Fire Avery Johnson

[Benny NadeauAuthor]

How many pathetic second halves laden with iso-ball must we suffer through?

[Max WeisbergAuthor]

Hey, I’ve always told myself that it would take a while before I jumped aboard the “fire Avery” train, but tonight got me as close as ever.

Sickening, putrid offense and whatever the hell he does at halftime (probably doesn’t do anything) is just sad.

But, as always, cue the optimists who will tell you that “it’s only been 24 games!” or “they need time to gel”

 

[Benny NadeauAuthor]

I don’t know if any of you are football fans, but it’s exactly like watching Mike McCarthy and Packers sit on a 14 point and run the ball over and over when they have Aaron freakin’ Rodgers. It’s so heartbreaking.

[William RauschContributor]

It isn’t that simple. Not firing Avery is not implicit approval for his coaching. You can disagree with him and criticize him without calling for his head. Snap, emotional decisions rarely work in the grow up world.

[Benny NadeauAuthor]

So you want to continue like this all year?

[Max WeisbergAuthor]

It’s not about seeing this tonight, and making an impulse decision to fire Avery. We know what his offense is, we know what D-Will’s skills are and what offense he like to run. They are not working and I don’t think they will co-exist.

[William RauschContributor]

Do you have a viable alternative? It is easy to call for a firing, but what good does it do without a contingency plan? So yes, if you are calling for a firing just to shake things up I do think it is “too early”.  If you have a logical replacement, by all means suggest it.

[Max WeisbergAuthor]

I don’t think it’s worth firing the guy after one bad loss like tonight and a rough 2-7 stretch. And I CERTAINLY know the Nets aren’t even thinking about firing him, but if it gets worse, some real consideration must be given. I think at this point, the chemistry is there, and now its up to the coach and his system.

[sparky1Subscriber]

I must say that I agree that a change is needed.His system does not work for these players. AJ is a very good assistant coach and a VERY poor head coach. I sit in VERY good seats that I purchased thinking that Dwight Howard was coming here. (what a mistake I made). The fact is that he does not know how to protect a lead, his use of his mediocre talent is filled with poor choices, and those guys that need coaching are not getting the proper training.

Now let’s realize one important thing—the big men are all second string players. Lopez is as soft as they come. Humphries is awful. Evans is tough but a good role player. And Blatche has raw talent that has yet to be tapped. Wallace is eradic.

One more thing that I have just recently noticed…..AJ does not know what to do during a time out and does not have a plan to fix the problem. I have now been watching this closely. It resembles what Don Nelson and D’Antoni did with the Knicks when they were ineffective coaches.

THE NETS HAVE A BIG PROBLEM!!!!!!!

[Benny NadeauAuthor]

JUST GONNA BUMP THIS UP NOW.

[callingalltoastersSubscriber]

My nephew once had a peewee soccer coach worse than Avery.  Every other coach I’ve seen– any sport, at any level–  has been better.

[William RauschContributor]

Isiah Thomas coached your nephew’s peewee soccer team? That’s pretty cool.

[Benny NadeauAuthor]

You can’t possibly be on AJ’s side still, dude.

[William RauschContributor]

Funny, I thought we were all on the same side as Nets fans. Also, I wasn’t aware that making a snarky quip about Isiah Thomas signals my unwavering support for Avery Johnson.  And, once again, this isn’t an either/or scenario.  If you aren’t for firing Avery Johnson at this very moment, it doesn’t mean you approve of his performance or that you wouldn’t consider axing him in the near future.

[Greg JohnsonSubscriber]

I’ll give it some more time, but it’s clear Avery isn’t maximizing the talent of this group. The offense is inexcusably stagnant, lacks any sort of creativity late in games, has little concept of cutting and needs more consistent pick and roll action. There is a lot of depth and plenty of solid pieces with well-defined roles within this unit. It’s sickening to watch.

But the bigger problem tonight was defense. The Knicks manned up and played solid second half D, but the Nets did little to elude the Knicks of any easy baskets.

When your rotations suck and you refuse to contest perimeter shots, you’re probably going to lose. It’s as simple as that.

 

Follow me on Twitter @GJohnsonTargum.

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