Oct 1, 2020

  • Royce YoungESPN Staff Writer

    Shut

    • Covers the Oklahoma Urban center Thunder for ESPN.com

The Brooklyn Nets named Steve Nash their caput autobus in early September, simply stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant come across Nash in more of a collaborative role and non as the head of superlative-down leadership.

"I don't really see u.s.a. having a head omnibus," Irving said on Durant'south new podcast, "The Etcs." "KD could be a head coach, I could be a caput coach [some days]."

Durant followed up past agreeing with Irving, calling it a "collaborative effort" and naming assistant and former interim caput coach Jacque Vaughn equally someone who could fill the role any given day.

Nash, who was a shock hire by the Nets, said when he was named bus that he was especially excited to work with Irving, calling the star betoken guard a "savant with the basketball." Irving, though, said on the podcast that he doesn't know Nash that well but is looking forrard to working with him.

"Steve is great, and I have a relationship with him that's going to build over time, bro," Irving said. "Steve don't know me from anything he heard or he'south heard someone else. We've worked out one time in 2014, but information technology's grown as just a respectful relationship from afar. I saw him at the Hall of Fame two years ago, gave him a large hug and at present he's the caput passenger vehicle. And I recall it's also going to alter the way nosotros see coaches.

"I want somebody that's gonna understand that I am a human being start, I serve my community start, and then basketball is something I do every mean solar day because I love," Irving said. "We always heard and saw how great Nash was as a actor, but also when yous become to know him as a person, you sympathize why he can coexist with united states of america. We don't need someone to come in with their coaching philosophy and change everything we're doing."

Durant has a strong relationship with Nash, forged during his time with the Aureate State Warriors, where Nash was a player development coach.

"I call up having Steve in that location and collaborating with our flooring general every day is only gonna yield adept results for our scorers similar myself and Taurean [Prince], Caris [LaVert] and Spencer [Dinwiddie]," Durant said. "Them having that human relationship I think is gonna be primal for united states going forward."

Durant acknowledged the unique leadership dynamic inside the Nets, especially with him, Irving and Nash.

"I recollect a lot of people may question our leadership, overall or only u.s.a. two," Durant said. "But when me and Ky talked about existence coached every single day, I think that'due south leading past example and I think a lot of our teammates are gonna follow that."

Irving too addressed crisis-time situations and how he and Durant volition play off each other and who would take the last shot. Irving said it would exist most "who was hot" at the time but explained that this is the offset time in his career he feels similar he has a crunch-time equal on his team.

"1 thing I've always been comfortable with, I felt like I was the best selection on every team I played for downwards the stretch," Irving said. "This is the outset time in my career I've looked down and be like, 'That motherf---er tin make that shot too.' And he'll probably do it a lot easier.

"Information technology's not then much deferring, considering in past situations where I didn't take the terminal shot I felt guilty. I desire this game-winning shot, merely too you lot want to trust your teammates. Not that I didn't trust my teammates, but I felt like I was the best option."

The remarks were seemingly a shot at LeBron James, with whom Irving played three seasons in Cleveland. James told ESPN on Th that he was aware of Irving'southward comments but declined to annotate further.

Irving posted a serial of videos on Twitter later Thursday in which he responded to the speculation he was taking a shot at James, referring to information technology as "faux narratives."

"Why must it e'er exist brother confronting brother... why?" Irving said. "If I'm addressing anyone, I'll say their proper name. Come on, y'all. Don't heed to the imitation narratives. Let people live their lives! Information technology's only a game.

"You lot talk openly. You talk freely. But because we live in a clickbait club, it becomes something bigger. You don't have to defend it. That's just what media is. ... It's amusement. I'm not going to let information technology put me confronting everyone anymore, at any point. Considering that's non what it's about. ... Don't have to put me against anyone else! It's never been about that. Information technology'south nearly the dearest. Peace."