Despite fan enthusiasm for Nets general manager Sean Marks to go, he will return to Brooklyn next season.
Multiple sources told the Post that Marks plans to hire his next coaching staff this summer, which will be an exhaustive league-wide search.
The Nets will be casting a wide net, so to speak.
Marks may have lost the trust of a vocal segment of the Nets’ fan base, but he still has the trust of Nets team owner Joe Tsai.
“Joe and I have always had a perfect partnership,” Marks previously said. “And that doesn’t mean we’ll always agree. I mean, there has to be a good discussion and a solid discussion, but Joe and I are going to make this decision, and he’s not going to let me make that decision.” You gave me no reason to believe it couldn’t be done.
“I am confident that by the end of this we will have found the best person for the job.”
Whether it’s Tsai and Marks making the call or Marks and Tsai calling, the important thing is that New Zealanders are a big part of the equation.
And whether the permanent coach becomes current interim coach Kevin Ollie or someone from the outside, that decision will be just as important as the one Marks made.
O’Ree is currently serving as interim player, replacing Jacque Vaughn, who was interim player for fired Steve Nash.
“Well, I’m an interim employee, so the first thing I have to do is figure out if I want to keep my job,” O’Ree recently said in response to a question from The Post about his status. “We’re going to have some withdrawal meetings here soon, probably Monday or Tuesday, and then we’ll talk about it. I’ll talk to Sean, the medical staff.
“We do everything as an organization, we do everything as a community. We make sure we’re using the same audio, surround sound system as our players, and we make sure we’re saying the same thing. So we’re going to have those discussions.”
These meetings will likely be a big part of Mark’s legacy in Brooklyn.
For the most part, Marks has been highly valued in free agent signings and trades, and above all in draft picks, and despite never being selected in the lottery, he consistently unearths talent and eventually becomes an All-Star. They are finding gems like Jarrett Allen in the late first round or as free agents. The second person is potential agent Nick Claxton.
But the final test will be how the front office handles the superstar and how it handles the selection of a head coach.
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban admitted the hardest part of his job is holding himself accountable.
“Hiring a coach is the most difficult part of owning a sports team,” Cuban said on “The Pat Bev Pod.” “That’s the hardest thing…it’s not even close to that.”
For reference, Dallas has had just four head coaches in Cuba’s 23 seasons at the helm.
Marks has already been through as much in eight years, five years including taking over from interim coach Tony Brown in 2016.
And the first one was the best.
Marks conducted an exhaustive search across the league and plucked Kenny Atkinson from Mike Budenholzer’s staff in Atlanta.
“Nets culture” is a popular buzzword around HSS Training Center, but the culture that allowed Marks to acquire Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in the first place was actually fueled by hard-working gym rat Atkinson. was.
Firing Atkinson and acquiescing to trying to appease and cajole Starr was probably a mistake, but it was in vain.
Nash finally agreed and quickly got the job, but Marks had been trying to recruit him for years.
And Mr. Vaughn was promoted mid-year after serving as interim for Mr. Nash, who was fired.
This time, the Nets will conduct a thorough investigation, as Marks said, “Joe and I.”
That alone should increase your chances of getting it right.
Given its importance, you can’t afford to make any mistakes.
