Steve Nash wouldn’t reveal plans about his staff at his press conference Wednesday, though the Nets have said Jacque Vaughn will stay.
Steve Nash had no announcements regarding his coaching staff at his introductory press conference as the Brooklyn Nets’ new head coach on Wednesday.
To this point, Jacque Vaughn’s status with the team is the only one that’s been addressed — he’s Nash’s lead assistant. However, there is a chance Vaughn could be on the move if the right head coaching opportunity comes along. (There are vacancies in Chicago, Indiana, New Orleans, Oklahoma City and Philadelphia.)
On the same day the Nets announced Nash’s hiring, it was reported the Hall of Fame point guard wanted to get former Dallas Mavericks teammate Dirk Nowitzki to Brooklyn, but that isn’t going to happen, per Marc Stein of the New York Times.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Nets “are pursuing multiple assistant candidates.” Charania also specifically mentioned Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy as someone of interest for Brooklyn.
Handy was an assistant coach on Nick Nurse’s staff when the Toronto Raptors won the 2019 NBA Finals. He was also an assistant in Cleveland when the Cavaliers won the 2016 NBA Finals.
Four of Handy’s years in Cleveland were spent alongside Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving. As Handy expressed to Brian Lewis of the New York Post back in March, the two are very close:
Off the court, we spent a lot of time together. We were neighbors. We lived two or three doors from each other, so it was a lot of growing and maturing.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been teasing us with some practice footage of LeBron James working out at Disney World.
The Los Angeles Lakers got back on the court on Wednesday for practice after taking a day off earlier this week for the first time since they arrived at the Disney World Campus, the folks at the Lakers teased us even more with some practice footage from yesterday.
Lakers assistant coach Phil Handy shared some video on Thursday of him putting LeBron James, Alex Caruso, and Dion Waiters through a workout, along with some other practice footage from Disney World.
With the injury to Rajon Rondo and the opt-out decision of Avery Bradley, the Lakers have taken a major hit to their guard depth. That puts even more pressure on LeBron James to create and will also likely lead to bigger ball-handling roles for Alex Caruso and Dion Waiters, who LeBron was working with yesterday.
Earlier in the week, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel told reporters that he is curious to see what Dion Waiters can do in the lead facilitator role in light of Rondo’s absence.
We also discussed what it would be like if the LeBron James, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving, Richard Jefferson and J.R. Smith Cavs had a Last Dance-like documentary during the 2016 NBA Championship run. “I think people would recognize how calm our group was,” Phil Handy told Scoop B Radio. “Especially being down 1-3 that whole series. People would be shocked to see how calm we were. After losing that game and what the mindset was. I also think people would be shocked to see how much of a command coach Tyronn Lue is. There was a lot media that said ‘Bron’s the coach, he’s this, he’s a coach killer, he runs the team and blah blah blah…they would be so wrong in their assessments and they would have so much more respect for T-Lue and they would have so much more respect for LeBron in the sense that he’s probably one of the most coachable dudes that I have been around in the sense of how he approaches the game and WANTING leadership. He wants direction from his coaches and he’s one of those players. Yes, every great player is smart, so you would be remiss as a coach not to involve them and draw from them but, I think the camaraderie of that team, the calmness and just the leadership of the team. I think people would be just totally blown away by those three things and be shocked by what they see.”
While there may be bigger names for the job, there is no one who makes more sense than Phil Handy as the replacement for Kenny Atkinson.
While there may be bigger names for the job, there is no one who makes more sense than Phil Handy as the replacement for Kenny Atkinson.
Sure, he does not have the accomplishments bragged by Gregg Popovich. Nor does he have the historic ties to the organization brought by Jason Kidd. Maybe the front office interviews Adam Harrington, currently coaching the Long Island Nets in the G League.
But the truth is that Handy deserves their full and undivided attention. First and foremost, there is a track record of success. For example, the teams that he has coached have now won the Eastern Conference Finals five years in a row. He has become a two-time champion as an assistant coach, winning the honors in 2016 and then again with Toronto last season.
However, the most interesting thing written about the potential replacement for former Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson was published in an interview about Handy back in November 2019 (via CloseUp 360):
“This past July, Kawhi left Toronto to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency. Faced with an uncertain future, the Raptors granted permission to other NBA teams to engage with Phil Handy. Kyrie wanted his former coach to join him and Kevin Durant with the Brooklyn Nets. And LeBron hinted at an opportunity in LA, with Anthony Davis coming over from the New Orleans Pelicans.”
According to the report from Magdalena Munao, Irving specifically wanted Handy in Brooklyn.
