Jordi Fernandez showed us just how good he is. So did Cooper Flagg and a bunch of college prospects.
It’s been humbling, but the Brooklyn Nets are exactly where they need to be at this stage of the rebuild. Even if it means utter embarrassment and perhaps a lack of shame.
The Nets suffered their worst loss in franchise history on Wednesday, a 59-point loss at the hands of the Los Angeles Clippers. It’s innocent, really. Just another part of the love-hate relationship the Nets and their fans get themselves wrapped into.
Following the Nets can be a masochist’s sport and fans are conflicted. Some wanted to tank and some want to win. Neither is wrong and both are justified. A 59-point loss should be embarrassing, it shouldn’t be rewarding. But for the first time in a long time, it is.
Let me explain…
Getting here was tough enough. Expectations were skewed after the KD trade, which only delayed an inevitable rebuild. Sean Marks finally let go of Mikal Bridges and began a process where he could finally build legitimate draft capital, financial freedom, and flexibility every which way.
In the most simple way of stating things, Sean Marks hasn’t been perfect since he took over in 2016. He bet the house after saving the ranch (alongside Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson). Coaching stability has been an issue but that goes way beyond the current front office and ownership. It’s been a Nets-specific issue that hasn’t been solved since Lawrence Frank left. He is the last head guy to serve in the role for at least five straight seasons (from 2004-09).
Marks’ coaching carousel should come to an end, but we’d be damned if we haven’t learned from the past. Jordi Fernandez doesn’t just belong, he’s the real deal. That is something that all Nets fans can agree on (or should.)
The first half was a success for that alone. Fans knew what to expect and the first step in a rebuild, as we learned in 2017, is finding the right coach. He might’ve been too good early with what looked so empty (on paper/screen). They were projected at 19.5 wins by sports gambling books but inside, there was a bit more confidence.
They’re a 14-27 team that started 9-10 after breakout starts from Dennis Schroder, Cam Thomas, and Cam Johnson. It was false hope for the naive. Fans were watching a good, fun product for the first time in a long time, but it interfered with the losses needed in order to apply for a 14% chance at the No. 1 pick.
December is when a GM typically understands the trajectory of the team. The Nets went into this season with a self fulfilling prophecy: Lose. Compete, but lose. Jordi Fernandez was tasked with one of the hardest jobs as a first-year coach — establish an identity/culture while losing as many games as possible.
It makes sense but it doesn’t at the same time. Jordi’s somehow done both.
Let’s rewind to when Marks first took over. He had an empty cupboard of picks after the previous regime traded all of it away to Boston. Mikhail Prokhorov was gearing up to sell the team and he gave the keys to Marks. Only problem then — there was nothing in the house.
Marks’ first step in 2016 was hiring a good coach in Atkinson. Build an identity/culture and compete in the process. Any wins were a bonus since they didn’t have their pick. They had nothing to lose, Billy King and the previous brass were at fault no matter how things went.
The losses benefitted Boston and there was nothing the Brooklyns could do about it. Building a culture sounded like a miracle. Within four seasons, Marks had a Mega-3 on his hands. Anyone else that was at Marks’ introductory press conference in 2016 can attest that the vibe was dull because how could anyone get them out of a situation like that? Cautious optimism? Culture? Hope? No way…
Fast forward nine years later. He has tools that he didn’t have in the first rebuild. Tanking is only logical. Marks did fantastic in the KD trade, then subsequently the Bridges trade. They have 31 picks through 2031, which is great, but they’re 315-390 during his tenure. Winning would go a long way for a fanbase that hasn’t seen much of it. Not even during the Mega-3 era.
But… if you want Cooper Flagg, you have to bottom out. Losing it is.
A 9-10 record entering December was the perfect time for Marks to start nibbling away at the roster. They just defeated the Warriors and Suns back to back, completing a three-game win streak while accruing the most wins vs. the West across all teams in the East.
This is where I’ll mention the fans who want to win, those have emotional investment in the team, those who simply can’t root for their team to lose. It can be the ordinary Nets fan at home or a season ticket holder who spends their hard-earned money to watch good basketball. It sounds absolutely wicked that I have to write that out as if it’s taboo to root for your own team! But that’s a norm in the NBA. Those same fans watched a gritty team that reminded them of the early Sean Marks days when Atkinson was coach.
Marks traded Dennis Schroder. Cam Thomas got hurt. Dorian Finney-Smith got traded. Cam Johnson got hurt. The Nets lost five in a row and nine of its last 11. The fun and grit was over.
It was a giant contradiction, exactly how the 2024-25 season was planned. Lose, but compete. Show capability, but don’t win too many games.
Those fans who have pride are completely justified.
So are those who want to tank. Perhaps a sign of the times, the nature of how this sport works — losing for the 14% chance (at best) to nab a No. 1 pick. It’s the NBA’s version of gambling. You get a percentage and probability to land a player you want to get your franchise back on track. The gamble? Losing games with no guarantee that it’ll work. Marks is playing cards with draft capital and more, perhaps his Ace of Spades being an NBA team that plays in Brooklyn, New York.
Given the context of his past, it’s understandable why Marks would want to smoothen the blow (TANK!) when he told Brian Lewis of the NY Post: “We’re going to have to be systematic with some of the decisions we make. And they may not always be in line with winning the next game or putting the most talent out there.”
In poetic fashion, former 76ers Ben Simmons spoke up on the situation.
“I know this is kind of like a rebuild situation, but we’ve got to go in there like we want to win regardless of what the front office is expecting,” he said.
Some moves have been confusing. Squeezing out wins early in the season. Trading Dennis Schroder just to get back a capable PG (& fan favorite) in D’Angelo Russell in a separate deal. They defeated a Portland Trail Blazers team (who had the same amount of wins as Brooklyn), only to lose by 59 the following night.
A week prior, Marc Stein reported that Brooklyn’s eyes are set on Giannis Antetokounmpo someday in the future, a situation they’re monitoring while they hold Milwaukee’s 2025 first-round pick. There’s been no word on a timeframe in any reports that link Brooklyn and Giannis, but him — or at least a player of his caliber — are not far-fetched given the recipe Marks cooked the last time they were rebuilding (without their own picks).
The plan was clear after the Bridges trade. The plan became official when Marks flipped picks to get their own back from Houston. Nobody should be surprised by any of this.
They’re taking a chance but they’ll have contingency options. They’ll get a lottery pick (and more) in 2025, they’ll have money to spend on the right players, and they have an array of picks through 2031 that can be used in a trade, should the right player come up in trade talks.
All said, the first step is complete and it only took the first half of the 2024-25 season — land a good head coach.
The second half of the season will include a lot of losing. Opposing teams’ fans will take over Barclays Center. Ticket prices are comparable to weekdays in New Jersey. It is what it is. The most important day in recent Nets history is May 12, when fans will wish upon a ping pong ball at the NBA Draft Lottery.
It ain’t bad in the big picture of Nets World, but that doesn’t necessarily make it any easier.
Nets fans can only beg the basketball Gods that things go better than 2009 when the team bought billboard space next to Madison Square Garden because they were preparing to advertise No. 1 pick John Wall. They ended up with Derrick Favors at No. 3. Mikhail Prokhorov and Jay-Z ended up on that billboard.
Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. But for now, there’s no need to get stuck too far in the past. The Nets have a good coach, draft picks, cap space after this year, solid young players, and they play in New York. Flexibility is arguably the most important thing when it comes to the dynamics of managing a sports team. They have that and more.
Tank or no tank. They’re good problems to have, Nets fans. Just get ready for some ugly basketball in the coming months.