h/t Max Weisberg
Tonight at 6:00 P.M., former Brooklyn Nets coach Avery Johnson is speaking at the Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania. The topic of discussion? "The Business of Basketball."
The Nets, ironically enough, are in Philadelphia tonight taking on the 76ers.
Do you live near there? Do you not have tickets to the Nets game? Bored and want to see what Avery Johnson has to say? Let us know.
LeBron James spoke out against how the Brooklyn Nets played under Avery Johnson, saying that it "sucks" that Avery had to get the axe when his team didn't "want to play at a high level."
LeBron's full quote, from the New York Daily News, after the jump... MORE →
Brooklyn Nets backup guard C.J. Watson was profiled in a feature for SLAM Magazine today, dishing on the team, the turnaround, and the issues that led to Avery Johnson's firing... MORE →
By JOSH SPERBER
After starting the season off 11-4, one of the best starts in franchise history, Johnson and the Nets managed a dismal 3-10 record in December. What went wrong, and why did the Nets fire Avery Johnson?
(by justinvanglahn via Instagram)
Deron Williams will start today, after getting Avery Johnson fired yesterday, I mean after missing the last game with a bruised wrist. #Nets
— Streets of the NBA (@NBAStreets) December 29, 2012
If the bobcats win against the #nets;#brooklyn will be disowned by new york...it will no longer be a borough
— Sohib(@madeinBBA) December 29, 2012
#Nets Carlesimo: Maybe we're going to simplify a little bit, maybe we're going to tweak some things. There won't be wholesale changes
— Sportsfeedia.com (@sportsfeedia) December 29, 2012
. @x_reticent @weagz DWill was just DRAINING threes in warmups. The coaching change must have miraculously healed his wrist #Nets.
— Mike Dell'Aquila (@mcdellaquila) December 29, 2012
(By freakyboyshakes via Instagram)
...First Quarter Tweets next....
... MORE →
In his farewell to Brooklyn Nets basketball, now-former Nets coach Avery Johnson spoke honestly about his tenure with the Nets organization, acknowledging that the move caught him off guard and that he wanted more time with the roster.
"This is ownership's decision," Johnson said in a 17-minute press conference. "This is part of our business. Fair or unfair, it doesn't matter.
"It's not easy to always explain," Johnson continued when asked why. "You'll have to ask (Nets owner) Mikhail (Prokhorov) what his rationale is. ... If somebody else thinks maybe we should be 24-4, that's their opinion, and if I have to pay the price for that, that's the way the business is."
Johnson thanked many members of the organization for the opportunity to work with them, including ownership, management, coaching staff, and player personnel, but seemed to leave with a bitter taste in his mouth... MORE →
This is a fuxking Outrage. My dad is a great coach, he just got coach of the month and they Fire him. #Smh. Completely new team he had.
— Avery Johnson Jr. (@itsaveryjohnson) December 27, 2012
The expectations were way to high for this team. We didn't even have a losing record.... Didn't even give my dad a full season. #OUTRAGE
— Avery Johnson Jr. (@itsaveryjohnson) December 27, 2012
I'm sorry are best players couldn't make open shots. Yeah that's my dads fault totally...
— Avery Johnson Jr. (@itsaveryjohnson) December 27, 2012
UPDATE:
Earlier today, he retweeted this:
@javi_n_misa @nanumanu @edgedout @itsaveryjohnson That's crap. AJ deserves better. Deron Williams strikes again. #ajcomebackhome
— Gus (@DoubleG79) December 27, 2012
A few hours later, he offered this:
This isn't @deronwilliams fault. Deron is a great guy and great PG. Will miss him
— Avery Johnson Jr. (@itsaveryjohnson) December 27, 2012
Plus other tweets and retweets from Junior defending pa:
Avery got fired? He was just coach of the month wasn't he? That's like a player get Player of the Month then gets traded the next month #NBA
— LeBron James (@KingJames) December 27, 2012
Avery Johnson isn't only a good coach, but a good guy. I wish him all the best, will miss him around here .
