Brooklyn Nets GM Sean Marks, in his own words

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Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks has had to deal with a lot of stress over the last year.

It was a rough day.

Marks had to explain why he parted ways with Steve Nash just seven games into the season -- while apparently already having engaged in a complicated process to name a controversial potential replacement.

Marks had to address many questions while Irving was spared from scrutiny for a second day, but the Nets publicly had done little about it.

Marks and Nash often faced tough questions together. The general manager took care of it alone after Nash was relieved of this duty.

As the franchise faces drama on at least three different fronts, he annotated what Marks said.

The interview was edited for a short time.

On whether Nets players were consulted in the decision to move on from Nash:

There was zero. No one from any of the players gave input on this. This was a decision that we didn't need to make. We did not need that. I talked to the owner but the players weren't consulted. The direction we were going was told to them before the event.

On the timing of the mutual decision between the Nets and Nash:

Nash is aware that they're not responding to him right now or that the performance he needed to see wasn't good. The dialogue was always happening. Over the course of 10 days, we've just been talking and talking, and I think it came to a head.

• It is rare for an NBA coach to be let go on a game day less than a day after a victory.

• Marks said the decision had been made for a long time. The conversations would have started a few days into the regular season if the timelines are correct.

• The Nets would have been able to begin the process of vetting Ime Udoka's situation if Marks and Nash knew where things were headed.

On whether the Nets have determined their next coach:

I don't think so. It's absolutely not.

• The meaning of the word "determined" could be debated, but it was reported that Udoka would replace Nash within a day or two.

• The process of bringing in Udoka and sending out Nash has been going on for a while now, considering the situation with Udoka serving an opaque suspension.

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What is next for the Nets after Steve Nash left?

On what a new coach would bring to the Nets:

I want to see the group of guys compete at the highest level. I think we did not bring it to the games we saw this year. I won't sugarcoat it. Sometimes a quarter was taken off, a half was taken off and a game was taken off at the same time. We didn't try to win. One of the attributes that the candidates will be looking for is that. It's important to hold guys accountable.

• Marks was critical of the players during the news conference. Referring to a voice to hold players accountable might be a sign of the imminent hiring of Udoka, who crafted a reputation for doing just that with his star players while he was the head coach in Boston.

On whether the Nets would be comfortable hiring Udoka:

We made this move because time is running out. We would like this process to be thorough. We are not going to walk away from that. We will do our homework.

• There was a question about Udoka's suspension. Marks implied that the Nets are ready to make the hire because the season is already underway.

On how Nets fans should react to the latest news and controversy:

It is understandable." I'm sympathetic to the situation here. I don't think I'm proud of the situation we're in. We are talking about it. We are involved with the ADL from the highest levels and we hope they can advise us. We can bring something to the table that both parties, all parties can be at least understandable to one another here and understand that there is no tolerance and no room for any hate speech, any antisemitic remarks or anything like that, whether it's in this organization or any organization for

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• Irving's post was five days old when Marks said this. Three days had passed since Irving's comments in which he defended his choices, as well as the formal statements condemning them by the Nets and the team itself.

• The post had been deleted by Irving. Marks and the Nets have had some sort of discussion.

On possible punishment for Irving:

We are talking to the ADL at the moment. Our CEO and I and the group are trying to figure out what the best course of action is in this situation. They can understand where people come from if they get sides together. Everybody here has an educational piece. There is an understanding that we need to move on and we need to do the right thing.

• Marks implied that there will be a meeting between Irving, the Nets and the ADL, but he wasn't sure about any details.

Beyond a punishment, the topic of Irving still playing with the Nets is addressed:

We have tried to do both of them. He won't do media tonight because he didn't do media last night. At some point he will come up here and do media again, but we don't want to cause a lot of fuss at the moment. Let's let him calm down and let's let cooler heads prevail. We need to educate ourselves, educate the whole group, and get some direction from the experts, and the ADL is one of them.

• This is one of the most amazing answers of the news conference. Marks admitted that the team will violate league rules by not allowing Irving to speak to the media. This could mean that Irving isn't ready to apologize while the team isn't ready to take action regarding his previous actions.

• There was no fine Tuesday for violation of media policy. Irving refused to speak to the media after he scored 28 points in helping the Nets break a four-game losing streak with eight fans sitting in the front row.

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Kevin said he was surprised by Steve Nash leaving the Nets.

On why Irving still isn't talking with the media:

He's going to have to answer these questions at some point, and he hasn't shied away in the past, but we're not trying to cover it up." I think this is something that needs to be addressed, but we will let you know when that is done.

• The Nets are not in action. Irving will not speak to the media for four days because he played one of his worst games as a Net. The media is required to speak to players following each game.

On whether the Nets can still chase a title this season:

Is that correct? To put this team in the best possible place to succeed is what I do here. We don't want to miss a step. We want to slow it down. We have a window here and when we have this group of players we hope to achieve that. Over the course of the last few years, we've seen a lot of teams that at one point looked like they were going in the right direction change their minds. The decision we will make in the next few days will be a catalyst for a change.

• The Nets will pay $108 million in luxury taxes this season and will have an investment of more than a billion dollars. The Nets' own first-round picks will either be owed to the Houston Astros or in swaps that will dull any rebuild discussions.

• Some people want the Nets to tear it down and trade it for something else. Marks made it clear that that isn't happening. It's important to give the team every chance to succeed.

On how the Nets' recent actions and changes will affect Durant:

All of these things have to be considered. It's not an easy decision to get to this particular junction right now and when we make the decision on who we will hire, I think we have to look at what's best for us now.

• At the Nets' media day in September, KD talked about why he asked for a trade from the team during the summer. A lot of things were getting swept under the rug.