The hiring of Steve Nash as the new head coach of the Brooklyn Nets surprised many. Nash, who won two NBA MVP’s as a player, has no coaching experience. Naturally, it raises the question whether he is ready for the job.
Some of the top coaches in the league, such as Doc Rivers, Mike D’Antoni and Steve Kerr congratulated the move, praising Nash.
One of the biggest issues for the new Brooklyn coach will be finding a mutual ground with the team’s superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. The latter reportedly did not respect head coach Kenny Atkinson which led to him getting fired.
Nash himself said that his relationship with the Nets superstar point guard is important. “There is a respect and admiration there for me,” Nash told the media.
According to one Eastern Conference general manager, it remains to be seen whether Irving will treat Nash differently. Other than that, he thinks it is a good appointment.
Per Michael Scott of HoopsHype:
“I like it,” an Eastern Conference general manager told HoopsHype. “I am not sure if Kyrie will respect Nash as a coach, but I think it’s a great hire. I think Steve displays a lot of the attributes, which are important to building a winning culture. He has a great basketball IQ. He’s been around Kerr the past couple of years, and he’ll assemble a great staff. Bird had never coached, and he was one of the best coaches the Pacers ever had. Larry created a winning culture, which resonated with the team.”