— Legion Sports (@MySportsLegion) December 27, 2012
One of the best coaches I've had and a great man is Avery Johnson. No question I learned alot from him in 2 years.
— Anthony Morrow (@MrAnthonyMorrow) December 27, 2012
Nominees already suggested in the forums include:
Jerry Sloan
Phil Jackson
Jerry Stackhouse
Jerry Seinfeld
The Van Gundys
Butch Beard
John Calipari
Patrick Ewing
Who do you think should be the next Nets coach? Discuss here.
The Brooklyn Nets have fired coach Avery Johnson, league source tells Yahoo! Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) December 27, 2012
The Brooklyn Nets have relieved Avery Johnson of his head coaching duties, Nets GM Billy King announced.
— Nets PR Dept. (@Nets_PR) December 27, 2012
Johnson was named the NBA's Coach of the Month for November, after leading the Nets to an 11-4 start, their best in franchise history. The team has gone 3-10 since in December, most recently losing 108-93 to the Milwaukee Bucks.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, P.J. Carlesimo will be named the team's interim coach. Billy King will officially address the situation at 4 P.M. today.
And here we go.
Speaking to reporters before today's game, Brooklyn Nets coach Avery Johnson stressed the need for the Nets to get into -- and stay in -- their offensive sets, avoiding the isolations that they tend to fall into in the second half of games.
"The main thing is, when we talk about our offense, it was just too much one-on-one," Johnson said. "I don't mind the one-on-one at the end of the shot clock, but we're playing the one-on-one in the beginning of the shot clock.
"We've had to take a look at how we function in those situations, have a little bit more ball and player movement, a little more continuity, but none of it is going to work unless we make good passes, set good screens, space the floor properly, and don't turn the ball over."
Joe Johnson also stressed earlier this week that the isolationist offense the Nets tend to fall into is not designed in the offensive playbook, and is the fault of the players, not the coach or system.
13.4% of the Nets plays have been classified as isolations this season, the fourth-highest percentage in the league, according to Synergy Sports Technology. They score 0.91 points per possession in the isolation set, the second-best mark in the league, but below the league average among all play types.
As the Brooklyn Nets dropped their eighth game over their last ten last night, the topic of conversation has focused tightly on the team’s offensive “system,” or lack thereof. Of course, this idea was most pointedly promoted by point guard Deron Williams, primarily in comparison to the “system” he ran in Utah under coach Jerry Sloane. But then the idea was brandied about by other players, most notably, the team’s other highly-paid backcourt player in Joe Johnson. Simply, the argument is that the Nets -– owners of an 11-4 record on the last day of November and a 13-12 record today – don’t have an offensive system to speak of, especially when the team goes into offensive ruts and relies too much on one-on-one isolation plays.
And yet, when you look closely at what has cause this rather dramatic about-face in less than one month’s time, the problems run deep and systemic.... MORE →
Quote of the week. “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” –Anne Frank
The best way to tell what a player is made of is to look him in his eyes in the most crucial moments of a game. That'll tell you everything!
I done seen hell .. so it's nothing anybody can so to hurt me .. I'm takin all shots like it's nothing ...
Phil Jackson called the #Nets job the best fit for him, but he turned the job down #DoneCoaching #NBA
Jordan says Bobcats to become Hornets in 2014... http://t.co/8bFXZWmNgX #NBA #NewJersey #Nets
Nueva adquisición gracias a lo mejor de mi vida @dous3 @Dous3 #Brooklyn #8 #Williams #Nets #NBA #Gift… http://t.co/zyDgdUBXPS
RT @NetsDaily: #Nets announce NBA Draft combine participants. They are... http://t.co/9MxV8qtQIG
Norvel Pelle wins this year's "most likely to have his name used as a rhyme in a rap song" combine award http://t.co/lu5Y5AxGlD "Bobcats announcement" RT @bobcats: Good crowd here for Bobcats announcement at 6pm #NBA. http://t.co/GMFS3Gp5ET First one of you that says "sources say the Nets are considering Vinny Del Negro for head coach" is getting stabbed in the eyes.
