NBA Atlantic

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving didn't attend a meeting with the Anti-Defamation League in the wake of the turmoil he caused by spotlighting an antisemitic film on social media.

Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News reported Irving's father, Drederick, and stepmother, Shetellia, spoke with the ADL, but the seven-time All-Star was absent.

In statement from ADL spokesperson, the organization said it hopes “to have an opportunity to soon” speak with Irving.

“We were pleased that he deleted the problematic post but we believe it is crucial that Kyrie speak out clearly and quickly to condemn antisemitism.”

(cont)

— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) November 2, 2022

The New York Post's Brian Lewis provided a statement from an ADL spokesperson:

At a time when anti-Jewish incidents have reached historic levels, this situation has caused real pain in the Jewish community. Whether or not it was intentional, Kyrie lifted up a hateful film to his millions of followers. We hope a process of constructive dialogue and mutual healing will follow.

Irving first created a stir in September when he reposted a video clip from Infowars' Alex Jones about the New World Order conspiracy.

The ADL includes a description of the idea on its website: "'New World Order' conspiracists believe that a tyrannical, socialist 'one-world' conspiracy has already taken over most of the planet and schemes to eliminate the last bastion of freedom, the United States, with the help of collaborators within the government."

In a since-deleted tweet, Irving then shared a link to the movie Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America, which includes antisemitic themes.

Nets majority governor Joe Tsai said he was "disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of anti-semitic disinformation."

Irving subsequently addressed the situation and said he "meant no disrespect to anyone’s religious beliefs."

I am an OMNIST and I meant no disrespect to anyone’s religious beliefs. The “Anti-Semitic” label that is being pushed on me is not justified and does not reflect the reality or truth I live in everyday. I embrace and want to learn from all walks of life and religions.

Hélà🤞🏾♾

— Kyrie🤞🏾 (@KyrieIrving) October 29, 2022

However, the 30-year-old's press conference after a 125-116 loss to the Indiana Pacers last Saturday opened him up to criticism once again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56bwE_Lfw_I

Asked about the video from Jones he reposted, Irving described the content as "true." He also declined to walk back highlighting Hebrews to Negroes and said he was "not going to stand down on anything that I believe in."

While neither organization cited Irving directly, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association both released statements condemning hate speech and antisemitism.

Irving has continued to suit up for the Nets and started each of their last two games following his tense press conference. He didn't speak with the media after a 116-109 win over the Pacers on Monday, and general manager Sean Marks suggested that will remain the case for now.

"At some point he will come up here and do media again, but I think at this point it's, we don't want to cause more fuss right now, more interaction with people," he told reporters Tuesday. "Like, let's let him simmer down and let's let this whole, I guess let's let cooler minds prevail."

Marks added the Nets "need to go out and educate ourselves, educate the whole group and get some direction, seek from the experts," and he cited the ADL as one such group.

Grant Williams wanted to land a long-term contract extension with the Boston Celtics before the start of the 2022-23 season, but he's not sweating his impending free agency.

"For me, it was a disappointment," Williams told Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. "But you know how much you've worked. You let your work show, and who knows? You might be able to get a better deal than you were in the contract negotiations in the first place."

Celtics forward and NBPA VP Grant Williams sits down with @Stadium: “(No extension) is disappointment but you know how much you’ve worked...You may be able to get a better deal.” Also: Mental health, CBA, 3-star recruit to impact NBA player, new shoe deal with Jordan Brand, more. pic.twitter.com/RZofjDNtuZ

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 2, 2022

Williams will be a restricted free agent next July since he and the Celtics failed to reach a rookie extension before the start of the regular season. The fourth-year forward is off to a stellar start to the 2022-23 campaign, averaging a career-high 9.6 points and 4.0 rebounds while shooting a jaw-dropping 69.6 percent from the floor.

That level of historic efficiency won't continue—his 66.7 percent mark from three-point range would blast every conceivable NBA record—but he's slowly developed into a quality two-way role player. Williams has enough length and quickness to overcome his 6'6" frame at the 4, using his on-court smarts and switchability to provide solid team defense while stretching the floor on the offensive end.

