 Michael Grady here alongside next general manager is Sean Marks reflecting on the end of the season and looking ahead as well And Sean it was a very difficult end to this past season and swept by the Boston Celtics as that Buzzer sounded there at Barclay Center. What was your immediate thoughts your raw thoughts as that season came to a close? There was a lot. I mean, it's still pretty raw, you know, it's obviously one of disappointment, you know, we We didn't live up to the expectations that we'd set for ourself, you know We we didn't overcome some of the obstacles throughout the season and I don't want to make any excuses because there's a lot of teams that had to overcome very similar obstacles, but You know, we did not do a good enough job managing those, you know from an organizational standpoint and so there's a lot of self-reflecting going on and we've had a lot of really deep and honest conversations and Those are the you know, I wouldn't say fun things But those that those are the times where you get to really make some change and you look back and say, okay What could we have done? How do we approach this? Did we approach there are our processes in place? Are they the right ones, you know from roster building from the culture from the direction from the vision and so forth You talked about, you know, the injuries and injuries being a part of the game but the injury part aside when you look at that series and basically the end of the season What stands out that you your staff and even the players would look at is this part was unacceptable You know, I think Boston, you know was a more physical team And that'll that's something that we're gonna have to address this offseason You know and not only address it in the terms of free agency and so forth and how we build the roster But our current players our current players are You know, we all have to look in the mirror And I'm sure they'll look and some of them are already in the gym right now because they know they have an opportunity this This next season coming up and I think they want to make the most of it So, you know where that's in the gym the weight room and so forth Just getting ready and getting ready for that physical nature because the playoffs as we all know It's another level and you know, we were not for whatever reason ready for that now again We were short-handed a little bit but at the same time You know, we shouldn't be surprised for us in the future. You've mentioned this a few times When reflected in the mirror in terms of what you want the future of this Franchise to be in terms of roster construction the character part. Yeah, what type of character do you want on this roster? Yeah, I mean, I've said it before and it's it's sort of a bit of a cliche You want to be you want people here to be part of something bigger than themselves. It's a team sports team game It's not individuals now. There's certain individuals that are you know Have a higher threshold and talent what then the than the rest of us But at the end of the day, everybody's gonna be able to contribute So we want people to be here for the right reasons and and buy into their roles buy into their roles high character guys You know, we want to avoid the drama. We want to avoid the distractions. I think this last couple years here You know, whether it was expectations set on the team or some of the outside Circumstances that were going on the world, you know They affected our guys and our group both individually as a group, you know, really poorly unfortunately So we're hopefully those days are behind us and we can move forward. I think whether it's moving forward through You know this whole COVID situation and health and so forth Kyrie Irving as a player option as you look forward to Conversations this summer about his future from the franchise standpoint from your standpoint. What do you envision those conversations looking like? You know, I look forward to we have not had a conversation yet So I look forward to getting in a room with him and Joe and his team and we will we'll see You know, what it looks like for Kyrie moving forward here and and what he needs from us and so forth So, you know, again, it would wouldn't be right for me to comment on the you know What what hypothetical could happen because we don't know we haven't had those conversations with Kyrie yet But you know when they do, you know, we'll see if it's the right fit for both sides Couple things on Ben Simmons one on the end of the season a lot of speculation He would be able to play at some point in the Celtic series thoughts about game four for sure But woke up before that game and wasn't able to give it a go What was that stretch like and knowing how difficult it would be for a guy who hadn't played all season to get into the post Season and then also Realizing that he wasn't going to be able to contribute. Sure. I mean look very frustrating from an organizational standpoint But even more so from Ben's I mean I had conversation with Ben. We all did we saw how he was trying to get back out there You know, I've to be honest I've got to admire that when a guy tries to do three on three five on five and then you go turn around and get an MRI and you see that the The disc herniation has gotten worse You know, well, you know, this guy is pushing through something that he shouldn't be pushing through and you know You know, nobody wants to have surgery. It's it's the last resort But, you know, it's it's it's bygone now And then we've got to move forward with this and we got to support him and so forth But I think it's just it's a little bit of a testament one, you know, that he tried to get back out there I tried to help his teammates. Secondly, it's it's, you know, we just have to be careful not to judge people You know, and if you're outside of that medical Your profession and when you're when you're chiming in from afar You just have to be a little bit careful what you're saying or what you're thinking because you really don't know, you know And moving forward with Ben. So he's had the surgery. What have your conversations been like with him since then? And what would be the process like? He's been around the guys, but fully getting him integrated into the Brooklyn culture Totally, we need