Vaughn gone as Nets continue break

Sean Marks called it a “difficult decision”, but one he felt he had to make as the Brooklyn Nets plummeted in the standings prior to the NBA’s All-Star break.

Head coach Jacque Vaughn was relieved of his duties Monday morning, just 12 months after Brooklyn’s general manager intimated that he hoped the pro basketball lifer would lead this franchise for “years to come.”

“This was an incredibly difficult decision, but one we feel is in the best interest of the team going forward,” Marks said in a team-issued statement a day after the East’s 211-186 victory over the West in Indianapolis.

“Jacque has represented this organization with exemplary character and class for the past eight years,” added Marks, who gave Vaughn an extension during last year’s All-Star break.

Vaughn was no different than Marks described before or after his firing.

The 12-year veteran point guard and NBA coach for a pair of franchises saw his second stint at the helm in Brooklyn end following last Wednesday’s humbling 136-86 loss in Boston.

The second-worst margin of defeat in team history, and largest in the Brooklyn era ultimately spelled doom for Vaughn, who guided the Nets to the playoffs as the No. 6 seed last season despite the February trades that sent superstars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant packing.

Vaughn went a combined 71-68 at the helm in Brooklyn, counting his 7-3 record as coach during the Nets’ short stint at the NBA’s bubble site in Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Nets got swept by Toronto in the opening round in 2020, and again last year the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers despite a strong finish to the regular season and the emergence of Mikal Bridges as the team’s top scoring option.

Vaughn took over for Steve Nash early in the…