Contracts like Williams' tend to be the most difficult to negotiate. He's decidedly not a max player and almost certainly will never develop into one. That said, he's 23 years old and has improved in all four of his NBA seasons. Williams wants to be paid like someone who will continue that developmental trajectory, while the Celtics are understandably wary of breaking the bank for someone who tops out as a role player.

The most likely scenario is Boston allows Williams to hit restricted free agency and allows the market to dictate his worth.

As the Brooklyn Nets scramble to turn their season around amid a 2-6 start, the team has already had a trade conversation with another team about Ben Simmons.

Per SNY's Ian Begley (starts at 3:12 mark), the Nets having "cursory" trade talks in an attempt to find more shooting and Simmons' name was brought up "in at least one conversation" with a Western Conference team.

On @GEICO SportsNite, @IanBegley joins @emacSNY from Barclays Center to discuss Steve Nash parting ways with the Nets, including why the decision was made, and why Ime Udoka is being considered with all the dysfunction already happening in Brooklyn https://t.co/rj0DBEJjz0 pic.twitter.com/JCbzWgUHjb

— SNY (@SNYtv) November 2, 2022

The Nets look like a sinking ship desperately trying to find a life boat anywhere in the ocean.

The fallout from Kyrie Irving posting a since-deleted link on Twitter to a documentary containing antisemitic messaging and a defensive exchange with reporters during a postgame press conference about the post over the weekend continues, even though he hasn't been disciplined by the Nets or NBA at this point.

Prior to Tuesday's game against the Chicago Bulls, head coach Steve Nash and the Nets announced a parting of ways.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Brooklyn is expected to hire Ime Udoka as Nash's replacement in the coming days. Udoka was suspended for this season by the Boston Celtics in September for "violations of team policies."

Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium, Udoka was accused of "making unwanted comments" toward a Celtics female employee who team leadership originally believed was in a consensual relationship with the coach.

Adding to all of those off-court issues, the on-court product in Brooklyn has been abysmal thus far.

The Nets are tied with the Detroit Pistons for the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference. Their average point differential of minus-6.8 is the fourth-worst mark in the NBA.

Simmons has struggled to round back into form after missing the entire 2021-22 season due to mental health issues and back injuries. The three-time All-Star has made six starts, but has yet to score more than nine points in a game, has fouled out twice and is shooting a career-low 44.1 percent from the field.

The Nets have the third-highest payroll in the NBA this season at $181.2 million and have an estimated $108 million luxury-tax payment.

The Brooklyn Nets reportedly aren't considering a blockbuster Kevin Durant trade in the immediate aftermath of head coach Steve Nash's departure from the organization.

Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill reported Tuesday that Nets general manager Sean Marks doesn't "appear to be considering" a Durant trade because he's hopeful Ime Udoka, the favorite to take over as the team's new head coach, can "rescue" the franchise.

KD requested a trade in late June, but no team was able to meet Brooklyn's sky-high asking price, which led Marks to release a statement in August saying the sides had "agreed to move forward with our partnership" heading into the 2022-23 season.

Any hope the Nets could put the past few drama-filled years behind them to emerge as championship contenders had already began to fade during the early stages of the campaign, though. They own a 2-6 record, tied for the NBA's fourth-worst mark.

On Tuesday, the franchise announced it had mutually parted ways with Nash, who compiled a 94-67 record across two-plus seasons in Brooklyn.

"I've gotten to know Steve during his time in Brooklyn, and he is not one to shy away from challenges," team governor Joe Tsai said. "My admiration and respect for him grew over time as he brought hard work and positive attitude to our organization every day, even in periods of exceptional storm surrounding the team."

Nash's exit raised questions about whether the Nets were going to head toward a full-scale reconstruction of not only the coaching staff but also the roster. So far, it doesn't sound like that'll be the case.

The talent is there, led by Durant, Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons, for Brooklyn to make some noise this season, but far too often the focus has been on something other than basketball since KD and Kyrie joined the organization as free agents in June 2019.

"Let's be real, we're pros, we're veterans. We had a tough start," Durant told reporters after Tuesday's loss to the Chicago Bulls. "It was a rocky year last year, rocky summer. We knew that everybody was being evaluated. That's just how it is in the league."

