Special to the AmNews
It all starts off so wonderfully.
“Billy has been a great asset to the Nets organization over the last three years,” said Brooklyn Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov a little less than three years ago when resigning their now former general manager, Billy King. “We have a playoff team with a world of potential. We are glad we will have the opportunity to continue our work together and realize that potential.” Brooklyn was 10-27 with diminishing playoff hopes when King was removed/reassigned from his position Jan. 10.
“This is a tremendous opportunity,” said former player Jason Kidd to his family, friends, Prokhorov, King, the Nets, their fans and the basketball community after signing a multiyear deal to coach the Nets in June of 2013, a year before he quit to take over coaching responsibilities for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Veteran coach Lionel Hollins, replacing Kidd, talked about how humbled he was to coach Brooklyn 18 months before his firing, also on Jan. 10. “I’m thankful to God because I believe this is the perfect fit for me,” stated Hollins at his signing.
These examples are not to single out Brooklyn’s ownership or management, but to show how team owners, management, coaches and players in sports initially start off so gracious and welcoming and that it’s always interesting to see how long it will last. Signing begins the countdown.
Former San Antonio Spurs Assistant General Manager Sean Marks has begun his countdown, replacing King on Friday. In a statement of introduction, the Nets owner said, “After an exhaustive vetting process, we are delighted to have Sean as our general manager. His experience on the court, in coaching and management gives him a 360-degree view of the job at hand. We welcome Sean into our Nets family and look forward to his strong leadership and independent thinking as we build our own success story.”
Brooklyn is a long way from any part of San Antonio’s success stories. There are measurable contrasts. San Antonio is the second-best team in the Western Conference. Brooklyn is second-worst in the Eastern Conference. San Antonio has had the same head coach since 1996. Brooklyn has had six head coaches since 2010. San Antonio has won five NBA championships. Brooklyn has won none. San Antonio is athletic. They run the floor, move the ball, share the ball. Brooklyn is somewhat athletic. They have the ability, but they just don’t show it consistently throughout games.
Marks, whose first official act was to waive 7-foot center Andrea Bargnani, can look at stats and videos, but the Nets’ current nine-game road trip—seven out west, two in the east—will help define what he has. Except for the Portland Trailblazers and the Los Angeles Clippers, the Nets play the less than .500 West teams, more equally matched to their skill set, before returning east to play the second-place Toronto Raptors and the last-place Philadelphia 76ers in March.
