Kyrie’s “Head Coach” Comments Should Worry Nets Fans
What do the words ‘Head Coach’ mean to you? Apparently to Kyrie Irving, not a whole lot. In a podcast this week, Irving and co-star Kevin Durant sat down to talk about the upcoming season. Among other topics, the duo discussed their new head coach Steve Nash. The former two-time MVP will start his first season in that role for the Nets in the 2021 season. This comes off the heels of being a “special consultant” in Golden State when Durant won his second Finals MVP in 2018. The move was met with excitement around the league. When asked about the hire, Kyrie had some…interesting comments to say the least.
“I don’t really see us having a head coach. I could be a head coach (some days.)”
What a thing to say. Durant would add, “Jacque Vaughn could be a head coach, could do it one day. It’s a collaborative effort.” as if to make it sound a bit better. This can be filed under a long list of stupid comments Kyrie has made in the past. And speaks to his critical flaw as a player; he thinks he’s smarter than everyone. Some will say the comments were ‘taken out of context.’ But that’s always the cover with Irving. Here’s a tip: if the guy constantly needs his remarks explained to the public, they were probably understood correctly the first time.
Now what exactly can we gleam from this statement? First, and most obvious, is that Kyrie thinks he’s smart enough to make decisions for the team. Kyrie is a great player, no one would dispute this. But ability and decision making are not the same thing. Great players often defer to their coaches in critical situations. Tim Duncan to Popovich, Jordan to Jackson. For great players to succeed, they need the willingness to be coached. To trust that the guy on the sideline has the right play drawn up. I don’t know if Irving believes that.
The second thing it tells me is that Steve Nash might be in trouble. Very rarely do former All NBA players make good coaches. For every Larry Bird there are three Isiah Thomas. Luckily point guards have good track records when it comes to this transition (Steve Kerr, Mark Jackson etc.). But Nash still needs to prove he can coach at an elite level. And the Brooklyn Nets are not a team for the future. They are pretty much in a ‘win now’ mode. And that only adds to the pressure Nash is under to preform in his first ever season. To have all that going on, AND to have an unruly star point guard is potentially a recipe for disaster.
If I’m Sean Marks, I’m extremely concerned moving forward. I’m worried Kyrie will be the same problem child he was in Boston. A guy that constantly thinks he’s smarter than everyone is going to be a real problem in crunch time situations. Now, fans can take solace in the fact that Kevin Durant is there as well. But as we just saw with the LA Clippers, one star player not living up to expectations can cause a serious ripple effect. Kyrie has already thrown teammates under the bus in trade rumors. Whose to say he won’t do the same with Nash? As a Nets fan you hope for the best. You hope the stars align and the elusive dream of an NBA title comes to fruition. But given Irving’s history, I wouldn’t count on it.