Now the Nets are seemingly about to pin their hopes of a turnaround on Udoka, who was suspended by the Boston Celtics in September for multiple violations of team policies. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported an independent investigation found Udoka "crude language in his dialogue with a female subordinate prior to the start of an improper workplace relationship with the woman."

Udoka remained under contract with the Celtics despite the season-long suspension, meaning the organization had to green-light any interviews with other teams. Wojnarowski reported the C's wouldn't stop him from taking another job, though.

It would represent a Hail Mary attempt to salvage the Nets' push to win a title with their current core, which has fallen well short of expectations so far.

If Brooklyn can't right the ship following a coaching change, the front office may have no choice but to make large-scale changes next offseason.

Kevin Durant had six turnovers in Tuesday's 108-99 loss to the Chicago Bulls at Barclays Center, and he had a pretty simple explanation as to why he had so many giveaways.

"Every night I’m guarded by five players, so I’m going to turn the ball over," Durant told reporters after the loss. "I’m trying to be aggressive and trying to create stuff. The whole team is going to guard me throughout the whole season, so get used to my turnovers.”

Aside from the turnovers, Durant also notched 32 points, nine rebounds, six assists, one steal and two blocks in a loss that dropped Brooklyn to 2-6 on the season. He entered the game averaging 3.4 turnovers this season.

For comparison, Durant has never averaged more than 3.8 turnovers per game in his NBA career. That came in 2011-12 when he was a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The 34-year-old didn't get much else from his other superstar teammate, Kyrie Irving, on Tuesday night. Irving finished with just four points, six rebounds and seven assists in 33 minutes in an uninspired performance.

Tuesday's game marked Brooklyn's first without Steve Nash, who was fired and replaced with interim head coach Jacque Vaughn. Firing Nash could have reinvigorated the squad, but it did anything but as the defense continues to struggle mightily.

Durant added after the game that he enjoyed working with Nash despite the ups-and-downs.

"Let's be real. We're pros. We're veterans," Durant told reporters. "We had a tough start ... We knew that everybody was being evaluated. That's just how it is in the league. I liked working with Steve."

The Nets have the NBA's third-worst defensive rating at 118.3, and unless the defense tightens up, it's hard to imagine Brooklyn competing with some of the Eastern Conference's top teams, such as the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Brooklyn will look to turn things around against the Washington Wizards on Friday before facing the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday.

Kevin Durant made headlines this offseason when Shams Charania of The Athletic reported the 12-time All-Star gave a him-or-me ultimatum regarding Steve Nash to Brooklyn Nets governor Joe Tsai, but the forward had positive things to say about his former head coach Tuesday.

"Let's be real. We're pros. We're veterans. We had a tough start," Durant told reporters after the Nets announced they parted ways with the coach. " ... We knew that everybody was being evaluated. That's just how it is in the league. I liked working with Steve."

To say things did not go according to plan for Nash in Brooklyn would be an understatement.

It started off well, with the team making the second round of the playoffs in his first season and narrowly losing to the eventual-champion Milwaukee Bucks. However, the 2021-22 campaign was loaded with disappointments.

Kyrie Irving missed much of the season because he remained unvaccinated against COVID-19, Durant was sidelined at times with injuries and James Harden was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in a deal that brought Ben Simmons to the Nets.

Simmons didn't play at all, and the Boston Celtics swept Brooklyn in the first round of the playoffs.

That was the backdrop heading into a tumultuous offseason that included Irving trade rumors and the Durant ultimatum. Then the Nets got off to a 2-5 start, and they decided to move on from Nash and start a new coaching search.

Charania reported that suspended Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka "has emerged as a strong frontrunner" in that search. The suspension came after an independent law firm hired by the Celtics found that Udoka broke team rules.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the investigation determined "he used crude language in his dialogue with a female subordinate prior to the start of an improper workplace relationship with the woman."

For now, Brooklyn has named assistant coach Jacque Vaughn as the interim head coach. He served previously in this role for the Nets when Kenny Atkinson stepped down midway through the 2020-21 season.

Durant will eventually need to form a new relationship with another coach, but he said he ended up enjoying his time with Nash, even if it ended without a championship.

