GOT YOUR BACK: As P.J. Carlesimo took over as Nets interim coach last night — shouting instructions to Keith Bogans — owner Mikhail Prokhorov (inset) supported Carlesimo, but added, “If a [search] becomes necessary, you know [who] the usual suspects are,” a clear reference to Phil Jackson. (Reuters, Paul J. Bereswill)
The Nets currently have a head coach with the initials P.J.
But the possibility of hiring another coach who shares them clearly has Mikhail Prokhorov intrigued.
Speaking to reporters at halftime of Friday night’s 97-81 victory over the Bobcats, a victory that came one day after the Nets announced the firing of head coach Avery Johnson, the team’s billionaire owner repeatedly gave support to the team’s interim coach, P.J. Carlesimo.
At the same time, he did nothing to dispel the notion his first choice to replace the departed Johnson is Phil Jackson.
“Now, P.J. is the head coach,” Prokhorov said with a smile when Jackson’s name was brought up. “And if [a search] becomes necessary, you know [who] the usual suspects are.”
The list of “usual suspects” clearly begins with Jackson, the only coach available with more championship rings than fingers to put them on. Since purchasing the team in 2010, Prokhorov has maintained his lone goal is to win championships — a goal he reiterated last night on more than one occasion, and something Jackson has done more times than any coach in NBA history.
But whenever Prokhorov was asked about any potential coaching search, he responded with the same general theme of giving his support to Carlesimo, saying that depending on the results, he could get a chance to earn the job.
“[Carlesimo’s] the coach,” said Prokhorov, who is scheduled to meet with Carlesimo sometime today. “Let’s wait and just give him some support. It’s very important for the team.”
Prokhorov cut short the kind of vacation only he could have — he was heli-skiing in British Columbia — to address the slump the Nets had fallen into in December under Johnson, losing 10 of their 13 games in the month and five out of their previous six before last night’s victory.
“As you know … we are ready to pay any expense in bringing [championships] to the Nets,” Prokhorov said. “And I think we have very talented players.
“But they are capable of much more than what we have seen in recent weeks. And for me, this is totally unacceptable. So I respect Avery and really I wish him well. But sometimes chemistry just isn’t right. It happens.”
Prokhorov said he actually made the decision to fire Johnson last week, and didn’t elaborate when asked why the move wasn’t made until Thursday.
Prokhorov did, however, express his displeasure with what he had seen from his team over the last month. He said he wasn’t happy with the team’s spirit and, in particular, wasn’t happy with the way it had performed in the second halves of games.
“I think it’s the lack of concentration,” Prokhorov said. “I will stress that we showed really bad second [halves] … really bad. No spirit, no desire, like, to fight.”
After taking more than his fair share of shots at the Knicks in recent months, Prokhorov was asked if the success of the Knicks has been hard for him to watch, especially given the struggles his team has gone through over the past few weeks, including a pair of losses to its crosstown rivals.
“It’s our goal to be number one in the league,” Prokhorov said. “Just to be number one in New York … it’s a modest goal.”