to get him immersed in here back on the court, you know As soon as possible, like, you know, we're not going to push him. We're not going to rush it back But in the day, you know We have a few months here, you know, unfortunately, but for his standpoint and for his well-being and and for his health That'll get him back in time for you know for open gym and then training camp and so forth But it's about supporting him and making sure we have the right people around him and and welcome him into our family We really haven't had a chance to to really do that because it's been so busy in the season So it's these these informal dinners and lunches and meetings and so forth and just him having a chance to be To be around his teammates, you know, we'll certainly help, you know, that team chemistry and camaraderie You know how uber competitors are and they're not going to acknowledge being tired or fatigued or dealing with injuries or what not Kevin when asked multiple times during the season about the minutes. He's playing. He said let me die out there Wouldn't acknowledge, you know any fatigue whatsoever What did you make of the load that he had to carry giving everything the team went through this? Amines amines, you know without him, let's be honest. We're not in the playing at this point, you know I think, you know injuries were a big factor for us all year long the Joe Harris injury You know Kyrie being out for, you know, half the season You know Kevin being out for eight weeks and then trying to come back and the load that was put on him Then was was huge and quite frankly, you know too much, you know But again the competitor that Kevin is I don't think I've ever seen anybody quite like him, you know That rubs off on all of us and that's why I think we all have to look in the mirror now and go All right, look We owe it to Kevin to be quite frank, you know Not only do we owe it to our fans in Brooklyn and the borough and so forth But you know if he's gonna lead us out on the court, you know and how competitive he is, you know We got a follow suit ask about a couple more positions one three-point shooting Seth Curry's coming off ankle surgery We know what Joe has gone through this season They're almost feel like The Joe Harris absence wasn't given the attention that it actually, you know needed Folks may look at him as a three-point shooter But he provided so much more for the team without a doubt I mean you think of what Joe gives us, you know the toughness the versatility I mean, he's one of our bigger wings, you know His game has really improved where he's finishing it at the hall. I don't think his defense gives enough credit You know, he's a physical defender and he's he's bigger. He's able to shoot over people, you know He shoots at a different rate, you know than Patty and Seth, but You know, you can never have enough shooting So, you know, we're we're looking forward to having to having those guys back and having them back healthy Which we have we see no reason why they won't be kind of challenges it from the Biggs standpoint there There are some teams out there with a 6-7 center a 6-9 center. You have a number of guys that are, you know, free agents How do you look at this summer in terms of what are you looking at at the 5? Yeah, look, we have our own free agents at the 5 so we will certainly work through that You know, I think for us, you know, as Steve mentioned before in the press conference It's about having versatile players, you know players that can you can they play small ball five, you know Are they big enough, you know, I don't know that anybody's quite big enough to go up against Joe out You know, I mean the top tier true five men and so forth But you know when we see Ben healthy on the court, this team looks quite different, you know And and the versatility of what Ben gives us whether he plays the one and guards the five It's it's it's, you know, quite unusual and that'll be an excite That'll be that's exciting for our coaches to have to have to try to figure that one out, you know Speaking of the coaches Steve Nash, you talked about, you know, looking in the mirror reflecting Conversations about, you know, move things moving forward. So what's the talk spin like with Steve Nash heading into another year in terms of What he wants to improve look really honest ones really honest I think we've both looked in the mirror and said, you know What we could do better and where we need help, you know, whether that's roster construction or Steve's, you know You know managing the game or what have you? I mean, he's been in the gym, you know Every day with me so far watching these draft workouts really participating, you know, he's he is a Viracious competitor, you know, and and he wants this more than anybody and you know I look back at the two years ago and we signed them and you know The same reasons why we signed them are still here today and and he fits the mold and you know I'm excited to go into the season, you know with him and the coaching staff and see where it takes us last thing You know, we took over this team 20 wins 21 wins, whatever it may be And I'm sure each of those seasons were disappointing fuel to the fire for the next With the way this season ended What is your approach? How much extra juice fire is there? Focuses there given the championship window that this team has to provide a championship for this fan base in this organization Yeah, no look, we've we've never quite been under this right before and that to me that's exciting I mean, there's always gonna be obstacles that will navigate through we navigated through the last sort of six years so forth But you're right that the window, you know, it's there and it's closing You know every every game that goes by every season that goes by, you know This era sort of closes and it's it's about how do we prolong it? How do we make the most of it and how do we reach our our ultimate goal and the ultimate goal hasn't changed And that's to be the last team standing. So, you know, again, we owe it to everybody here And I think we've got the right to the right group to be honest, you know to go out there Everybody here has a chip on their shoulder and As hard as this for me to say those last season is a wake-up call for sure