Nets Coaching Search Rumors: Thursday
While many have already been labeling Deron Williams as a "coach killer," the Nets' decision to fire Avery Johnson today wasn't on D-Will, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). SI.com's Chris Mannix agrees, noting (via Twitter) that no Nets players, including Williams, were consulted before the decision was made. No matter who was behind the move, the Nets are in the market for a new coach, with P.J. Carlesimo taking over in the interim. We'll round up today's rumblings about the search right here, with the latest updates at the top….
- Despite reports that the Nets have Phil Jackson atop their wishlist, an informed source tells David Aldridge of TNT (on Twitter) that the Nets don't have a top target.
- Earlier tonight, Williams denied having a role in Johnson's dismissal.
Earlier updates:
- Phil Jackson's representative, Todd Musburger, tells TNT's David Aldridge in a text that Jackson currently has "no interest" in the Nets' job (Twitter link).
- Nate McMillan isn't on the Nets' radar right now, according to Mannix (via Twitter).
- Johnson had "badly wanted" a contract extension from the Nets, and was surprised when the team engaged in talks with GM Billy King before talking about a new deal for the coach, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- Brooklyn isn't expected to begin its coaching search in earnest until the new year, reports Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link).
- The Nets are launching a "broad" search that will include a call to Phil Jackson, among others, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein. However, TNT's David Aldridge points out (via Twitter) that nothing seems to have changed regarding Jackson's desire to gain organizational control in any job he accepts.
- Talks with the Lakers got Jackson thinking about coaching again, so he'd at least listen if and when the Nets call, says Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter).
- According to Aldridge (Twitter link), the Nets have yet to contact Nate McMillan or Brian Shaw, but that doesn't mean they won't do so eventually.
- McMillan, David Blatt, and both Van Gundys (Stan and Jeff) are candidates Ken Berger of CBSSports.com thinks the Nets may consider in their search. However, "the answer to whether the Nets will consider [John] Calipari is an unequivocal no," according to Berger.
- In an email to Mannix at SI.com (Twitter link), Stan Van Gundy reiterated something we heard earlier today, writing that he has "no interest at all" in the Nets' job.
Nets Have Phil Jackson Atop Their Wishlist
The Nets have Phil Jackson atop their list of potential replacements for Avery Johnson and will make a hard push for him, sources told Marc Stein and Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. Jackson's longtime rep Todd Musberger says that his client has "no interest" in the job at this time, but a source says that Jackson would indeed entertain an approach from Brooklyn.
That same source said that Jackson's flirtation with the Lakers after Mike Brown's dismissal got him "thinking about coaching again." The 67-year-old Jackson appeared close to returning for a third stint in November before L.A. unexpectedly gave the job to Mike D'Antoni.
Meanwhile, Chris Sheridan of Sheridan Hoops (on Twitter) reports that the Nets have already made contact with Jackson through back channels. However, sources say that the reaching out hasn't been from CEO Brett Yormark or General Manager Billy King. We know that Nets brass isn't terribly patient when it comes to reaching out to their desired targets from their dealings with Dwight Howard. King and owner Mikhail Prokhorov reportedly met face-to-face with Howard in Miami one year ago when he was still a member of the Magic.
One coaching source told Stein and Broussard that an approach for Southern Methodist University's Larry Brown could not be ruled out because of Brown's close relationship with Nets general manager Billy King. Brown is in his first season at SMU, but he hasn't had any difficulty in moving from job-to-job over the course of his career. That would include Brown's stint as Nets coach in the early 1980s, which ended when he took the head coaching gig at the University of Kansas rather than guide his playoff-bound NBA team.
Earlier tonight, Nets star Deron Williams denied playing a role in Johnson's firing. We also heard that Stan Van Gundy isn't interested in the position and Nate McMillan isn't presently on the radar.
Deron Williams Denies Role In Johnson’s Firing
There has been a great deal of speculation that star Deron Williams played a role in Avery Johnson's firing as Nets head coach, but the point guard denied that in a conversation with Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News and added that he was "surprised" by the news.
"I never had any conversation with (GM) Billy King about not liking coach, nothing about coach Johnson," Williams said. "Avery was a big reason I came back, because him and Billy. So I was surprised. We've never had an argument, we've never had a fight, any disagreements, anything. So, I think it was more kind of what happened in Utah, people still saying I got coach [Jerry] Sloan fired even though he resigned and that's going to stick with me for a while."
