As Nets dodge a bullet by not hiring controversial coach, new permanent Coach Vaughn steers a big win over Knicks. But the tensions aren't resolved.

In some interim good news for the Brooklyn Nets, the team dodged a bullet by--duh-- not hiring controversial ex-Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka, as rumored.

And former assistant coach Jacque Vaughn, elevated from interim to permanent coach, improved to a 3-2-1 stewardship yesterday, leading the Nets to a resounding win over the crosstown rivals, the New York Knicks.

Second Choice Vaughn Just Might Be Nets’ Best Choice To Save This Season, wrote Steve Lichtenstein today, noting how Vaughn is getting more effort out of the players, deploying them more wisely, and is faster than former coach Steve Nash in calling timeouts to readjust.

What's next

That said, Lichtenstein noted, "Vaughn also hasn’t had to deal with the mercurial Kyrie Irving on a day-to-day basis very often," and we don't know how and when Irving will return from his suspension. Moreover, Irving, as now known, ignored Nash's play-calling.

Meanwhile, amping up the tensions, yesterday there were protests by Irving supporters at the arena plaza.

Note unintended irony, in background, of ambiguous "We Belong Here" art (or is it advertising) installation.https://t.co/1Q0ogfsYFZ

— Norman Oder (@AYReport) November 10, 2022

About the coach hire

Adam Silver must've told Joe Tsai -- you can't be possibly be serious with this

— Mike Mazzeo (@MazzNYC) November 9, 2022