BNT NBA

The Brooklyn Nets and head coach Steve Nash have parted ways after a 2-5 start to the season.

"Since becoming head coach, Steve was faced with a number of unprecedented challenges, and we are sincerely grateful for his leadership, patience and humility throughout his tenure," Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks said in a statement, per ESPN's Malika Andrews.

Nash thanked the Nets for the "amazing experience" in a statement:

pic.twitter.com/GUGhBtHKUL

— Steve Nash (@SteveNash) November 1, 2022

Jacque Vaughn will be the acting head coach for Tuesday's game against the Chicago Bulls.

The Hall of Fame point guard finishes with a 94-67 record at the first stop in his coaching career. He helped guide the Nets to the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals, and they may have reached the NBA Finals that year if Kevin Durant's shoes were one size smaller.

The Athletic's Shams Charania reported Aug. 8 that the 34-year-old "reiterated his trade request and informed [Nets governor Joe] Tsai that he needs to choose between Durant or the pairing of general manager Sean Marks and coach Steve Nash."

Although the Nets stuck by the head coach to open the season, the team has gotten off to a disappointing 2-5 start. Something needed to change, and firing the head coach is often the easiest lever to pull whenever a team is failing to meet expectations.

In the case of Brooklyn, though, fans are left to wonder whether the battle has already been lost.

Since signing Durant and Kyrie Irving in 2019, the Nets have never been too far away from their next crisis.

Kenny Atkinson, who led the team to the 2019 playoffs and helped establish the culture that made the organization attractive for Durant and Irving in the first place, was fired midway through the 2019-20 season.

Then Marks sacrificed what was left of a young, exciting core to acquire James Harden, the effects of which are still being felt.

Then came Irving's decision not to get the COVID-19 vaccine ahead of the 2021-22 season. Harden reportedly grew frustrated with Irving out of the lineup and eventually sulked his way out of Brooklyn.

A first-round sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics in the 2022 playoffs was a sobering outcome that showed how far the Nets were from a championship level. As they were trying to recover from that disappointment, they had to face constant speculation surrounding Durant and Irving.

While everybody attempted to put up a united front before the 2022-23 season tipped off, it only took two weeks before they were dealing with another problem created by Irving.

The 30-year-old, who in September reposted a video from Infowars' Alex Jones about a conspiracy theory tied to the New World Order, shared on Twitter a link to the movie Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America. The film and the book upon which it's based utilize antisemitic themes and tropes.

Nets majority governor Joe Tsai addressed the situation on Oct. 28 and said he was "disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of antisemitic disinformation."

I’m disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of anti-semitic disinformation. I want to sit down and make sure he understands this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion.

— Joe Tsai (@joetsai1999) October 29, 2022

Irving responded to say he "meant no disrespect to anyone’s religious beliefs" and that "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 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

Following a 125-116 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Oct. 29, Irving had a tense exchange with ESPN's Nick Friedell, who asked him about the Alex Jones video and Hebrews to Negroes.

https://twitter.com/_Talkin_NBA/status/1586551407989112833

While distancing himself from the falsehoods Jones has espoused about the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, he told reporters he believes the conspiracy theorist was speaking the truth about the "secret societies in America of occults."

He added he's "not going to stand down on anything that I believe in."

In the immediate aftermath, some thought Irving—and by extension the Nets—reached a point of no return.

Well, that was quite the press conference. I wouldn’t be surprised if Kyrie is done with the Nets or maybe even the league.

— Alec Sturm (@Alec_Sturm) October 30, 2022

nets might as well start burning it down today. waive — yes — kyrie, trade durant and go from there. there is zero cause for optimism, and it’s not like this experiment is making them money. it’s a wrap.

— bomani (@bomani_jones) October 30, 2022

Purely in terms of its on-court outlook, there's little reason to believe things will get better from here for Brooklyn.

The Nets are 29th in defensive rating (119.1), per NBA.com, and a new head coach can only do so much to compensate for the fact that the roster simply doesn't have many good defenders.

Their issues on that end of the floor also stem partially from the fact that Ben Simmons looks like a shell of the player who was a three-time All-Star with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The 6'10" guard is averaging 6.2 points, 7.3 assists and 6.5 rebounds this season. He's not performing like a first-team All-Defensive player, and his even more limited range on offense is dragging down what value he is providing on defense.

In effect, all of the worst fears about the Nets have been confirmed so far. They're a top-heavy roster without the necessary depth to be an elite team, and the troubling actions of players like Irving outside of games will inevitably create further tension on the court.

Perhaps a coach with more experience on the sideline than Nash can produce different results, but the odds of that happening are slim if recent history is any indicator.

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and his son, Bronny James, were featured in a trailer for the upcoming video game God of War Ragnarök on Tuesday.

