Nets are the adorable underdogs of the NBA, but for how long?

He probably got lost in Damian Lillard’s latest round of heroism, but the Brooklyn Nets were one of the NBA’s biggest surprises. With a roster full of castings and veterans thought to be done, the Nets have become one of the NBA’s biggest pains in the past two weeks, thanks to interim manager Jacque Vaughn.

We probably shouldn’t get too used to it. The changes are coming.

The Nets’ adorable losing days are numbered, with league sources, including those familiar with the Nets and Spurs, expecting Brooklyn to explore by bringing the NBA’s biggest coaching name – Gregg Popovich – to the edge of the Nets.

Brooklyn, according to sources, will almost certainly not succeed because the Spurs manager’s legacy is so closely tied to San Antonio, where he has built a life and legacy over the past two decades. It is also under contract. There is a “never say never” element according to an NBA executive, but it probably never will.

Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks played for Popovich and began his post-game career as a manager and, later, as a manager with Spurs. Marks addressed Popovich and Brooklyn rumors in a radio interview in early July.

“Pop has a job. So, I’ll say that, “Marks told WFAN in New York.” And, of course, we all know he’s an amazing and extraordinary coach and, to be honest, an even better leader. So, I’ll let Pop continue coaching for the Spurs. He owes it to them and they owe it to him. I’m sure he’s happy enough there. “

Asked if he would return to coach Spurs next season on Thursday, Popovich said: “Why shouldn’t I?”

But Brooklyn’s interest in the biggest possible impact they could make speaks to the direction the Nets believe they are headed – a direction it has demands with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant on the roster. This is an important job for a team with great aspirations, a job that the Nets seem destined to hand over to a big-name manager.

Athletic reported that the Nets list includes names like former Brooklyn manager Jason Kidd, Clippers assistant Tyronn Lue and former Houston and New York manager Jeff Van Gundy.

Vaughn replaced Kenny Atkinson (ironically, the kind of name you’d expect from a list of Nets if they weren’t making it available) just days before the season ended. He has won seven out of ten games, including a pre-pandemic win over the Lakers and a bubble over the Clippers.

Despite being as undermined as any team in the bubble – Brooklyn is playing without Irving, Durant, DeAndre Jordan, Spencer Dinwiddie and Wilson Chandler – they went 5-3, with one of those defeats coming by a point to Portland in a game on I trail blazer. they were in dire need.

The Nets are big losers against Toronto in the first round, with the Raptors reminding us that the “big name” isn’t always the best. Prior to last season, the Raptors replaced manager of the year Dwane Casey with Nick Nurse, who coached his biggest wins in the NBA minor league and the British majors. Two years later, Nurse is considered one of the best coaches in the league.

Regaining what the Nets developed under Vaughn, even if Brooklyn decides to remove the provisional tag, will be difficult. Caris LeVert, a scorer with Jamal Crawford’s style and creativity, won’t have the same freedom with Durant and Irving on the pitch. And signing Joe Harris again, the second-best Nets player on the bubble, won’t be easy considering the demand for his sharpshooter (plus the large increase in the Nets luxury tax his new salary would produce).

But perhaps more importantly, it will be difficult to regain the attitude of a team that has been counted and supported by inspired fringe players who perform with freedom and ferocity.

One hundred times out of a hundred, you exchange courage with players and “try” with talent. And that’s what the Nets will do next season. It’s not very dissimilar to the changes the Clippers underwent in the last offseason, taking a team that has built tremendous benevolence with its relentlessness and turning it into one with championship aspirations.

The trick is to keep things working before the talent came and mold them around the stars. Atkinson and this year’s pre-bubble Nets couldn’t do it with Irving.

There are reasons to think that Vaughn has done more than enough to earn the opportunity to combine this underdog spirit with Irving and Durant’s frontline talent. But due to Brooklyn’s apparent desire for a big name, Vaughn may not get the shot.