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Durant On Failed Nets Tenure: ‘Everything Around Us Was Going To Sh*t’

Kevin Durant made his most revealing comments yet as to why his Brooklyn Nets tenure didn’t produce the success many envisioned.
Making a guest appearance on LeBron James and Steve Nash’s “Mind The Game” podcast, Durant felt there were only a few people truly bought into winning a championship.
“It felt like we were secure but everything else around us was going to sh*t,” Durant said. “Not in a bad way, we got GMs going to other teams, coaches going to other teams, we got players forcing trades, we got Ben Simmons and his back hurt. It was just so much bullsh*t around us. I felt like we were locked in on the same page and understanding we’re trying to do something special here.
“I felt like your [Steve Nash’s] hands were tied a lot because, as a coach, you gotta deal with so much. We didn’t get the full Steve Nash like I wanted, like you probably wanted. I just felt like it was too many distractions in a way. You can’t win that way.”
Distractions will certainly make winning difficult. Is Durant making any valid points, though?
Hard To Make Sense Of Durant’s Complaints
There’s just a lot that doesn’t add up. He talks of general managers leaving but Sean Marks has been with the franchise since 2016, and there have been no signs of him departing.
Coaches? All of the initial reporting on Kenny Atkinson being dismissed listed Durant and Kyrie Irving wanting him gone. Nash was their choice, which ended up flopping.
Durant may talk about good intentions but, in the end, he wanted Nash gone as well.
At the end of the day, it was Durant and Irving who decided to team up in Brooklyn. They wanted James Harden on board as well. At least some of the turmoil and distractions has to come down to what they did.
Durant could have simply attributed more of it to COVID-19 and the way the roster was impacted as a result. Irving faced penalties for not taking the vaccine and a team that lacked depth was further depleted when sickness arose.
Being so willing to point at everything around the team but not himself speaks to a lack of accountability.
Durant Enjoyed First Year With Nets
Despite the complaints, Durant acknowledged he really enjoyed his first year playing in Brooklyn.
“I feel like we had great intentions,” Durant said. “I felt like we cared enough, every day we were trying to push towards winning a championship. It was a great vibe in there, some of the best times. That first year, that’s why I signed the deal, some of the most fun ball I had playing in my whole life.
“I enjoyed it, I enjoyed Brooklyn a lot. I loved playing for Brooklyn but it was just so much around the guys that were committed to the situation.”