The James' were joined by actors John Travolta, Ben Stiller and their children in the PlayStation promotional clip:

LeBron has built a surefire Hall of Fame résumé that's put him in the conversation as one of the greatest basketball players in history with four NBA championships, four MVP awards and 18 All-Star selections, along with numerous other individual accolades.

While he's still chasing titles, there's another goal on his to-do list before he hangs up his jersey for the final time: playing alongside Bronny in the NBA.

"My last year will be played with my son," James told Jason Lloyd of The Athletic in February. "Wherever Bronny is at, that's where I'll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It's not about the money at that point."

The 6'3'' guard is a 4-star prospect in the 2023 college basketball recruiting class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. He'll be first eligible for the 2024 draft.

James' recent contract extension with the Los Angeles Lakers includes a player option for the 2024-25 season, meaning he'll have an opportunity to opt out and join whichever team drafts his son during the 2024 offseason if he's a one-and-done college player.

Meanwhile, God of War Ragnarök is the ninth edition in the God of War video game franchise, which debuted in 2005.

The single-player action game is scheduled for a Nov. 9 worldwide release on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler remains supremely confident about the team's NBA title aspirations despite a slow start to the 2022-23 season.

"We're still going to win the championship, and I don't care what nobody says," Butler told Sam Amick of The Athletic in an interview released Tuesday. "Count us out. We're going to win the f--king championship. I'm telling you. I don't give a damn that we started 2-5."

Miami's early struggles have centered around a sluggish offense, which ranks 26th in points per game (108), 25th in field-goal percentage (44.9) and 24th in offensive efficiency (107.9 points per 100 possessions).

The Heat are coming off back-to-back losses to the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings to wrap up a three-game road trip, and their first game back home Tuesday night is a rematch with the reigning champion Dubs.

A tough slate has certainly been a factor in the early going, as Miami's strength of schedule ranks as the fifth-toughest in the NBA, per TeamRankings.

Butler told Amick there have been stretches in games where the Heat showcase their potential but that now it comes down to playing at that level "consistently."

"Yeah, we're 2-5, but we straight," Butler said. "We've got time, man. We've just got to play with a little bit more urgency and realize how fragile this thing is, trust in one another and play basketball the right way on both sides of the ball. There's a lot of good things, so I don't get discouraged."

A slow start isn't necessarily uncharted territory for the Heat.

In 2020-21, Miami started the campaign 7-14 before finding its stride en route to a 40-32 record that ranked sixth in the Eastern Conference.

Butler is convinced an even more impressive turnaround is on the horizon this season.

"Y'all will look back at this, and be like, 'Oh man, they started 2-5 and they ended the season f--king 77-5,'" he told Amick.

While that's a bit ambitious, the Heat have a golden opportunity to start turning things around over the next few weeks. Six of their next seven games are at home, and aside from games against the Warriors and Phoenix Suns, most of the contests are highly winnable.

Even some modest offensive improvement should put Miami back on the path toward a playoff berth, leaving concerns about the slow start in the rear-view mirror.

Retired NBA star Lamar Odom divulged this week that the Los Angeles Lakers NBA championship rings he pawned in 2016 have since been returned to him.

Speaking on his On The LO podcast (h/t TMZ Sports), Odom said he ran into the fan who bought his rings at a Lakers game on Oct. 20, and the fan told Odom he should have the rings back since he earned them.

Odom said he sold the rings in 2016 to pay for medical bills after nearly dying from a drug overdose at the Love Ranch brothel in Nevada in 2015. The rings ultimately went up for auction in 2020, selling for $36,600 and $78,000, respectively.

The now-42-year-old Odom was a key member of the Lakers teams that won back-to-back NBA titles in 2009 and 2010, primarily serving as the team's top option off the bench.

Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol were the driving forces, but it can be argued that Odom was in the mix as the No. 3 option on those teams along with oft-injured center Andrew Bynum.

Odom missed only four games during those two championship seasons, and he averaged 11.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.0 block and 1.0 steal per contest.

While the Lakers couldn't three-peat, Odom turned in one of the best individual efforts of his career in 2010-11 as well, winning the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award after averaging 14.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists.

Odom's career fell off significantly after that, as he played somewhat sparingly for the Dallas Mavericks in 2011-12 and the Los Angeles Clippers in 2012-13.

Following the end of his NBA career, Odom was in the news both for the breakdown of his publicized marriage with Khloe Kardashian and for his health issues following the overdose.

Most recently, Odom competed in a celebrity boxing match last year and took part in Celebrity Big Brother earlier this year.

Paul George used a terrific performance Monday night to accept responsibility for the Los Angeles Clippers' sluggish start to the 2022-23 NBA season.

