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There has been a lot of chatter around the Brooklyn Nets amid their slow postseason start. Many are criticizing the coaching of Steve Nash. From his rotations, lack of offensive sets ran for his two stars, poor late-game challenges, and more. He isn’t the only one being questioned. Brooklyn’s general manager Sean Marks is also being called out for the lack of depth in the team’s roster makeup. The Nets don’t have a single forward coming off the bench in their postseason rotation. The Brooklyn bench is made up of players in either their first three seasons or ten-plus-year veterans. Nothing in the middle.
These criticisms are coming from just about anywhere, from reporters to TV analysts, fans, and even former players.
The latest to criticize the team is former New York Knick Charles Oakley.
Charles Oakley’s Comments
Charles Oakley was approached by TMZ at Los Angeles International airport and added his own take on what is going on with Brooklyn.
“The problem with Brooklyn was, I don’t know if Nash is the right coach for them,” Oakley said. “I don’t know. Being a ballplayer watching them, everybody say, ‘Well this and that, if you got Kyrie [Irving] and [Kevin Durant],’ but you still need somebody at that front seat.”
Oakley’s comments echo that of other Nash criticisms citing the lack of control he has over the team’s players and also the lack of control he has over the offense. However, they were not the only moves criticized by the retired NBA player.
He also criticized the trade when Brooklyn acquired James Harden from the Rockets in 2021.
“They didn’t need James Harden,” Oakley said. “They didn’t need him. They could have kept their role players last year.”
The role players Oakley mentions are Caris LeVert, Taurean Prince, Rodions Kurucs, and Jarrett Allen. All of which answer weaknesses in the current Nets lineup and answer them better than the current players on that bench being, Griffin and Aldridge.
“He messed that whole chemistry up over there,” Oakley said of Harden. “Because once they got him last year, they had to defer to him. And he wasn’t healthy. He wasn’t in shape.”
The Current Nets Roster
Oakley’s criticism of the Harden trade is warranted. However, it wasn’t even the most recent blockbuster for Brooklyn. After being unhappy in Brooklyn, Harden requested a trade that ultimately saw him being dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers. That trade brought Andre Drummond, Seth Curry, and an injured Ben Simmons to Brooklyn as part of a blockbuster Harden deal.
Despite trading Harden issues remain for the Nets. Simmons has yet to make his debut in Brooklyn. The team only recently practiced together for the first time. This leaves lingering chemistry and style of play questions and what Simmons will bring to the table in his season-debut this postseason.
Simmons is set to play his first game in a Nets uniform on Monday, April 25, for game 4 in Brooklyn in the team’s first round series against the Boston Celtics. Will Simmons make up for the Harden and coaching decisions that Oakley railed against? The Nets hope to find out in his highly-anticipated debut.
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