Jacque

Vaughn

Brooklyn sits at 21-33 on the season, and the Nets will look to make a shakeup at head coach. With the roster as currently constructed, it’s unlikely this change will do much to impact the team’s record, but something had to give for a team that currently sits outside the Eastern Conference’s play-in tournament. Vaughn finishes his Nets tenure with a 71-68 record.

The Nets were heavily linked to Ime Udoka but they understandably got a lot of pushback from everyone. The Nets are 2-2 with Vaughn at the helm, but they could easily be 3-1 if not for some heroics by Luka Doncic on Monday.

While Jacque Vaughn may lead the Nets against Chicago on Tuesday, Udoka will be at the helm for the remainder of the season. Boston will allow Udoka to leave with no compensation in return being reported. He was suspended indefinitely by the Celtics after inappropriate workplace behavior with a female employee and was not expected to coach them after his suspension ended. Udoka did have success leading Boston last season, guiding them to the NBA Finals in his only season as their head coach. Udoka was previously an assistant for Brooklyn and reportedly challenged Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving consistently. The Nets will be filled with drama between Irving, Udoka and Ben Simmons, but they’ll hope that the stars align for a turnaround after a 2-5 start to the season.

Jacque Vaughn will act as Brooklyn’s head coach against Chicago on Tuesday and probably until they decide on a more permanent solution. Udoka was an assistant with Brooklyn before taking Boston’s head coaching gig last season. He is suspended for this season after engaging in inappropriate workplace behavior, but Woj’s report indicates that Boston would let him take another job if he were offered one. Snyder’s success in Utah would make him another top candidate.

A day after getting his second win of the season, Nash has been released. In the middle of a back-to-back, Jacque Vaughn will serve as the acting head coach against Chicago on Tuesday. Woj reported that the decision was mutual between Nash and Brooklyn. The Nets had high expectations coming into this season after a summer of turmoil. After a 2-5 start, they apparently felt that a change in leadership was necessary to turn their season around.

There are quite a few openings around the league at the moment, and Vaughn had reportedly received interest from New Orleans, but he wants to spend more time with his family and two teenage sons in New York rather than uproot his family for a move to Louisiana. He could also take another step up the assistant coaching ladder in Brooklyn, with one of Steve Nash’s lead assistance, Mike D’Antoni, likely to be in the running for some head coaching opportunities this summer.

On his Hoop Collective podcast, Windhorst said that “the word coming out of Chicago at the draft combine” is that Vaughn (a close friend of Pelicans GM Trajan Langdon) is “going to get a real serious look.” Windy also notes that Bucks assistant coach Charles Lee is also a strong candidate for the Pelicans job.

Vaughn led the Nets in an interim role after Kenny Atkinson left, and not only did he impress with job he did while in the Orlando bubble but his interview was said to be impressive as well. Steve Nash was ultimately hired by the Nets to fill the head coaching vacancy, but Vaughn won’t be leaving. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski he will serve as Nash’s lead assistant, and Vaughn will also become the league’s best compensated assistant coach.

Vaughn reportedly impressed management, but the Nets are still have many interviews to do, with Tyronn Lue still being one of the presumptive favorites for the heac coaching gig.

No word as to what the specific reason for the fine was just yet, but the Nets will have to fork over some money due to the violation.