The seven-time All-Star recorded 35 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, six steals and two blocks to lead L.A. to a 95-93 victory over the Houston Rockets. His game-winning jumper with six seconds left in regulation helped improve the team's record to 3-4.

"I take full responsibility for us and our record right now," George told reporters. "Regardless of who is in the lineup, who's not, I am more than capable of going out and performing and willing our team to wins. So I took a lot of on the chin for myself for the way we have been playing and for the start that we have had so far."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SlzHrdrqfU

George, who was limited to 31 appearances last season because of an elbow injury, exploded for 40 points against the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 22 but had otherwise failed to score more than 16 points in his other four games before Monday night.

Getting more consistent two-way production from the two-time NBA All-Defensive First Team selection is paramount to the Clippers' success, especially with fellow cornerstone Kawhi Leonard sidelined by a lingering knee injury.

Los Angeles' lackluster results in the early going included back-to-back losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who aren't expected to contend this season.

"It was a lot of weight to it, the style we were losing," George said. "And no disrespect to any of the teams we've been playing, but we're not playing the heavyweights right now. And the way we were losing these games, it was embarrassing, to be honest."

L.A. also lost home games to the Phoenix Suns and New Orleans Pelicans.

If the Clippers are going to build some sustained success coming out of Monday's win, it'll likely be on the back of George, who showcased his MVP-level upside.

Head coach Tyronn Lue was asked whether that's closer to the type of play they need from the 32-year-old Fresno State product.

"Hell yeah," Lue said. "Right now while we're struggling, we need everything, everybody, every point. But tonight was huge. ... We need him to play at that kinda level."

George and the Clippers will attempt to keep turning things around Wednesday when they travel to the Toyota Center for a rematch with the Rockets.

The Brooklyn Nets defeated the Indiana Pacers 116-109 in Monday's game, but basketball was far from the only thing to make headlines.

A handful of people who were sitting courtside wore shirts that said "Fight Antisemitism" in response to Nets point guard Kyrie Irving promoting an antisemitic film on his Twitter account.

People were courtside at the Nets game wearing "Fight Antisemitism" shirts, this in the wake of Kyrie Irving's recent promotion of an antisemitic film on social media pic.twitter.com/GRCtDDHXCu

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 1, 2022

"They should not keep a guy like that around," Aaron Jungreis, a season ticket holder who was one of the fans wearing the shirts, said, per Ian O'Connor of the New York Post. "A lot of people are going to cancel [their tickets]. They have to discipline him some way."

Jungreis described his view of the interaction to O'Connor: "We told him we love him anyway, even though we know he hates us." Jungreis then said Kyrie told the fans he appreciates them, but Jungreis felt he said it sarcastically.

Ian Begley of SNY shared comments from Mike Dube, who felt Irving was sincere when he said he appreciated the fans:

Worth noting: Mike Dube didn’t take Kyrie Irving’s remark during the game sarcastically, as a fan who spoke to @Ian_OConnor did. Dube, co-founder of charity Sharing Seats, had tickets thru a friend & Nets season-ticket holder. Dube said his friend requested group wear t-shirts.

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) November 1, 2022

On Thursday Irving tweeted a link to the movie Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America, which is based on a book with the same title and has been criticized as containing antisemitic tropes and misinformation.

On Saturday, Irving told reporters he felt he hadn't done anything wrong in posting the tweet.

In the same press conference, he also addressed previously sharing a video from far-right talk show host Alex Jones. Irving said he disagrees with Jones' lies about the Sandy Hook school shooting being staged but thinks Jones' video "about secret societies in America of occults" is "true."

The NBA did not mention Irving by name but did release a statement saying it denounced "hate speech of any kind."

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

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) October 29, 2022

Nets governor Joe Tsai also tweeted the following: "I'm disappointed that Kyrie appears to support a film based on a book full of antisemitic disinformation. I want to sit down and make sure he understands this is hurtful to all of us, and as a man of faith, it is wrong to promote hate based on race, ethnicity or religion."

Irving later denied that he is antisemitic:

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

On the court, the Nets improved to 2-5 on the season with Monday's win.

They did not make Irving available to media after the game.

Dwight Howard has made 22 three-pointers in 18 seasons during his career, which apparently is nowhere near enough for the Brooklyn Nets to consider signing him.

During a discussion with Shannon Sharpe on the Club Shay Shay podcast, Howard revealed he spoke with the Nets as a free agent but they told him "they need a big man that can shoot."

That presumably rules out Howard, who has connected on 21.4 percent of his three-point attempts during his career. In fact, he never made more than two triples in a single season until the 2019-20 campaign when he made three.

