Earlier in the offseason, Larry Krystkowiak announced that he was leaving the Nets’ bench to coach at Utah State, and it now appears that Popeye Jones is too. The Murray Ledger and Times claims that Jones is seriously considering returning to his alma matter as a head coach.
Personally, I feel that the impact of a coach in the game of basketball is overstated (Take Doc Rivers, for instance. Until he received Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, he was vilified in Boston). However, coaching stability is still somewhat important and Popeye Jones was considered to be the mentor to the big men on the team. Also, if Jones does end up leaving, I’d expect Ettore Messina’s name to be thrown in the hat as a potential replacement.