Williams raised eyebrows around the league last week with his criticism of Johnson's offense and his apparent pining for Sloan's offensive system in Utah. The irony in that, of course, is that Williams was widely believed to have a hand in Sloan's resignation from the Jazz in 2011. Williams says that he met with Johnson the following day to explain that he meant nothing by the comments and the coach said that he wasn't bothered by them.
Latest On DeMarcus Cousins
Deron Williams and Avery Johnson may have stolen the day's headlines when it came to potentially dysfunctional player/coach pairings, but DeMarcus Cousins and Keith Smart aren't far behind. Smart told reporters today that he's made a decision about whether or not Cousins will play for the Kings tomorrow against the Knicks, but he has yet to tell the media or the player (Twitter link via Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee). Here are the day's other Cousins-related updates:
- Cousins' answers and body language during his media availability today didn't suggest he's anything but bitter and angry, tweets Bryan May of Sacramento's KXTV-TV.
- Despite teams calling about Cousins' availability, the Kings don't seem all that eager to move him, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. One league executive indicated to Kyler that it's unclear what sort of value Sacramento could extract for Cousins, since many teams wouldn't want to roll the dice on such a volatile and disruptive player.
- In his latest mailbag, Keith Langlois of Pistons.com writes that he feels the Pistons' interest in Cousins may have been overstated in some reports. According to Langlois, the Pistons were once very interested in Cousins, but have since addressed their frontcourt needs with players like Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond.
- Victor Contreras of the Sacramento Bee believes it's time for the Kings to deal Cousins.
D-League Moves: Thursday
We'll keep track of today's D-League assignments and recalls right here:
- The Pacers have re-assigned Orlando Johnson to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, according to Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star (via Twitter). Johnson had a brief stint in the D-League last month before he was recalled to Indiana on November 26th.
- The Warriors have re-assigned Kent Bazemore and Jeremy Tyler to the D-League just three days after recalling them, the team announced today in a press release. Both players appeared briefly in Golden State's game last night against the Jazz.
- Quincy Miller is heading back to the Iowa Energy for his second D-League stint of the season, the Nuggets announced today in a press release. Miller, who was originally assigned to the D-League on November 13th, has been back with the Nuggets since December 2nd. He's only appeared briefly in three games with Denver, however.
- Three Thunder players are becoming increasingly familiar with the route between Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Perry Jones III, DeAndre Liggins, and Daniel Orton have been re-assigned to the Tulsa 66ers, the Thunder's D-League affiliate, the team announced today in a press release. It's the fourth D-League assignment of the season for Orton, and the third for both Jones and Liggins. Starting this season, there are no restrictions on the number of times that NBA teams are allowed to assign players to the D-League, so the Thunder have been taking full advantage of the geographical proximity of their Tulsa affiliate.
Odds & Ends: LeBron, Balkman, Magic, Millsap
The teams with the best records in the NBA are hosting the only two games on the schedule tonight, as the 21-6 Thunder, facing the Mavericks, will look to bounce back from a Christmas Day loss, while the 22-6 Clippers set sights on their 15th straight win with the Celtics in town. As we look forward to those contests, let's round up a few odds and ends from around the NBA:
- While many people around the NBA believe that LeBron James is considering an eventual return to the Cavaliers, SI.com's Ian Thomsen doesn't think that would necessarily be the best move for LeBron's career.
- Ex-Knick Renaldo Balkman appears on his way to play in the Philippines in the new year, according to agent Sheryl Reyes (link via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando).
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel looks back on 12 months of drastic change for the Magic.
- Within his preview of a few 2013 NBA storylines, Tom Ziller of SBNation.com focuses on the big decisions coming in Los Angeles and David Stern's last full year as NBA commissioner.
- Michael Scotto of RealGM.com talks to Paul Millsap about his contract situation, and speculates about possible suitors for the power forward next summer in free agency.
- Russell Westbrook's five-year extension kicks in this season, and The Oklahoman's Jenni Carlson argues that his ability to overcome lapses is the key to the future for the Thunder.
- Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game takes to Sulia to explore why GMs like the Rockets' Daryl Morey receive more praise than less media-friendly GMs with comparable track records like David Kahn of the Timberwolves.
- Dwight Jaynes of CSNNW.com warns Trail Blazers fans not to get too attached to J.J. Hickson, suggesting the team's best move may involve moving him before the trade deadline. We rounded up a few rumors relating to Hickson and the Blazers this morning.
