KD, Kyrie and the Nets Coaches: Three Years Of Bewilderment in Brooklyn

"I think [Nash] has done a great job... I think he's handling it all perfectly, to be honest." - Kevin Durant in April

With Monday's news that Kevin Durant had issued an ultimatum to Nets owner Joe Tsai, I thought it would be interesting to take a look back at three years of chaos. 

• September 27th, 2019:

During his first Media Day as a member of the Nets, Kevin Durant stated that one of the reasons he signed Brooklyn was because of head coach Kenny Atkinson. Based on some unique research, KD said that Atkinson had earned his respect. 

"I was doing a lot of YouTube research on Kenny Atkinson and watching interviews to see how he talked after games and stuff," Durant told reporters. "I really liked his approach to his craft as a coach and that's what drew me in pretty quickly. I didn't really do too much research on other coaches, so I guess he always had the leg up. But once I started to get comfortable with how he approaches his craft, it started to make me feel at ease even though I'd never had a conversation with him. I could just see through YouTube and the clips that he was pretty genuine about the game."

In an interview with WFAN that offseason, Nets GM Sean Marks said KD informed him that the culture the Nets had established under Atkinson and Marks was also a factor in his decision. "I love the system. I love how you guys play," Durant said, according to Marks." We could never take you guys lightly … If we were up 10 with two minutes to go, we knew that didn't mean anything against Brooklyn." Added Marks: "That's a real credit to the competitive environment that Kenny (Atkinson) has really brought. He spearheaded that."

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• March 7th, 2020:

Yet, less than eight months after Durant and Kyrie Irving arrived in Brooklyn, Atkinson was sent packing. According to Anthony Puccio of Nets Daily, "some of the players wanted him gone." ESPN's Kevin Arnovitz reported, "the dynamics that led to Atkinson's demise in Brooklyn were informed in large part by the new composition of the roster." Former Knicks coach David Fizdale said Atkinson didn't have enough support within the organization. "When it comes to players with power, your front office has to be really strong and your culture has to be strong to weather disgruntled players," said Fizdale. "And you have to have a certain amount of support for your coach when things get turbulent."