Brooklyn Nets' Kiwi general manager Sean Marks. Photo / Getty
Brooklyn Nets' Kiwi general manager Sean Marks. Photo / Getty
Just three seasons ago, the Brooklyn Nets were the worst team in the NBA.
Yesterday, they were the story of the league and its all thanks to former Tall Black Sean Marks.
The Kiwi general manager of the Brooklyn Nets pulled off an incredible spending spree to kick off the NBA free agency signing superstars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving- two of the top players available - giving the longtime No. 2 team in New York top billing in the Big Apple.
It was such a powerful victory that the crosstown Knicks even put out a statement acknowledging their fans' disappointment, just three hours after shopping season had started.
And it was even more remarkable given where the Nets were not long ago.
Marks came on board after the side bottomed out at 20-62 in 2016-17 following costly years of high draft picks and being labelled the worst team in the league.
But speaking on the Radio Sport Breakfast, American basketball reporter Anthony Puccio said the moment Marks came on board things started to change.
"There's no way of measuring how good he's done, it's off the charts," Puccio said. "Sean Marks came in, he had a vision, he wanted to build a culture that relied upon high character individuals, hard work, development and patience.
"To get a guy like Kevin Durant and a guy like Kyrie Irving and form a super team in Brooklyn, it is one of the most improbable turn arounds in recent sports history in America. Marks is like a god in Brooklyn right now, the Nets fan base look at him like the saviour.
"We saw everything he said come to fruition, he practised everything he preached."
Marks might have to wait a year to play with Durant, who is recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon.
But Puccio said the minute Durant is ready to go, Nets fans could be looking at a championship-winning team.
"The Nets medical staff and the way Marks and the performance team run things, they're extra cautious," Puccio said. "They want to make sure the player's health and wellbeing is taken care of first so I can't see [Durant] coming back this season
Kevin Durant. Photo / Getty
"But when [Durant] comes back, he'll be ready to go, he'll be in top form and the Nets will be the newest super team in the NBA. It's not so much about the upcoming season but the season after."
Even after winning titles in his first two seasons with the Warriors, there was season-long speculation that Durant might leave. But much of that speculation had been focused on the Knicks, who had more than $70 million and the ability to sign two top free agents after trading Kristaps Porzingis during the season.
The Nets felt confident with what they could offer, from their roster, to their medical staff, to their facilities.
And when they made a cap-clearing trade last month, they became even more attractive by freeing up salary to bring in two stars.
Irving wasn't expected to be one of them a few months ago either after he'd said last fall he planned to re-sign in Boston but despite his good stats, it was a bad season for him with the Celtics, who were considered an Eastern Conference favourite but instead lost in the second round.
Irving became frustrated and reconsidered his plans, deciding his future was not in Boston but in Brooklyn.
Now he'll play for the team he watched while growing up in New Jersey, where the Nets played before moving to Barclays Center in 2012.
Even when the Nets had better teams, the Knicks still got more attention and it sometimes felt as if they would always be the marquee team in the city.
That changed Monday in a New York minute - and now the Nets are not only the talk of the town but of the whole league. - With AP
