Given the way the Nets have played lately, something had to change.
Avery Johnson learned that the hard way Thursday, when his 2 1/2-year stint with the organization ended when he was relieved as head coach in a meeting with general manager Billy King.
“It was a tough decision,” King said during a press conference at the team’s practice facility. “I’ve worked well with Avery for 2 1/2 years, but the way we’ve been playing lately … in talking with ownership, I spoke to them this morning and the decision was made.”
King said the decision to fire Johnson, who finished with a 60-116 record in his two-plus years with the Nets, came from ownership. Billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov clearly wasn’t happy with the direction the team was headed after committing over $330 million in current and future salaries in order to field a contender in the first season in Brooklyn, and chose to fire his coach who only weeks ago earned the Eastern Conference’s Coach of the Month award for November.
The Nets are expected to gauge the interest of Phil Jackson, who was passed over by the Lakers when they hired Mike D’Antoni last month.
According to ESPN.com, Jackson is the Nets’ top target, despite Jackson’s agent, Todd Musburger, saying the Zen Master has “no interest in the job at this time.’’ But a source also told the website Jackson would indeed entertain an approach from the Nets because his recent flirtation with the Lakers got him “thinking about coaching again.”
Johnson’s firing caps an incredible December swoon for the Nets, who have gone 3-10 so far this month, culminating in Wednesday’s 108-93 loss in Milwaukee.
It was after that loss that King decided to talk to ownership, and after what the general manager said was an hourlong conversation, the decision was reached to let Johnson go after the coach was unable to snap the team out of its month-long funk — one that saw it go from a team capable of reaching Prokhorov’s stated goal of reaching the Eastern Conference finals in November to a .500 outfit in December.
“Watching us, we just didn’t have the same fire as we did when we were 11-4,” King said. “Talking to Avery we just weren’t able to figure it out, we weren’t able to pinpoint what was missing.”
“You lose by 17 to the Celtics [on Christmas Day], you lose to the Knicks the way you did, you lose to Milwaukee … these are teams you’re talking about [being competitive with]. It was a pattern, whether guys played or didn’t play, the same pattern kept happening.”
King also was quick to take the blame from star point guard Deron Williams, who questioned Johnson’s offense a little over a week ago before sitting out Wednesday’s loss with a bruised right wrist, a nagging injury he re-aggravated against the Celtics.
“To pinpoint this on all Deron, that’s not fair,” King said. “He wasn’t [consulted] … we just didn’t like the direction we were going.”
Johnson’s lead assistant, P.J. Carlesimo, will take over the team on an interim basis, beginning tonight in Brooklyn against the Bobcats, but the search for a permanent replacement is already under way.
One source said there is no timetable to make a decision on a new coach. “We are in no rush,” the source said. Another said the move could potentially take as many as two weeks to complete.
It’s expected the combination of a veteran roster that’s expected to win-now and Prokhorov’s vast fortune will lead King to try to pursue several high-profile candidates. But though King said ownership made the final call on the decision to fire Johnson, it sounded as if it will be his decision to hire the new coach.
“I’ll make recommendations, obviously,” King said. “Ultimately, as the GM you make recommendations to ownership, and they either take your recommendations or they go with other candidates.”
“But, in previous jobs, you make your recommendation and usually ownership goes with your recommendation.”
Outside of Jackson, King likely will reach out to several of the other big-name coaches on the market, including both Jeff and Stan Van Gundy — though Stan Van Gundy was quoted multiple places as not being interested — U.S. national team assistant Nate McMillan and Mike Dunleavy, among others.
“At this point P.J.’s our coach,” King said. “We’re going to get through this day, we’ll have shootaround tomorrow morning and then I’ll be in constant contact — I have been today — with ownership.”
“But right now we’re going to give all our support to P.J. and go from there.”
Whos Next?
With Avery Johnson out as head coach of the Nets, here are some of the potential names that could replace him in Brooklyn:
PHIL JACKSON—The Zen Master is available, and had his interest piqued by the possibility of returning to the Lakers last month before they instead opted to hire Mike D’Antoni. But would he be as interested in coaching Deron Williams and Joe Johnson as he was in Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard?
NATE McMILLAN—The former Sonics guard has worked with Deron Williams during his two stints as an assistant coach under Mike Krzyzewski with the U.S. Olympic team, including this past summer in London, meaning he also has ties to one of Nets general manager Billy King’s mentors.
JEFF VANGUNDY—The ESPN analyst and former Knicks and Rockets coach has the brand name and the experience in the New York market to be a fit for the Nets, but it’s unclear whether he would be willing to leave his analyst’s role to return to the coaching hot seat.
LARRY BROWN—Now back in college coaching at SMU, it’s unclear whether Brown would be willing to give the pro game another shot. But he has ties with King dating back to their days together in Philadelphia, where the 76ers made the Finals with Allen Iverson in 2001.
STAN VANGUNDY — Considered one of the best coaches around after a stellar run in Orlando ended in the middle of the Dwightmare last season, he, like his brother, would be a strong choice. However, Van Gundy has reportedly said he isn’t interested in the job.
MIKE BROWN—Brown, like Johnson, is part of the Spurs coaching tree. Known as a defensive coach, Brown helped lead the Cavaliers to the Finals with LeBron James back in 2007. But he also lasted barely over a season with the Lakers before hewas dumped five