The Brooklyn Nets fired Steve Nash on Tuesday, but the move made little difference in how the team played on the court.

Brooklyn, which named Jacque Vaughn its interim head coach, fell to the Chicago Bulls 108-99 at Barclays Center in a game where Kevin Durant finished with 32 points, nine rebounds, six assists, one steal and two blocks. Royce O'Neale also had a solid performance, finishing with 20 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal.

However, Kyrie Irving notched just four points, six rebounds and seven assists in 33 minutes in an uninspired showing in front of the Nets faithful. He didn't score his first basket until the fourth quarter, and finished having shot 2 of 12 from the floor and 0 of 6 from deep.

The firing of Nash could have reignited the Nets, but it did anything but, and now the team is being slammed for its continued struggles as it dropped to 2-6 on the season.

The Nets issues are bigger than Steve Nash. He was the scapegoat.

— Mark Gunnels (@MarkAGunnels) November 2, 2022

Nets are so far gone they can't even win the Fired Coach Game. Everyone wins the Fired Coach Game.

— Sean Highkin (@highkin) November 2, 2022

Nets look like a team that is fractured.

— Chris Williamson (@CWilliamson44) November 2, 2022

The Nets just fell flat in the fourth quarter at home and lost to the Bulls.

Kyrie shot just 2-12 with 4 points. pic.twitter.com/G69X7N48hb

— Joe Fann (@Joe_Fann) November 2, 2022

A meltdown by the Nets down the stretch. Bulls played harder and better when it mattered most. KD played tough throughout -- but Kyrie looked disengaged most of the game. The Nets turned the ball over 17 times. A strange game in the midst of a stranger day -- even for the Nets.

— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) November 2, 2022

The Nets are embarrassing. Wow

— Jordan Leslie (@Jles9) November 2, 2022

Nets bad as Lakers

— Page Kennedy (@PageKennedy) November 2, 2022

The Nets are pathetic in every respect at the moment.

— Robin Lundberg (@robinlundberg) November 2, 2022

Zach lavine single handedly out scored the nets tonight in the 4th quarter… their issues are bigger than Steve Nash

— put it in your left mike (@35slimm) November 2, 2022

Steve Nash isn’t the coach anymore but the Nets are still a horrendous defensive team. Not much has changed. Marks better get this coaching hire right.

— Mike Addvensky (@MikeAddvensky) November 2, 2022

The Nets have one of the worst defenses in the NBA, entering Tuesday's game with the league's second-worst defensive rating at 119.1. Only the Memphis Grizzlies have a worse defensive rating at 119.5.

The team's offense hasn't been able to make up for the lack of defense, and it's clear the Nets need to change something moving forward. If they don't, it's possible they'll miss the playoffs just one season after being swept out of the first round by the Boston Celtics.

Luckily for the Nets, the season is still young, and they'll look to get back on track Friday against the Washington Wizards.

The Brooklyn Nets reportedly may be without Ben Simmons for the next few games.

Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported Simmons will miss Tuesday's home game against the Chicago Bulls with left knee soreness and swelling. He also said Simmons status "is in doubt" for the ensuing three-game road trip against the Washington Wizards, Charlotte Hornets and Dallas Mavericks.

Brooklyn will be under the spotlight Tuesday after parting ways with head coach Steve Nash earlier in the day. It will do so without Simmons, a three-time All-Star and two-time All-Defensive team selection who potentially could have helped slow down Bulls swingman DeMar DeRozan.

Simmons missed the entire 2021-22 campaign in part because of a back injury and missed his rookie season in 2016-17 with a foot injury. The Philadelphia 76ers traded him to the Nets midway through last season, but he never took the court for either team.

Simmons has appeared in six games thus far this season, but he has struggled at times. He's averaging only 6.2 points in 31.8 minutes per game.

The LSU product also fouled out of two of those six games, has yet to attempt more than seven shots in a single contest and is shooting just 46.7 percent from the free-throw line.

Simmons has found other ways to make an impact with 7.3 assists and 6.5 rebounds per game. Still, injuries and the lack of an outside shot have limited the overall ceiling for the No. 1 overall pick of the 2016 NBA draft.

