Avery Johnson has spent the past two seasons trying to nurse a constantly changing roster through the end of the Nets’ time in New Jersey.
But after the stunning makeover the team has undergone in the opening days of free agency, including re-signing Deron Williams and Gerald Wallace and trading for All-Star Joe Johnson from the Hawks, Avery Johnson will enter next season with a long-term core in place for the first time in his Nets tenure.
“You can run the cutest plays and have the best defensive schemes, but if you don’t have size and athleticism and guys who can put the ball in the basket, guys who know how to get their own shot, have high basketball IQ, mentally tough, you’re not going to win,” Johnson said before the Nets first practice for their Orlando Summer League team yesterday.
Johnson wasn’t able to comment on any of the Nets moves directly, because they won’t become official until the NBA’s free agency moratorium ends Wednesday. But the Nets coach spoke glowingly of the work general manager Billy King and assistant GM Bobby Marks have made to suddenly make the Nets a factor in the Eastern Conference as they prepare to move to Brooklyn.
“I’ve watched it first-hand,” Johnson said. “I’ve been in there watching those guys do what they do, it’s been fun to watch.”
The Nets have been plenty busy. In addition to Williams, Wallace and Johnson, they have come to an agreement with Bosnian power forward Mirza Teletovic to take a three-year deal at the “mini” mid-level, and also added power forward Reggie Evans in a sign-and-trade with the Clippers.
With more moves still left to be done — including either re-signing Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries and Gerald Green or potentially using them in sign-and-trade deals to land other players — Johnson will be working with a playoff-worthy roster for the first time with the Nets.
“It’s kind of like when I told you guys early on,” Johnson said. “I thought it was going to take us about two years just to become relevant, and that’s where we are.
“Hopefully we can finally get a team that we can grow with, and then eventually get into a playoff situation. Then we can really see where we are.”
After the way Johnson’s first two years with the Nets played out, the changes have been a welcome sight.
“We’ve been in the news for a lot of the wrong reasons when you’re team’s not very good or whatever it is,” he said. “We’ve all been through it. You’re at home, most of the fans are cheering for the other team, the injuries, so it’s good we’re in the news for a positive reason.
“We’re consistently upgrading our team. We’re upgrading our starting lineup, hopefully we’ll be able to upgrade our bench, so hopefully by the [middle] of this month, our team will start to take shape.”
* The Nets are one of several teams interested in veteran point guard Derek Fisher, according to The New York Times. The five-time NBA champion finished last season with the Thunder.