Seems like it was just yesterday that Brent Barry was on NBA tv saying that the Nets are searching for an identity, well, now they are ssearching for a coach.
For Deron Williams, a set of steak knives.
But just 24 days after he was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for November, Johnson was fired by the Brooklyn Nets. Assistant P.J. Carlisemo was named interim head coach, and will retain the rest of Johnson’s staff.
A search for a new head coach will begin immediately.
(more, here)
Let the comedy begin, this is, after all, New York, where dreams are dreamt big, and often unrealistic, and we are all forced to listen to it.
From the story:
A list of the top available coaching names includes: Jackson, Jerry Sloan, Stan Van Gundy, Nate McMillan, Mike Dunleavy, Brown, and ESPN’s Jeff Van Gundy and Flip Saunders.
Yes, they all can’t wait to be coach of the month, then fired the next, for a team that chooses to go 3 and 10 in December. That ain’t coaching, kids, that’s the will to fail.
A touch of reality:
A source told ESPN the Nets have not yet placed an “official” call to gauge Jackson’s interest. Jackson’s agent told NBA.com that Jackson has “no interest” in coaching the Nets.
And immediately back to the New York fantasy:
However, if Brooklyn does call, Jackson would entertain the idea in much the same way he did with the Lakers, spending the weekend analyzing the roster and visualizing how he would turn it into a championship team, according to a source.
It’s going to be like that until they hire a new coach.
King told reporters he wants Carlisemo to coach “like he’s going to coach the team for the next 10 years,” but added that the Nets will “evaluate things as we go.”
Ha! Ha! Ha!
I wanted PJ to coach like he wasn’t a giant a-hole, but we can’t have everything, Billy.
Ultimately, Johnson’s demise was about expectations. Brooklyn ownership didn’t add more than $330 million in future payroll this past summer in order to go .500. - from ESPN NBA Insider, Kevin Pelton, Brooklyn Nets not getting better
I’m guessing Phil Jackson already analyzed that, as have all of the coaches on the NY dream list.
a) Love seeing Kevin Pelton listed as an ESPN Insider. It’s just awesome.
b) If you go to NJ you better know that the big Russian has no patience for failure. For a coach with Johnson’s stature to get fired in his first major slump while still at .500 speaks volumes about their expectations. If they had not started so hot and were sitting at .500 without the losing streak people would be talking about how this team was adjusting to their new roster and that if it gelled or made a couple of minor adjustments it could be a threat in the playoffs.
Pretty crazy move.
With such a short fuse a coach would have to believe that the roster could coach itself and win on its own without a coach having to make players do things like play defense.
Had the Nets done two things differently then they would have a different situation that reflects the high expectations, 1, wait another two or three weeks, 2, trade a secondary player on the same day you fire the coach (give one of the players that wasn’t traded a set of steak knives).
Right now the players are acting as if they have no responsibility in meeting those very high expectations because that’s what the firing of a coach so darn early communicates to them.
I’d be pretty happy to have Avery coach my new Sonics team, just sayin.
Yes, of the names that have been bandied about, that’s the best of the potentially realistic ones: Avery Johnson. Phil Jackson ain’t gonna come out of retirement to coach the Sonics any more than he’s going to go and coach the Nets. McMillan’s available and wouldn’t be horrible but wouldn’t be my first choice. Avery Johnson though, yeah good choice. The one trouble is that he’ll likely get hired by some other team before the Sonics get a chance (especially given that the Sonics need to exist first before they can go and hire a coach).
Darn near any coach, dead or alive, would come out of retirement to “coach” the Sonics if they got a cut of owning the team.
That’s a remote possibility in Seattle, an impossibility in Brooklyn.
That’d be the difference maker.
Would giving a coach even a small ownership slice be a good idea? What if he doesn’t work out and you need to fire him later? Partial ownership could make a termination very complicated.
Giving a coach that intends to coach for a long time a slice is stupid.
A coach that is willing to barter a year or two as part of an ownership slice, then maybe go into upper management mode, depends on the coach.
