It keeps getting uglier in Brooklyn; Jason Kidd, Kevin Garnett call out Nets players after another bad loss


After suffering their 4th straight defeat (and 3rd in a row at home) to the Chicago Bulls yesterday, an embarrassing 95-78 drubbing at the hands of a 10-16 club with a 3-11 road record, Brooklyn head coach Jason Kidd criticized his team for a lack of effort.  Kidd said this to reporters following the game:

"At the end of the day, the coach can only hold you responsible for energy and effort. If you're not giving it, I have to take you out. If you're missing shots, that's just part of the game. But if you're not giving energy or effort, I've got to take you out."

Via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN New York, Kidd and Kevin Garnett both reportedly tore into Nets players in the locker room:

According to league sources, after Kidd yelled at the team on Wednesday, Kevin Garnett stood up and vented his frustration before walking out to the showers. Multiple sources stressed Garnett backs Kidd and that the veteran's frustration has been building over some of his teammates' lack of fight after the Nets lost by 17 points for the second straight game. Sources also said Garnett's walking out was viewed as him being one of the few Nets to care about the team's downward spiral.

On the heels of Brook Lopez's season ending injury, Paul Pierce's flagrant foul and subsequent fine, and Kidd's uninspiring comments Monday ("I think it is getting very close to just accepting losing. We are kind of getting comfortable with losing"), things continue to tumble in the wrong direction for KG and Pierce in Brooklyn.  As bad as it is though, at 9-19 the Nets are amazingly just 3 games out of first place in the Atlantic Division.


Follow Mark Vandeusen on twitter @LucidSportsFan