Back when he was blazing through a hall of fame playing career, former Maverick great Steve Nash once said that he always knew the strengths and weaknesses of his teammates and would “make passing decisions accordingly.”
He’s trying to apply that philosophy in his new job, but Nash has learned in his first 35 games as an NBA head coach that it’s not exactly the same calling the shots on the sideline as it was leading the fast break.
With no previous coaching experience, Nash was the choice for one of the league’s plum assignments. He came into a situation with the task of leading a roster anchored by Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
Oh, and then the Nets traded for James Harden.
Seems like a great gig to step into. But Nash found out quickly that nothing comes easy in the NBA, even if your team possesses three world-class players.
“It’s much different leading a team from the sideline than leading a team on the floor,” Nash said Saturday before the Mavericks played the Nets in Brooklyn. “There’s a really strong line between that. And sometimes, as a former player, you forget (things): ‘Oh yeah, coach isn’t in the locker room all the time’ and all those things.
“There is an adaptation to how different the role is and all that it encompasses. Only a small part of it is coaching, at the end of the day. But it’s been a thrill.”
Nash, of course, will always have a special place in the hearts of Maverick fans, except maybe when he’s coaching against them. Nash was charged with ramrodding the Mavericks’ revival in the early 2000s. He teamed with Michael Finley and Dirk Nowitzki to form a powerhouse trio that put the foundation down for what would be 11 consecutive 50-win seasons.
Of course, Nash wasn’t there for all of them as he was allowed to leave in free agency to Phoenix. The rest of that story is history.
What’s happening now, however, could be historic for Nash and the Nets. They have a superstar trio that is the envy of the league, but also a strong supporting cast.
And that, by the way, includes Nash’s support staff.
“I’m not surprised that Steve’s having this kind of success,” Mavs’ coach Rick Carlisle said. “They’ve had ups and downs. He’s been able to make really great adjustments as they’ve gone through good times and difficult times.
“And he’s got a great coaching staff: Mike D’Antoni, Jacque Vaughn, both of those guys have a significant amount of head coaching experience. D’Antoni has been a very influential coach in our game. And Ime Udoka came here from Philadelphia and he was a guy we talked to about the vacancy when (Stephen) Silas left (for the Houston head coaching job). Strong coaching staff.
“They do have a lot of talent. But this is not a surprise that he’s having success.”
Nash said he’s appreciative of the help he’s gotten. D’Antoni coached Nash in Phoenix and has won 672 games as a head coach. Vaughn coached Orlando for three seasons.
“I got a great staff, great organization, great people to work with,” Nash said. “So I’ve had a ton of support. And felt really at home and feel like I’m learning and growing. And it’s been a great experience so far. It’s been great.”
And don’t forget that Nash made a career out of making good decisions on the court. It stands to reason he’ll make good ones on the sideline. After all, one of his first moves was to call Nowitzki and dangle an assistant coaching job, to which the Mavericks’ legend said thanks, but no thanks.
Not that Nowitzki had any doubts about Nash’s abilities.
“Honestly, I think he’s going to be a great coach,” Nowitzki said shortly after Nash was hired by the Nets. “He’s got the tools. He’s always been a great leader. And how he talks to guys, he’s always so positive – the opposite of me at times.”
That positive energy has continued to serve Nash well in Brooklyn.
Dealing with greatness: The Mavericks didn’t have to put up with Durant or Irving on Saturday as both were out with health issues. But they did have to deal with Harden, who remains a handful for every opponent.
So much so that Carlisle said the Mavericks and other teams have to resign themselves to a certain amount of failure defensively – even when they do everything right.
“It’s a pretty common theme throughout the league,” Carlisle said. “There are some great players that, you can be in exactly the right places, and you can have the help in the right places and some of these guys take it at you, and they do a legal stepback, create space and rise up.
“Sometimes you just got to tip your hat. Harden is one of those guys. The difference with (Harden) is that he’ll do this from 30, 35 feet from the basket.”
Black History moment: Carlisle once again started his pregame news briefing with the daily note from Black History Month.
Carlisle relayed the story of Dorothy Dandridge, born in 1922 in Cleveland, who was a singer and dancer. She became an international star and was the first African-American female actor nominated for both an Academy Award for best actress in Carmen Jones and later a Golden Globe for her role in Porgy And Bess.
“She also showcased her singing and dancing talent in Las Vegas,” Carlisle said, “where a portion of ‘D’ Street that runs through the westside black community was renamed for her.
“Pretty impressive.”
Twitter: @ESefko
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