5 teams who should be calling Mike D’Antoni right now
3. Brooklyn Nets
Yes, the Brooklyn Nets have hired Steve Nash as their new head coach. But the two-time league MVP point guard has no head coaching experience, so an experienced set of assistant coaches is a priority.
.@ShamsCharania says on @Stadium that the Brooklyn Nets are looking to add veteran coaches to Steve Nash’s staff.
— Billy Reinhardt (@BillyReinhardt) September 12, 2020
Names JEFF VAN GUNDY & Phil Handy as two prominent names he expects the Nets to recruit as assistants. Notes that the Nets considered JVG for their head coach, too. pic.twitter.com/4UZJyJmnp2
Nash had a chunk of his best years as a player under D’Antoni in Phoenix, including both of his MVP awards (2005, 2006) and two seasons where he averaged more than 18.5 points per game. There was also an ill-fated two-year stint together with the Los Angeles Lakers. But there’s probably going to be some D’Antoni influence in Nash’s coaching style, acknowledged or not.
Maybe D’Antoni would be open to becoming the No. 1 assistant to his former point guard in Brooklyn, perhaps with an associate head coach title to sweeten him to the idea. The pressure on him would be lower for sure, with a negligible salary difference compared to being head coach.
If only as a friend and naturally more casually then, it’s possible Nash has already talked to D’Antoni in the wake of his decision not to go back to the Rockets. Did the idea of “hey, come work with me in Brooklyn” enter the conversation?