Former and current NBA players talk Nets, trade rumors at Kevin Durant's documentary premiere

Stephen Jackson was among a group of NBA players in Manhattan on Tuesday for the premiere of NYC Point Gods, a documentary from Kevin Durant about the history and cultural impact of top lead guards from New York City in the 1980s and 1990s.

Jackson, a 14-year pro and co-host of the All The Smoke Podcast, took some questions from reporters at the premiere (more on the film below).

One question posed to Jackson: Is it surprising that the Nets haven’t won more often with Durant and Kyrie Irving on the roster?

"It’s been a lot going on so I can’t just say that it’s entirely on them," Jackson said at the premiere of the film, which begins airing on Showtime this Friday. "For me, knowing the game and watching the game, I don’t like the coaching situation. I love Steve Nash, but I think there’s a lot of things they could have done differently. Lineups in the playoffs, not playing Blake Griffin until the last minute – there’s a lot of things that went wrong.

"When teams (are) not winning you automatically look at the star players – and you have to; to whom much is given, much is required. So you respect that. But me knowing the game – to win a championship, and to be (on) top at the end of the season, everything has to come together, everything has to work. You can’t have guys all over the place. And you see that there."

The Nets were swept by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs. Since that loss, the Nets have been engulfed by uncertainty as they have spent the offseason navigating a trade request from Durant and potential trades for Irving.

Jackson’s critique of Nash is a sentiment shared by some of the fan base. But Nash has the support of the organization. In the aftermath of the disappointing loss to Boston, the Nets made it clear that Nash will be back for 2022-23.

Obviously, the situation surrounding Durant is less certain.

ESPN reported that Boston has been among the teams pursuing Durant. The Athletic reported that Boston offered Jaylen Brown in a package for Durant.

Celtics star Jayson Tatum attended Tuesday’s premiere and was asked about the trade reports during a red carpet appearance. He said he had no reaction to the reports.

“I just play basketball.”

Tatum was also asked about the possibility of playing with Durant.

"I played with him during the Olympics," he said. "Obviously, he’s a great player but that’s not my decision. I love my team and I love the guys that we’ve got. I don’t know if that report is true or not.

"We’ve got two new pieces. I love our team. Like I said, I just go out there and play with my teammates. I don’t put that hat on and make decisions," Tatum added when asked about the Durant reports.

Tatum was then asked about The Athletic report stating that Brown was offered to Brooklyn.

"I don’t believe everything I see on TV," he said. "I done seen some s—t about me that was a lie. So you never know what is true and what’s not true."

Celtics Hall-of-Famer Paul Pierce was also on hand at the premiere. When asked about it, Pierce predicted that Boston wouldn’t trade for Durant.

"Nah, they’re not going to do that. They’re not doing it. That ain’t happening. They don’t need to (make a trade)," Pierce said of his old team, which lost to the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals.

FILM HONORS NYC POINT GUARDS

The Point Gods documentary debuts on Showtime on Friday. It was an idea from Durant and Rich Kleiman, his business partner at the Boardroom company and 35 Ventures. Kleiman said the idea was born after the company helped make "Basketball County: In The Water" about Prince George County, Durant’s hometown.

The film examines the impact of New York City point guards from the 1980s and 1990s and includes Mark Jackson, Kenny Anderson, Rafer Alston, Kenny Smith and others.

For Kleiman, a New York City native, the film was a passion project.

"I’ve got to give an incredible shoutout to KD and Rich Kleiman for their support, for their vision," Jackson said. "For them putting New York City point guards on a platform like this. I salute them, I appreciate them and they’ll always be family."

Alston said that there is a connection between the generations of top New York City guards.

"We always wanted the next guy coming after us to be better than us. That’s the fascinating thing about being around all these guys. We were happy to see the next youngster come up through the ranks like we did," he said.

There’s a perception that New York City hasn’t produced as many great players as it once did. Metta Sandiford-Artest believes that gentrification of neighborhoods has played a role in the trend.

"When they started to gentrify New York City, they started to turn the music off. So people from other countries came to live in our neighborhoods and (were) complaining about the music," Sandiford-Artest said. "When you take the music from the tournaments in New York City, you kill it. That’s what they did because there was an interest in gentrification.

"You shut the parks down at 9 (PM), you put the signs up and you kill the game. And we don’t have nobody fighting for that. We need people fighting for that."

STRICKLAND READY FOR LIU

Strickland, who played at Truman High School and with the New York Gauchos, is the new head coach at Long Island University in Brooklyn.

"It was a great opportunity," he said on Tuesday. "It kind of came about quickly. But I made the decision to go for it."

Strickland played nearly 20 years in the NBA. He has also coached at Kentucky, Memphis and South Florida. Most recently, Strickland played an instrumental role in the NBA’s G League initiatives, specifically with the Ignite club. He has strong relationships at all levels of the game.

Now, Strickland is looking forward to coaching at LIU.

"It just fit," he said Tuesday. "I’m looking forward to the challenge."