The Nets haven’t had much stability since…well, for a while, and now interim head coach Kevin O’Ree comes out of the season with 55 players until he proves he can bring some stability. We have to play 28 games in one day.
And he’s not alone.
After O’Ree’s first practice in Brooklyn, replacing the fired Jacque Vaughn, O’Ree said despite having experienced coaches in Mike Budenholzer, Mike D’Antoni and Terry Stotts. He said his goal is to become a permanent head coach.
“We’re all auditioning for these 28 games, including the players,” O’Ree said. “And to accomplish this, we must all be in the same boat and rowing in the same direction.”
He said the playoffs remain the destination the team has in mind, despite its struggles and two and a half games left in the play-in round.
O’Ree and the rest of the coaches and players are left with the task of not only getting something done this season, but also stabilizing the franchise.
On Tuesday, Mikal Bridges said he was “100 percent” confident the Nets could turn it around.
“Things aren’t going well right now. That’s life,” Bridges said. “I find out what type of person I am and what type of person I am. [so that] When things get tough, you want to leave and run away. ”
Instead, Bridges insisted he wanted to remain in Brooklyn.
“I’m here now and I want to stay here,” Bridges said. “And I’m going to keep trying and get anywhere to win. That’s why I’m here.”
He also seemed encouraged by Olly’s on-court show.
Even when the Nets were hitting over .500 in December, Bridges said there were problems.
“We were winning, but we weren’t detailed enough on both ends,” Bridges said. “We didn’t play as hard as we should have. Once we started losing a little bit, [bad] Habits began to appear. Defensively, we’re not talking to each other, we’re not helping each other, we’re not in the rotation. A lot of it goes to the players, but I think we just weren’t in sync and didn’t know what we were doing there a little bit. It felt a little freeing. ”
On his first day on the job, Ollie preached hard work and hard work.
“[Energy] It has nothing to do with talent, everything to do with heart and will,” Olly said. “That’s what I demand. I want a hunter. If you’re a hunter, I’m going to play.”
But he also defended Bourne.
“[Vaughn] They took all the punches for us,” Oley said. “That’s something the entire coaching staff, the players in the locker room need to understand and understand that they’re responsible for their own energy. We want to push towards the playoffs and the players need to understand that. I want them to focus on that.”
