Nets are a rudderless ship with no captain in sight

 

Who is the leader of the 2023-24 Brooklyn Nets?

It isn't Spencer Dinwiddie, whose minutes have been shrinking, and body language is showing signs of frustration with limited playing time. 

The same can be said for Cam Thomas, whose answers with the media are becoming shorter by the day as he gets frustrated with losses piling up and his minutes shrinking.

Jacque Vaughn is alienating veteran players and young guys alike as the locker room has been tuning out the coach that is already under siege. 

Sean Marks has not made public comments since before the season started and while owner Joe Tsai has been present a handful of times this season, he's given no clear direction for the franchise. 

All signs point to this being selling season ahead of February's trade deadline for the Nets, but with Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson as centerpieces, a complete rebuild isn't exactly in the cards.

So, will Marks be able to pick up the pieces from this season, add draft capital, while adding impact rotation players at the same time?

It's proposition and Nets fans have shown they're not exactly the most patient type. Serious doubt has been cast on Vaughn's coaching future with the club, adding to the uncertainty to where exactly this team is headed not only this year but in the seasons to follow.

Marks was in a difficult position when he took over as general manager in 2016 and successfully built an enviable culture that had been destroyed by Brooklyn's first failed Big 3 project. 

While Marks had two superstars in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant dropped into his lap, and a third force his way out to join Brooklyn in James Harden, none of those pieces remain, just the rubble. 

Many fans have even been clamoring for the team to relocate again and return to New Jersey since the product they're putting on the court is not up to snuff. 

There is no magic sauce or formula that Marks can cook up to fix all these problems, but the first step will be to identify a direction, whether that is retooling, rebuilding, or trying to go big game hunting after available superstars. 

The Nets are currently in NBA purgatory, not holding their own draft picks and they're an afterthought in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

Things have been bad for the Nets before and even bad since the move to Brooklyn, but this season may be a new low for a franchise that has experienced its share of them. 

 

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With Nets floundering in Brooklyn, move back to NJ not crazy after all

 

The Nets have played in eight different arenas since the franchise's inception in 1967. That's an average of a new home every seven years. So by that math, the Nets are overdue for a change in city and venue.

Brooklyn lost for its 16th time in its last 20 games and suffered yet another late game collapse on Tuesday to the Knicks. The Nets forfeited double digit leads and eventually lost to Portland, Miami, Los Angeles Clippers and Knicks over the last ten days.

The Nets were in the driver's seat against the Knicks but fell apart down the stretch with questionable lineup decisions, shoddy shot selection and just overall poor basketball.

Knicks fans took over Barclays Center in full force and have now won four in a row in the area rivalry. Mikal Bridges, who scored 36, was booed on his home floor for missing a late free throw. 

So with a Knicks takeover in Brooklyn, a max exodus of stars over the past few years, a billionaire owner in Joe Tsai, who lost a chunk of his large fortune with Alibaba stock plummeting, is a return to the Garden State possible?

Call me crazy, but it's not as farfetched as it once was. The Nets have now been in Brooklyn for almost 12 years. Two failed superstar eras later that produced just two playoff round wins, zero divisional titles or banners, it's clear success hasn't exactly been aplenty in the borough.

In 35 years in New Jersey, the Nets won six division banners, two Eastern Conference Championships and hosted five games at the Meadowlands.

Yes, the Nets played in a half empty building with a 50/50 split of opposing fans and the home crowd. But with revamped transportation hub in the Meadowlands serving MetLife Stadium, the infrastructure is in place to create a convenient situation for basketball fans looking to attend games in New Jersey.

Things would have to completely spiral out of control on the basketball side and financial hardship would need to be so extreme that it would force Tsai to sell both the team and arena, both of which he owns outright. 

The reality is, the Nets have seen some dark times in Brooklyn and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight to the suffering this season.

