament to be announced. Follow @firesidenets on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for your latest Brooklyn Nets news and listen to the Fireside Nets w/ Spen & Nick podcast!

Brooklyn Nets: Spencer Dinwiddie insists Caris LeVert is a part of their essential team

by
Brooklyn Nets, Caris LeVert

With the remainder of the 2020 NBA season in flux, the next time we see basketball could be in 2021 or toward the very end of the year. Social gatherings are becoming more scarce as the coronavirus makes its way through cities and communities. The Brooklyn Nets, however, have received good news on the pandemic front.

Four Nets players who were previously infected with the virus have been cleared, according to GM Sean Marks.

“So far, everybody is healthy. The guys that were, that tested positive, have cleared their 14 days self-isolation and quarantine,” Marks said Wednesday in a conference call. “They’re still practicing with social distancing like the rest of us. They are cleared like everybody, like the rest of the team and the staff right now.”

Thankfully all of the players are healthy and have overcome the virus. The next narrative on the balled is Caris LeVert, and if he’s an essential part of the team moving forward.

Nets star Spencer Dinwiddie expressed his confidence in LeVert, stating:

“Obviously he’s our third star. Major piece of the team,” Dinwiddie said.

Kyrie Irving, who stated that the team needs more pieced if they plan to contend for a championship, implied that the team needs to go out and either trade for more draft capital or sign bigger free agents. However, the return of Durant ‘should’ provide sufficient quality along with Irving, Dinwiddie, and LeVert to compete daily in the NBA.

The biggest knock on LeVert, though, is his injury history, suggesting he could be a better trade piece next offseason. His injury history is well known, considering his 42 straight missed games in 2019 and 24 games this season with a thumb injury. Sometimes, it’s better t cash in on injury-prone players while they still have value instead of waiting for them to pick up something significant.

Update on the Brooklyn Nets in Quarantine

by
Brooklyn Nets, Spencer Dinwiddie

Obviously, the biggest news of this suspended season for the Brooklyn Nets has been Kevin Durant and the other 3 anonymous Nets players who contracted Covid-19. KD put out an optimistic message last Tuesday regarding his status, and Quinn Cook gave an update yesterday (Cook’s full quote) regarding his friend’s Durant’s positive mentality towards everything.

Let’s check up on how several Nets players and coaches are doing in Quarantine with the help of Twitter and some other media outlets:

  • Spencer Dinwiddie on his favorite thing to do during the quarantine: “Be a Dad.” Bleacher Report grabbed the quote from Dinwiddie and posted a picture of Dinwiddie and his son here. Dinwiddie took issue (sarcastically) with the angle the picture was taken, tweeting “Expressionless faceI don’t like this camera angle. Y’all made the greatest baby in history look like he has a wide face… Unamused faceI love you son.” Spencer has been one of the more active Nets on Twitter.

 

  • Garrett Temple has decided to use this forced break to hone in on his preparation for Law School. Temple recently told YES’s Michael Grady during an interview that he has “been practicing for the LSAT Prep.” (NY Post article here) Temple went on to say “I’m a person who’s thought about going to law school when I finish playing, and what’s a better time than now to be able to put in 3-4 hours a day of studying for a test that allows me to get into law school. That’s what I’m doing right now.” Great to see Temple is improving his skills off the court.

 

  • Deandre Jordan hasn’t been too active on Twitter, but his profile is extremely telling of what he’s probably been up to during this break. His profile bio reads “1/4 Twist Boy I love Judge Judy, Netflix, and Gluten-free Cookies.” (Deandre Jordan Twitter)

 

  • Adam Harrington, an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets, seemed to share Dinwiddie’s sentiment, as he tweeted “There is no doubt I miss my / our normal routine. I miss everything Nets, & miss the NBA! But I am absolutely loving my family time with wife & kids. In our profession this is almost impossible and it has allowed me some INCREDIBLE time to be a hand on / present FATHER!🙌🏻 (Adam Harrington Twitter

This is a quick recap on just a few members of the Nets organization. Follow Fireside Nets on Twitter for all your latest updates on everything Brooklyn Nets.

Nets Snag Best Win of Season vs Los Angeles Lakers

by
Spencer Dinwiddie, Brooklyn Nets

Oh man, what a way to start a road trip. The Lakers, coming off weekend wins against the Bucks and the Clippers, fell to the Brooklyn Nets yesterday, 104 – 102, in one of the more exciting games this season. Brooklyn played inspired basketball against one of the hottest teams in the NBA, featuring one of the hottest players right now in Lebron James, and came out victorious.

What went right for Brooklyn last night?

At the start of the game, it seemed as though only 2 Nets players had shown up to play. Caris Levert, who has recently demonstrated an intensity and efficiency to his game that we have not seen from him before this year, continued his stellar play.  But it was backup point guard/G League call up Chris Chiozza, who helped steady the Nets in that 1st quarter, giving them great minutes with Dinwiddie on the bench. The Florida alum was sensational, displaying a barrage of smooth, crisp passes to open teammates. Chiozza finished with 11 points and five assists in 17 minutes. Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris got it going in the 2nd quarter, cutting a Lakers 11 point lead to 2 point lead right before the half.

Then in the 3rd quarter, everything started clicking for the Nets. The defense picked up for Brooklyn, as they were able almost to shut down everybody on the Lakers except Lebron, and they outscored LA 31 – 22 in the 3rd. Everyone from Caris Levert to Timothe Luwawu – Cabarrot made plays both on offense and defense. The Nets went into the 4th with a surprising 87-80 lead, something they haven’t done a great job at protecting this year.

