Steve Nash ‘Assured’ in Nets Coaches After Mike D’Antoni, Ime Udoka Hires

The Brooklyn Nets officially presented the hiring of Ime Udoka, Mike D’Antoni and Amar’e Stoudemire as assistant coaches on Steve Nash’s team Friday. 

In a press start equipped by the group, Nash expressed excitement and confidence in his team:

“We now have assembled an experienced team of high-character folk with reasonably about a backgrounds, both on and off the court docket, that will abet manufacture a stable foundation for me and our gamers. After I self-discipline out to secure this team, I needed to position together a committed group that will connect with our gamers and abet attach them in the ideal procedure to prevail as a group. With teaching and having fun with journey on the easiest diploma and a deep background in player model, I’m confident that we have attach the correct other folks in procedure to lead us forward.”

Udoka spent the previous season as an assistant coach with the 76ers after seven years on the San Antonio Spurs team.

The 43-year-used performed professionally for 12 seasons, with stints in the NBA, G League, IBA and USBL along with in leagues in Spain, France and Argentina.

After serving a diversity of roles with the Spurs, including two years as a Summer League coach, Udoka turn out to be dropped at Philadelphia seriously to abet the protection.

Over the previous year, the 76ers jumped from No. 14 in defensive effectivity to No. 8 in 2019-20. The group carried out ninth in steals per recreation after ranking 19th the year forward of.

The success helped Udoka do consideration for positions round the league. Per Shams Charania of The Athletic, he turn out to be a candidate for the Nets’ head teaching procedure forward of they employed Nash. He also interviewed for the start procedure with the Unique York Knicks.

Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic listed Udoka as a Bulls‘ candidate in April after the group employed Marc Eversley as normal manager, asserting the coach is “respected for a formulation he thinks the game and his skill to uncover to on the present time’s gamers.”

Becoming a member of Udoka on Nash’s team is D’Antoni, who spent the old four seasons as head coach of the Houston Rockets and turn out to be Nash’s head coach when he turn out to be a player in stints with the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers.

D’Antoni coached Nash ultimately of his two MVP seasons and James Harden when he received MVP with the Rockets in 2018, which bodes smartly for his skill to secure the most out of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

The 69-year-used D’Antoni also had head teaching stints with the Denver Nuggets and Unique York Knicks, and he led teams to the playoffs 10 conditions as a head coach.

Stoudemire is current to the teaching ranks, as he performed professionally foreign in most up-to-date years after a 14-year NBA profession with the Suns, Knicks, Dallas Mavericks and Miami Warmth.

He turn out to be a six-time All-Superstar who performed alongside Nash and below D’Antoni when they had been all portion of the Suns group.