Despite virus cases, Nets say no thought to skipping restart
NEW YORK (AP) » Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving aren’t coming back. DeAndre Jordan and Wilson Chandler aren’t going, either.
Spencer Dinwiddie is a maybe, with his status unclear after both he and Jordan tested positive for the coronavirus.
The Brooklyn Nets don’t look ready for a restart, but general manager Sean Marks said Wednesday there was no discussion of the team not traveling to Florida for the resumption of the NBA season.
“Look, we have a job to do,” Marks said. “Again, we have to bring a team to Orlando. We will bring a team to Orlando. We will go down there and we will compete. That’s our jobs here.”
It’s not an easy one for interim coach Jacque Vaughn, who took over when the Nets surprisingly parted ways with Kenny Atkinson on March 7. He won his first two games, capped by an impressive victory over the West-leading Lakers in Los Angeles.
Then the season stopped and his challenges really began.
Vaughn had moved Jordan into the starting lineup, but now the job apparently goes back to Jarrett Allen. If Dinwiddie can’t play — he is currently on the travel list but is experiencing symptoms — Vaughn might need a new point guard, too. And NBA rules haven’t been allowing teams to practice together, so it may take almost until the July 31 resumption before Vaughn knows who he’s sending out on the court for the (re) opening tip.
The Nets had higher hopes when the season was suspended. Not only were they playing well, but a long break presented the possibility that both Durant and Irving might be recovered from surgeries, turning Brooklyn into much more than the average No. 7 seed.