To his credit, he has shot more threes of late and went 8-of-15 from deep last season when he was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. While it is a small sample size that doesn't exactly mean he will suddenly be Dirk Nowitzki from beyond the arc, it was still a solid showing when he was asked to fire.

It follows that Brooklyn would ask for a big who can stretch the floor.

After all, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant draw much of the attention from opposing defenses, which opens up space on the outside for all of their teammates. A center who could work in a pick-and-pop with the two offensive leaders would pose a number of challenges for defenses attempting to account for so many threats.

That hasn't been Howard throughout his lengthy career even if he did shoot well for the Lakers.

Still, the 36-year-old is a future Hall of Famer with a resume that includes eight All-Star selections, five rebounding titles, two block titles, an NBA title, eight All-NBA selections, five All-Defensive nods and three Defensive Player of the Year awards.

He is well past his prime and was a secondary contributor at best for the Purple and Gold last season at 6.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 0.6 blocks per game, but teams could presumably do worse for a deep bench option in the frontcourt.

It seems like that team won't be the Nets.

Former San Antonio Spurs guard Josh Primo, the No. 12 pick in the 2021 NBA draft, is reportedly an unrestricted free agent after clearing waivers on Monday.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Primo went unclaimed after the Spurs waived him on Friday following "several" allegations of the 19-year-old exposing himself to women.

Despite the allegations, there is "significant interest in monitoring Primo's future among numerous NBA teams," Wojnarowski noted. However, claiming him on waivers would have cost a team over $8 million in salary through 2023-24, and the uncertainty of his future caused teams to hesitate.

Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne reported on Saturday that attorney Tony Buzbee has been retained by a woman who worked within the Spurs organization and alleged that Primo exposed himself to her. Buzbee represented multiple women who sued Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson for sexual misconduct.

With Primo going unclaimed, the Spurs are responsible for his $4.1 million salary this year and his $4.3 million salary for the 2023-24 season.

Primo provided a statement to ESPN on Friday and said he's been seeking treatment for a previous trauma.

"I know that you all are surprised by today's announcement," Primo said in the statement. "I've been seeking help to deal with previous trauma I suffered and will now take this time to focus on my mental health treatment more fully. I hope to be able to discuss these issues in the future so I can help others who have suffered in a similar way. I appreciate privacy at this time."

The Alabama product has averaged 5.9 points in 54 games across two seasons, including 16 starts as a rookie. He appeared in the first four games of the season and averaged 7.0 points off the bench.

Former NBA guard Eric Bledsoe was arrested for allegedly slapping his girlfriend on Oct. 26, but he will reportedly not face charges.

According to TMZ Sports, the Los Angeles County District Attorney declined to press charges "due to insufficient evidence."

Bledsoe was freed on bond after his arrest.

Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post noted he was initially charged with misdemeanor domestic violence.

TMZ previously reported his girlfriend posted a since-deleted picture on Instagram that showed a red mark on her face and included a caption that said, "No relationship like this is ever worth staying in. ... Domestic violence is real! …. Eric Bledsoe really is a monster."

She has since commented on one of Bledsoe's pictures on Instagram with the words "my baby."

Bledsoe entered the NBA in the 2010 draft and last played in a game during the 2021-22 campaign. He suited up for the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks and New Orleans Pelicans.

Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reported Thursday that Bledsoe was signing with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association.

The NBA punished the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday for tampering this past offseason, and the New York Knicks might be next.

The NBA announced that it stripped the 76ers of their second-round picks in the 2023 and 2024 drafts for tampering with free agents P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr.

With that context as the backdrop, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the NBA is still investigating whether the Knicks tampered with Jalen Brunson when he was a free agent.

It seems as if the league may be taking a harder stance on tampering moving forward considering Wojnarowski reported "the NBA and NBPA are expected to revisit the rules that punish teams discovered to have had discussions with player agents on pending free agents ahead of free agency's official start."

While the report pointed out ending tampering is "hard to police and largely impossible to eliminate," the 76ers were punished for the practice Monday.

The NBA also announced in December that it was stripping the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat of second-round picks for tampering with Lonzo Ball and Kyle Lowry, respectively.

Brunson was New York's biggest addition of the offseason. He signed a four-year deal worth $104 million. In August, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported that the league had already started a tampering investigation, which is still ongoing.

On June 28—before free agency officially opened—Tim MacMahon of ESPN reported that it was "widely anticipated" the Knicks were going to offer Brunson a deal of four years worth more than $100 million.

The Villanova product is off to a solid start this season. He's averaging 18.2 points, 7.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game through his first six contests. The Knicks are off to a 3-3 start, which is tied for fifth in the Eastern Conference in the early going.

Brunson, Julius Randle and RJ Barrett are a solid trio that should help the Knicks remain competitive this season, but their pursuit of the point guard may cost them draft capital in the future.