Nets just fired their coach.

[Real Men Wear Green]

I think they expected to be a .500/Play-In team. They're still relatively close to that but obviously had a horrible month and the best players on the team had problems with the coach. They have a bunch of 2nd tier guys and a decent cast of role players. They shouldn't be having a worse season than the Bulls.

In this very thread you talk about how they needed a healthy Ben Simmons. They are relying on the most unreliable player in the NBA and he completely let them down under Vaughn's administration. No rational person thinks that Bridges and Thomas are going to lead a team to a good record. If those two are second tier the first tier must be enormous.

[beasted]

I think they expected to be a .500/Play-In team.

Not sure that's very realistic at all. I don't know how many teams in the NBA that you spot them a handicap of their highest paid player and 30% of their cap evaporated into thin air that they can stay afloat at .500/play in.

So if that's the expectation with a primary rotation player out, what did the front office think they would be with everyone fully healthy? A 4th seed?

I know that you're just guessing at this, but when you start to put numbers to this you see how readily delusional it can become. I think best case scenario they are where Chicago is, even if healthy... and that's just 5 wins away from where they are now.

Every action should be done with the mindset of what helps the team. Do they believe that having Ollie on a trial period for 28 games will help? Will it give them enough runway to even evaluate him properly? And then, let's say he does slightly better and they finish the season 16-12. That's not likely good enough to get into the play-in... and you're facing the tough decision of extending a limited experience coach a contract as if that worked out so well this last time.

This is the definition of a treadmill move. If you're not calling up a known solid- quality coach like Budenholzer, so that he has time to put a system in place and help give you feedback during the draft and free agency, I don't think it's worth firing in the middle of the season.

[Manny98]

We've hit rock bottom

Things can only go up from here , we've got draft picks + cap space to start building a contender in the off-season with a quality coach like Budeholzer to run the show

[fsvr54]

bridges has plateaued, miscast as a 1st or 2nd option. If the nets rejected the supposed houston offer of all their own picks back, then they really believe they can be competitive. honestly think they shouldve tanked even without their own picks, memphis offered 4 1st for bridges last year. I think he doesnt get 3 now.

They don't play him like a 1st option a lot because that team is full of chuckers. He's not really getting built around.

[beasted]

They don't play him like a 1st option a lot because that team is full of chuckers. He's not really getting built around.

Agree. Cam Thomas has no business being a top 10 usage player in the league with his below league average TS%. That's the one knock I did have on Vaughn. He let the talking heads like Gil guilt him into playing him more than he should.

Cam is a 6th man who should be kept on a leash.

[HylianNightmare]

Vaughn shouldn't be a head coach. He's a great assistant

[Real Men Wear Green]

Agree. Cam Thomas has no business being a top 10 usage player in the league with his below league average TS%. That's the one knock I did have on Vaughn. He let the talking heads like Gil guilt him into playing him more than he should.

Cam is a 6th man who should be kept on a leash.

That is normally true but when a team has so little talent you have to make do with whoever you have. The reason the firing isn't fair is that whether or not Vaughn is a good coach you can't tell just based on wins and losses with this roster that isn't good enough to compete consistently.

[90sgoat]

Nets have become the old Clippers.

[Xiao Yao You]

They don't play him like a 1st option a lot because that team is full of chuckers. He's not really getting built around.

The Nets are rebuilding the roster around forward Mikal Bridges. They hold significant salary cap space and draft capital to build around him this summer and beyond.
– via ESPN

[Wally450]

Expecting anything from Simmons is a problem

Bingo.