He is now dealing with another health setback.

The National Basketball Players Association released a statement denouncing antisemitism and committing to "identifying and combating all hate speech" in the wake of Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving's since-deleted promotion of an antisemitic film on social media.

A statement from the NBPA.

🔗: https://t.co/UslVlYKUKa pic.twitter.com/Rtikv1JB1Y

— NBPA (@TheNBPA) November 1, 2022

The NBPA did not mention Irving, who serves as one of the organization's seven vice presidents, specifically.

However, the statement is part of a recent spate of remarks and criticism of Irving's promotion of the film. The NBA released a similar statement Friday:

The NBA issued the following statement: pic.twitter.com/vuTVhEegeh

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) October 29, 2022

The Nets also released a statement as well, per The Athletic's Alex Schiffer:

"The Brooklyn Nets strongly condemn and have no tolerance for the promotion of any form of hate speech. We believe that in these situations, our first action must be open, honest dialogue. We thank those, including the ADL, who have been supportive during this time."

Nets governor Joe Tsai expressed his disappointment in Irving in a tweet Friday.

This is bigger than basketball

— Joe Tsai (@joetsai1999) October 29, 2022

One day later, Irving released a statement on Twitter saying that he did not mean any "disrespect to anyone's religious beliefs."

I am an OMNIST and I meant no disrespect to anyone’s religious beliefs. The “Anti-Semitic” label that is being pushed on me is not justified and does not reflect the reality or truth I live in everyday. I embrace and want to learn from all walks of life and religions.

Hélà🤞🏾♾

— Kyrie🤞🏾 (@KyrieIrving) October 29, 2022

However, Irving spoke with reporters after the Nets' 125-116 loss to the Indiana Pacers Saturday and defended his actions.

Kyrie Irving spoke to reporters about his recent social media posts postgame, after the Nets lost to the Pacers.

🎥 @YESNetwork pic.twitter.com/WeOaJd1jbG

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) October 30, 2022

On Monday, a group of patrons wearing "Fight Antisemitism" shirts appeared courtside during the Nets' 116-109 win over the Indiana Pacers. The Nets did not make him available to reporters postgame.

The Nets' next game will be Tuesday at home against the Chicago Bulls at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks told reporters Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving were not consulted before the team parted ways with coach Steve Nash.

The Nets and Nash agreed to a mutual parting Tuesday after a disappointing 2-5 start. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Brooklyn is expected to hire suspended Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka to replace Nash.

A formal announcement of Udoka's hiring could happen Wednesday. The Celtics are not expected to seek any draft compensation in return despite Udoka currently being under contract.

It's highly unlikely Durant is losing sleep over Nash's ouster. The future Hall of Famer pushed for the dismissal of Nash and Marks during the offseason amid his trade-demand fiasco. While governor Joe Tsai declined to make a move on either his coach or general manager at the time, giving Nash a seven-game window to turn things around was not a particularly strong vote of confidence.

Rather than promote from within—assistant Jacque Vaughn is well-regarded and led the team to a 7-3 record as the interim coach in 2020—the Nets seem determined to throw themselves into the firestorm of another controversy with Udoka.

The soon-to-be-former Celtics coach was suspended for the entire 2022-23 season after being accused of sexual misconduct. An independent investigation found Udoka made crude comments to a female Celtics employee before engaging in an inappropriate sexual relationship with the woman.

Wojnarowski wrote in September that Udoka's words were "especially concerning coming from a workplace superior," though no details were released by the team.

The Nets organization hiring Udoka just months after Boston took the unprecedented step to suspend him will undoubtedly raise some eyebrows. It would be fair to criticize the mixed message being sent by Tsai, who tweeted "it's bigger than basketball" after expressing his disappointment in Irving for his promotion of an antisemitic film on social media.

Irving remains in the eye of the storm after a tense back-and-forth with a reporter Saturday night about his actions. The Nets guard refused to take responsibility for using his platform to promote the film, which utilizes antisemitic themes and tropes, and doubled down on his decision to repost an Alex Jones conspiracy theory that peddles a lie about a so-called "New World Order" controlling the world.