Handy eventually chose the Lakers, who lost to the Nets at Staples Center in Los Angeles on March 10. It would not be shocking if he arranged some time to speak with the Nets about their head coaching vacancy while they were in town, especially if Irving had anything to say about it.
It is worth mentioning that Irving notoriously ignored initial contact from Handy, who was specifically hired by former Cleveland coach Mike Brown to mentor the young point guard.
Handy, however, worked to knock down those walls and the two became “like family” after the coach visited the point guard at his home in Miami.
This was recently confirmed by Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, who reported this week that Handy and Irving enjoyed a strong relationship.
Perhaps the biggest moment of his career happened behind closed doors during the 2016 NBA Finals. Here is what Irving said about the infamous rally cry that Handy gave to help the Cavaliers rally from a 3-1 deficit against the Warriors (via The Undefeated):
“The speech he gave after Game 2 really hit home for all of us. It was a man-to-man speech that needed to be said, that we all understood in order to, kind of, will ourselves to understand that we still have a chance in this series. Golden State took care of home court. But that speech really hit home for all of us.”
Beyond his skills as a motivator, Handy would bring a handful of other noteworthy accomplishments to the Nets.
From a fundamentals standpoint, as noted by Silver Screen and Roll’s Harrison Faigen, the coach is most lauded for his ability to help develop footwork and ballhandling. This was further illustrated by Michael Pina when he published this fantastic feature on Leonard’s development in this area back in December 2018.
Yet perhaps the biggest qualification for Handy is that he has become known for one of the most essential skills needed to coach both Irving and Kevin Durant. The Athletic’s Sam Amick has described him as a “superstar savant” due to his uncanny ability to work with top talent.
The best example of his influence was seen in August 2018 when Handy shared a photo of a workout that he led with James and Kawhi Leonard as well as future Brooklyn teammates Irving and Durant.
How did he become such an influential figure among NBA superstars? That was likely picked up during his first stint with the Lakers. He was previously their player development coordinator from 2011 until 2013 and he worked directly with Paul Gasol, Steve Nash, and the late Kobe Bryant.
Back in 2016, in fact, Irving told Marc Spears that Handy was actually the person who originally introduced him to Bryant. This, of course, became a relationship that meant everything to the Brooklyn star (via The Undefeated):
“He’s kind of the one who introduced the relationship and mentorship that I have with Kobe. And in terms of working out late nights, doing whatever it takes to win, learning how to lead, understanding the nuances of the game and understanding what it takes to be a great player in this league, [Handy’s] really kind of put down the foundation and steps … He’s kind of like my dad in terms of in basketball when I’m away from my family. So he’s been influential on my life.”
Irving, unfortunately, lost one of his biggest mentors when Bryant suddenly and tragically passed away in January.
Handy recently spoke to Los Angeles wing Danny Green on the Inside the Green Room podcast about the soul-crushing moment he learned the world had lost Bryant.
The first thing he mentioned is that he received nearly a dozen phone calls from Irving (via ESPN):
“I got up and went to the bathroom, and Kyrie [Irving] started calling me. He called me about 10 times, and I couldn’t pick up the phone. I knew he was crushed.”
The fact is that in some of his darkest moments, Irving turned to Handy for support. During this rough and transitionary time for the guard, it would make sense for Irving to crave a trusted support system in his basketball community.
Especially considering all the reporting leading up to this moment, it would not be a surprise to see the organization make a decision that supports what both Irving and Durant want moving forward.
Handy has said that Durant is someone that he has “a lot of respect for” and he thinks that KD also has “a lot of respect” him as well. With two stars like Irving and Durant carrying so much weight, their stamp of approval may be enough for a decision to be fairly obvious in Brooklyn.
Jared Dudley, the 34-year-old forward who is playing in his 13th season with his ninth team and who played under Kidd during his Bucks tenure (2014-15)… “Some people might be saying (Kidd) is gunning for his job, (but) I see a family approach. I see them laughing. I see Vogel laughing with Kidd and Lionel Hollins. You see how they all have their own role. …Obviously Vogel’s a big defensive guy, (so) you have (him) breaking down the opponents. Phil Handy (who is very popular among NBA stars and who took part in the last five Finals), going over certain personnel. (You have) Jason Kidd, because of familiarity with certain players. … When he speaks offense you’re more keen. You’d think that would be a little rocky trying to figure people out man, but he’s a player’s coach. He asks for opinions. He said ‘This is what I like to do, what are your guys’ views on it, and eventually he makes a decision.’
