The Nets now have their head coach in Avery Johnson, a decision that has been praised by many so far. Now the team sets its sights on rebuilding their roster through the draft and free agency. Fred Kerber wonders if Johnson will be pivotal in trying to lure free agents to the Nets, including one who spends his summers in Akron, OH.
“A coach can help,” Thorn said, noting free agents look for “a city they can live in . . . a team that can be competitive . . . the monetary aspect . . . who am I going to play with? . . . Certainly a coach can have an effect, but a lot of other things go into it.”
I think it was very important that the Nets made their coaching decision before the draft and free agency, and that demonstration of stability and a plan will probably do more to convince free agents to come here than anything Johnson can text them about. With that said, it’s nice that for the summer of the Nets big push, they brought on a guy who is clearly charismatic and passionate about his job. I think Avery is going to be a lot of fun for Nets fans while the team is rebuilding itself. The griping probably won’t come until he coaches games that really matter in the postseason – and if we have postseason basketball in Newark next April, I think that’s a huge success right there.