As the Nets aim to be a big market team and take local and national attention away from the crosstown Knicks, 12 years since their move to Brooklyn, it appears they're further than ever from taking the city by storm.

The Knicks historically have always been the biggest show in town and while the Nets tried to make headway and steal the limelight in recent years, so far they have failed to do so.

Who knows what the future holds for the nomadic Nets, but things will need to brighten up in Brooklyn quickly, otherwise cries for another relocation may get louder by the day. 

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Fireable offense: Jacque Vaughn, Nets blow another late lead in loss to Knicks

Watching the Brooklyn Nets is like the movie Groundhog Day: different day, same ending.

Replace Billy Murray's funny moments with head scratching Jacque Vaughn coaching decisions and frustration from Nets fans.  

The Nets were outscored 32-18 in the fourth quarter against the Knicks at Barclays after blowing an 18-point lead on Sunday against the Clippers and ending that game being outgunned 22-0. 

On Tuesday, Mikal Bridges carried the day offensively with 36 points, Cam Johnson added 19 and Nic Claxton had 8 points and 17 rebounds.

Johnson started the first quarter strong, but he missed a potential game tying three inside of ten seconds and faded in the second half.

Spencer Dinwiddie played 19 minutes, dealt out three assists and grabbed zero rebounds and produced no points.

Julis Randle and Jalen Brunson poured in 30 apiece to help New York grind out a victory. 

The Nets have now blown double digit fourth quarter leads against the Heat, Blazers, Clippers and Knicks over the last week.

Vaughn's team has gone through offensive dry spell after dry spell and his lineup combinations are not producing desirable results. 

The type of loss the Nets suffered on Tuesday night: a nationally televised against a bitter area rival with another late collapse is grounds to make a coaching change. 

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Nets do unthinkable, blow 18-point lead to Clippers

 

The Brooklyn Nets were in full control of the Los Angeles Clippers until they weren't. 

After building a 18-point lead with seconds left in the third quarter, Brooklyn watched that advantage not not only evaporate, but eventually turned it into an 11-point Los Angeles win. 

Mikal Bridges led the way with 26, Cam Thomas had 20, while James Harden paced the Clippers with 24 and 10, while Kawhi Leonard added 21.

Ty Lue coached circles around Jacque Vaughn, who allowed the Clippers to stage a 22-0 run to end the game.

It's inexplicable some of the lineup changes that Vaughn made as well as his lack of commanding the huddle and coordinating a semblance of an organized offense.

The Nets have now squandered three winnable games over the last week-plus by losing to Portland, Miami and now the Los Angeles Clippers with a Thunder win preceding that stretch and Laker win on Friday night.

Had the Nets made a few lineup adjustments and different play calls, but they may be riding a six game win streak instead of 4-14 record over the last 18 games. 

Aside from Ben Simmons, Brooklyn is relatively healthy and injuries are no longer an excuse but poor coaching decisions are preventing an underdog Nets squad from staying out of the loss column and in the playoff race. 

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Nets make franchise history with stunning win over Lakers

The Nets looked to be on their way to a 15th loss in 18 games early on at Crypto.com Arena, but they flipped the script on the Hollywood Lakers and turned a slow start into an explosive second half.

Brooklyn outscored Los Angeles 38-22 in the third quarter with Cam Thomas pacing the Nets with 33, Spencer Dinwiddie coming alive for 19 and Nic Claxton notching an impressive 22 point, 14 rebound double-double in the contest.

LeBron James had 24 points and 11 rebounds, Anthony Davis had 26 and 12 boards, while DeAngelo Russell poured in 20.

For Brooklyn, Lonnie Walker IV and Dennis Smith Jr. had spirited efforts off the bench with 15 and 11, respectively, to go along with a great deal of hustle plays.

The Nets earned their biggest win in franchise history at the Lakers home court with a 130-112 triumph.

Brooklyn will be back in the same arena on Sunday to take on the Clippers as it looks for a Los Angeles sweep. 

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