Reactions To Nets’ Firing Of Avery Johnson
The Nets fired Avery Johnson earlier today, after the Nets had won just three of their last 13 games. With home games against the Bobcats and Cavaliers up next on the schedule, interim coach P.J. Carlesimo will have the opportunity to turn things around immediately. However, not everyone believes firing Johnson was the right call, and it remains to be soon who the next permanent coach will be in Brooklyn. Here are a few reactions and follow-up items in the wake of Johnson's dismissal:
- In musing about whether the Nets could make a run at Phil Jackson, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports notes (via Twitter) that management doesn't believe the Triangle offense fits the current roster.
- Johnson's firing caught some members of the Nets organization off guard, and was clearly a decision made by owner Mikhail Prokhorov, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. On the other hand, Wojnarowski tweets that it was GM Billy King who made the final decision.
- According to one Nets player, there was no indication after last night's loss that this move was coming, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. The player tells Bondy he was "blindsided" by the news.
- RealGM.com's Jarrod Rudolph (Twitter link) believes Stan Van Gundy would be a good fit in Brooklyn, but the ex-Magic coach has no interest in the job, according to Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).
- While Grantland's Zach Lowe says he isn't a big fan of Johnson, he adds that the Nets have unrealistic expectations for this team, which wasn't far off the pace that most pundits predicted (Twitter links).
- A veteran executive tells TNT's David Aldridge that he thinks the Nets will hire a big-name replacement for Johnson, rather than a young, up-and-coming coach (Twitter link).
Nets Fire Avery Johnson
12:09pm: Assistant P.J. Carlesimo has been named the Nets' interim head coach, reports Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
11:58am: A poor showing in December has cost a head coach his job. After a 3-10 record this month brought the team's record back to .500, the Nets have fired coach Avery Johnson, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com reported earlier today that Johnson could be let go before tomorrow night's game.
"The Nets ownership would like to express thanks to Avery for his efforts and to wish him every success in the future," said Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov in a statement confirming Johnson's dismissal.
Johnson, who was in his third season as coach of the Nets, was named Coach of the Month for November just a few weeks ago. Since then, however, not much has gone right in Brooklyn. Kris Humphries has fallen out of the rotation, Deron Williams has publicly questioned the team's offensive system, and most recently, Gerald Wallace expressed displeasure in the club's performance.
At 14-14, Johnson was well on his way to leading the Nets to their best season since he took over, after the team averaged just 23 wins in his two previous seasons. However, after the organization committed well over $200MM+ to free agents and took on Joe Johnson's $89MM contract this summer, expectations in Brooklyn had increased significantly.
Avery Johnson On Hot Seat?
Avery Johnson said last weekend that he wasn't worried about his job security, but after a 17-point home loss to the Celtics, and a 15-point loss in Milwaukee, one NBA executive tells Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com that "the watch is on." An unnamed Nets player called the situation "flammable," likening it to Jerry Sloan's final days in Utah.
The description of Johnson's situation as "Jerry Sloan all over again" stems from the fact that the same star player, point guard Deron Williams, is involved. Williams, who has underachieved so far this season, reportedly isn't seeing eye to eye with Johnson in Brooklyn (Twitter link via Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times).
After an 11-4 November, the Nets have struggled immensely in December, with the team now just sitting at .500 (14-14) overall. While Sheridan suggests that a coaching change could come as soon as this week, I'd be surprised if the Nets didn't give Johnson a little more time to right the ship. Still, expectations are high in Brooklyn after the club spent hundreds of millions of dollars to add players this summer, so Johnson's job security is worth keeping a close eye on.
Joey Graham Worked Out For Timberwolves
The Timberwolves' search for a wing player has them looking at a former first-round pick that hasn't played an NBA game since the 2010/11 season. According to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, the Wolves had Joey Graham in for a workout on Wednesday, as well as James Anderson, who has since agreed to rejoin the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
We had previously heard that Anderson would be coming in to work out for the club, but Graham's name is a new one. Minnesota has also worked out Lazar Hayward within the last week and may still have interest in French forward Mickael Gelabale, as the team looks to replace Josh Howard, who was released after suffering an ACL injury. A move isn't expected until the new year.
Graham, who was drafted 16th overall by the Raptors in 2005, spent six NBA seasons in Toronto, Denver, and Cleveland, before playing in the D-League and overseas following the lockout. For his career, he has averaged 5.9 PPG and 2.8 RPG with a .483 FG% in 377 contests (16.2 MPG).