The 4th quarter was electrifying. Anthony Davis came alive and, along with Lebron, carried the Lakers back to tie the game at 102 with a little under 50 seconds left. Dinwiddie, who had been called for offensive fouls on two of the last several possessions, isolated Avery Bradley and hit a tough go-ahead jumper on the left elbow to put Brooklyn up 2. After a Lebron missed a layup and 2 missed free throws by Deandre Jordan, the Lakers got the ball back down 2 with 5 seconds left with a chance to tie or win. Brooklyn fans gasped as Lebron drove down the lane and kicked it to a wide-open Anthony Davis in the corner for a 3 to win the game, but fortunately, Davis clunked the shot and sealed the upset for Brooklyn.

Key performances for the Nets:

Caris Levert: 22 points & 7 boards    Spencer Dinwiddie: 23 points & 7 assists

Joe Harris: 12 points                            Timothe Luwawu – Cabarrot: 13 points

This was a significant win for Brooklyn not only for the guys on the court but for Kevin Durant to witness off the court, who traveled with the team on this four-game California road trip. KD and Kyrie need to see this team win without them, especially against a juggernaut like the Lakers. Vaughn has been impressive in his short tenure as coach with rotations, and the Nets have put forth a fantastic team effort for him in these last few games.

The Nets play the Warriors on Thursday at 10:30 pm EST (who will most likely honor KD in some type of way) followed by the Clippers on Friday night and the Kings on Sunday.

Will Kenny Atkinson be the Brooklyn Nets coach next year?

by
Brooklyn Nets, Kenny Atkinson

After one of the more exciting wins in recent memory, the Brooklyn Nets followed up their impressive victory over the Boston Celtics on Tuesday with a significant letdown the following night at home against the Grizzlies.  The final score was 118 – 79, a result indicative of how most of the game went.

The Nets have now lost 5 of their last six games. Kenny Atkinson has struggled to find consistent production from his players on a nightly basis. While many Nets fans have been significant supporters of the Coach’s overall job throughout his tenure with Brooklyn, some have begun to wonder if Atkinson is the right man to lead this soon to be star-studded team on a championship run.

Kenny Atkinson on the Hot Seat: Fair or Foul?

Regardless of how you look at it, Coach Atkinson has underwhelmed mightily this season. Last year was a pleasant surprise for the Nets, as they finished 42 – 40 and claimed the 6th seed in what was a highly competitive Eastern Conference. More importantly, there seemed to be a certain camaraderie and positive vibe around the team, often displayed by dances on the bench, in-game celebrations, or entertaining post-game interviews. Through 61 games this year, the Nets are 27-34. Despite being the 7th seed in the East, there hasn’t been much to dance about this season. In fact, the Grizzlies bench was caught on video mocking the Nets by doing some dancing of their own during their dominating win against Brooklyn on Wednesday night. As someone who covers the Nets, I have to bring up the question. Is it wrong to think Kenny Atkinson’s job is in jeopardy for next year? Let’s Debate:

The Good

Coach Atkinson has done a great job of filling the absence of Kyrie Irving by finding production through other avenues. He has given Spencer Dinwiddie the keys to this team, and Dinwiddie has responded by boasting a modest 20.5 points and 6.7 assists per game. Atkinson should also be commended for slowly bringing Caris Levert back into the fold, who has proven to be an elite shot-maker when healthy and an excellent complement to Dinwiddie.

For the most part, Brooklyn’s Coach has managed the media around his two sidelined superstars very well. A recent example would be Atkinson’s unwillingness to comment on whether or not he thought Irving and Durant will play in the Olympics this summer. He also has shown praise to Durant throughout his rehab process. Part of the reason KD initially agreed to sign with Brooklyn over the summer was because of Kenny Atkinson. According to an SNY article, Durant “really liked his [Atkinson’s] approach to his craft as a coach.” (click here to see full article)

The Bad

Atkinson has failed to create a consistent in-game rotation throughout the year. Part of this can be attributed to the loss of glue guys like Jared Dudley, Demarre Carroll, Ed Davis, and Treveon Graham. All players signed elsewhere in the off-season. Atkinson has struggled in finding essential roles for newcomers Taurean Prince, Wilson Chandler, and Garrett Temple, with Temple probably making the biggest impact out of the three.

He has also had to balance time between veteran big man Deandre Jordan and second-year talent Jarrett Allen, which has halted the progress of the young center as his minutes are down from last year. Even in the 20 games in which Atkinson was able to have Kyrie on the court, the Nets rotation has often looked disjointed and sloppy. It has almost seemed like Atkinson forced Kyrie into last year’s offense, and it just hasn’t worked.

It is also evident this Nets team has not played with the same toughness and flawless execution from last year. When teams lack that competitive edge, it is often because their coach is failing to motivate them to do so, although I don’t think Atkinson is 100% to blame. I do believe it has been harder for him to get players to buy in when many guys on the team are unsure of their roster spots for next year with the big guns (Durant & Kyrie) coming back. The effort just hasn’t been there for the majority of the year, and it has affected their execution significantly, as they rank just 23rd in the league in total offense.

The Verdict

Kenny Atkinson does not deserve to be on the hot seat quite yet, and for now, his job is safe. Assuming the Nets hold on to either the 7th or 8th playoff spot, Sean Marks should give Atkinson a shot to coach this Nets dream team when fully healthy. With the clear support of Marks, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving (I think), Atkinson has been a major part of the successful culture change in Brooklyn should be able to keep his job for at least another year.

The Brooklyn Nets play at home against the Spurs at 7:30 pm EST tonight on YES.