Is he putting a coaching system in place to hand it off to a designated person, succession plan?
That’s important.
Please VOTE “Sonics Arena” in this poll:
http://seattletimes.com/html/soundeconomywithjontalton/2020007425_vote_seattles_top_bizecon_stor.html
Cheers
I did so just for you Speedcat.
I voted for Sonics arena its however behind in votes to the Amazon Boom or whatever the title was involving the Amazon.
I must say I’m getting antsy for team aquisition news. I know this will take time. I know I have to be patient. I know it’s all behind the scenes. I know Chris won’t reveal anything because it would only hinder the effort. I know, I know, I know.
That said, I’m getting antsy for team aquisition news.
Thank God the Seahawks are hot right now or I’d be going out of my mind.
Of course spring training is juuuuussssssstttttttttttttttttt around the corner, so we got Mariner goodness to look forward to…………………………………yummy.
I’m also getting antsy about getting a team. I also am grateful the Seahawks are doing so good. Also in case anyone missed it the Blue end zones are back @ C-Link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znaJB2K9y3Q
i stumbled across this today as im very antsy to. if this is an old clip i apologize. but if this is current oh to be a fly on the wall.
pretty crazy move
The DeMarcus Cousins saga in Sacto is interesting. He has obvious big time talent, but a dysfunctional mind, the kind that can be just as damaging to a team as the talent is good. What ever the ultimate decision is by Kings management regarding his future with the team, it may have big ramifications moving forward.
Report.that Boston wants to trade for cousins. Being next to Garnett would be the perfect scenario for him. He’s the kind of guy who needs a strong leader to set him straight.
Link?
nevermind - found it.
Agree that Garnett would be really great for Cousins, so would Doc Rivers I think. Cousins could have a Zach Randolph-esque career path if he could get a good support group.
Really hard to think of what assets Boston has that Sacto would want that would also work w/in the cap though?
but the thing is if they give up a potential star like demarcus and are indeed trying to move team or jack price up for hansen how would this move give them more leverage for either scenario? just want the calendar to move faster so perhaps by allstar game we have a better idea what the hell is going on.
The only answer I can come up with bc, is that it’s the Maloofs. Nothing they’ve done so far has made any sense.
it would be nice to hear something this year but im starting t0 think nothing will be done until the enviromental study is done and the lawsuits and second vote or whatever is done with. sure hope im wrong though. hahahaha
I’m hoping we will hear something in February or March. But I could see why Hansen would want to hold off until at least the EIS is done with. However with that said God I’m really missing the Sonics.
all hope is not lost on nhl team. yeah they may still cancel season but two reasons i have hope for the 206. jamieson apparently cant cobble together enough investors, he even tried the us green card program to get foreign investors with no takers.why? cuz hockey in the desert is as bad of an idea as putting a nascar race in canadas north. also if season gets gassed i think the legal wrangling when glendales new council comes in will sink it. its all speculation but i have a very very good feeling that great things are in store for the pacific northwest this year. its all good supersonics and totems will rise.
but the thing is if they give up a potential star like demarcus and are indeed trying to move team or jack price up for hansen how would this move give them more leverage for either scenario?
It depends on who they get back, but I’m in agreement that it likely wouldn’t provide leverage. It’s tough to get equal value for a quality big man, even harder when they still have a couple years left on their rookie deal.
Maybe something like the following though? The Kings give up on a potential star/headcase for a guy who will likely never be a star but will probably be a really really solid player his entire career. The Bobcats desperately need a guy with star potential - maybe Jordan can help with the personality issues?
SAC trades: Cousins, Garcia
CHA trades: Kidd-Gilchrist, Biyombo
Art Thiel@Art_Thiel
Per USA Today, Maloofs peg value of Kings at $500M. Presumably, winning bid also gets entire city of Sactown.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2012/12/29/demarcus-cousins-sacramento-kings-maloof/1798287/
New thread is up.
They are a little high, and they also might be asking too much for something they can’t afford to dump money into.
Ha! good one Art Thiel