The former New York Knicks and Houston Rockets coach is more intent on taking the role once the current season comes to an end
The Brooklyn Nets started the season with a bang, going 11-4 and impressing one and all.
But then, came the dreaded 3-10 stretch, and 24 days after Avery Johnson won the NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the month laurel for November, he was sacked, as franchise general manager Billy King put it, ‘by the franchise ownership’ aka Mikhail Prokhorov.
The Russian billionaire literally bled money this summer to form a team capable of winning a championship in the next five years, but the one thing he didn’t like was mediocrity, and that was exactly what Johnson was delivering.
He should have seen it coming.
However, the move is being considered as a hasty one in the NBA circles, and that has forced the candidates in line for the vacant position to move with caution.
The Nets are reportedly targeting 11 time championship winner Phil Jackson as their main choice, but given that the 67 year old is apparently not interested in the job, they have set their sights on Jeff Van Gundy, the former New York Knicks and Houston Rockets, who is currently working as TV Analyst.
Van Gundy is reportedly interested in the job, but he first wants to abreast himself with the functioning of the franchise and the thinking of the ownership. And for that, he doesn’t want to take the job just yet. Instead, he wants to wait out the current season. The decision does make a lot of sense. Firstly, Jeff just cannot come in and resurrect a sinking campaign in a matter of months. He needs time for that and joining the team after the season means that he would get plenty of that.
Secondly, given the poor form of the much vaunted Nets back court so far, it is likely that the Nets will make some trades, and Jeff would want to get hold of a settled team, rather than one being continuously bogged down by trade rumours.
All this however just speculation, and it won’t be surprising if Jeff takes over in the next few days, or if the Nets bring in some other face.
Tags: