April 24, 2024
Ruth J Morrison

Ruth J Morrison

VIDEO Discussion: Did Tom Coughlin get a raw deal; how long will Jerry Reese last as Giants General Manager?

 

VIDEO Discussion: Arizona, Carolina, Denver, and New England head to NFL Conference Championship games; Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Seattle Seahawks get to watch at home

 

General Manager Billy King Reassigned

The Brooklyn Nets today reassigned General Manager Billy King within the organization and have parted ways with Head Coach Lionel Hollins.

For the remainder of this season, Assistant Coach Tony Brown will serve as interim head coach. The GM position will remain open until a replacement is named.

Surprised? Not really. Anyone who has been paying close attention to the Brooklyn Nets knew the hammer was going to fall. In fact, many wondered what took so long. Hollins is the Nets fourth and longest serving head coach since the team came to Brooklyn in 2012.

During the 2012-13 inaugural season at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, the Nets fired Avery Johnson on December 27, 2012, 28 games into the season and Johnson had just won the NBA’s Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for November just weeks prior.

P.J. Carlesimo took over on an interim basis and the Nets made it into the NBA playoffs, but lost Game 7 in Round 1 on May 4, 2013, to the Chicago Bulls 99-93. On Sunday, May 5, 2013, the Nets fired Carlesimo who had a 35-19 regular season record with the Nets.

On June 12, 2013, Nets General manager announced that newly retired New York Knicks player Jason Kidd would be the new head coach for the Brooklyn Nets. Now, to be fair, Kidd was an all-star, NBA champion, an Olympic Gold medalist and known to be a coach on the floor, but that didn’t stop the haters from complaining about Kidd’s selection. Kidd’s tenure with the Nets was no walk in the park.

After a loss to the Chicago Bulls on Christmas Day, Kidd’s record with the Nets dropped to a disappointing 9-19. At the time, Kidd was sharing coaching duties with Lawrence Frank, and at the start of 2014, Kidd took full control of the coaching duties creating an acrimonious relationship with Frank. On February 3, 2014, Kidd was named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for January. On April 1, 2014, he was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month a second time for the month of March. Kidd also took the Nets to the second round of the NBA Eastern Conference playoffs.

On July 1, 2014, the Milwaukee Bucks secured Kidd's coaching rights from the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for two second-round draft picks in 2015 and 2019. Unlike the two previous coaches, Kidd wasn’t fired; he left for the Milwaukee Bucks because the Nets would not give him more managerial control.

On July 2, 2014, in walks veteran NBA coach Lionel Hollins. The Brooklyn Nets announced a four-year deal with Hollins and with the Nets announcement of his departure today, Hollins is the longest serving Brooklyn Nets coach thus far.

“After careful consideration, I’ve concluded that it’s time for a fresh start and a new vision for the direction of the team,” said Nets Owner Mikhail Prokhorov. “By making this decision now, it enables our organization to use the rest of the season to diligently evaluate candidates with proven track records. It’s clear from our current state of affairs that we need new leadership. With the right basketball management and coach in place, we are going to create a winning culture and identity and give Brooklyn a team that it can be proud of and enjoy watching. We have learned a great deal during the past six years and our experiences will guide us for the future. Following the consolidation of team ownership last month, I can assure you that I’m more determined and committed than ever to build a winner.”

Hopefully, going forward Prokhorov will be more pragmatic with his future moves because his previous strategy of “win at all cost” has not proven to be a winning formula.

VIDEO: Brooklyn Nets introduce Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry

Andrew Rosario, Chief Correspondent, What's The 411 SPORTS' takes us inside a press conference held at the Barclays Center introducing the newest members of the Brooklyn Nets team.

Gary Sussman, Vice President, Public Relations, opened the press conference with the introduction of Nets General Manager Billy King who introduced Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry. It is the expectation that these new members of the Brooklyn Nets will make the team a formidable force in the NBA's Eastern Conference and a championship contender.

Prokhorov Wants A Ring

Brooklyn Nets Principal Owner, Mikhail Prokhorov, flew in from Moscow especially for this occasion. Prokhorov didn't mince any words, he expects the Brooklyn Nets to be a championship contender. He noted that Garnett, Pierce, and Terry each have at least one ring, while at the present moment, he has none.

Brook Lopez won the battle of the brothers; Thaddeus Young had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and the ghost of Joe Johnson returned

The Brooklyn Nets took advantage of New York Knicks minus forward Carmelo “Melo” Anthony on Wednesday night and beat the Knicks 110-104, snapping a season-high 10-game home losing streak. It was the Nets’ third straight home victory over the Knicks.

In a game with lots of story lines, first is Nets’ interim coach Tony Brown’s first victory overall. Brown inherited the interim coach position on Sunday when former Nets head coach Lionel Hollins lost his position.

Perhaps, the Nets going into this game believed that they could win, Melo or no Melo, considering they have won five of the last six games against the Knicks. Perhaps, it was a new head coach with a new philosophy and new demeanor, but the Nets seemed to play with more energy and more swagger.

Bojan Bogdanovic came off the bench in the first quarter on three-point fire; knocking down 3 three-pointers in three minutes 11 seconds of play. Overall, Bogdanovic scored 14 points and four rebounds in just under 23 minutes of playing time.

Nets center Brook Lopez won the battle of the brothers, as he was more productive than his brother Robin Lopez. In 29:32 minutes of play, Brook scored 20 points, five assists, and eight rebounds to Robin’s nine points and 12 rebounds in 30:40 minutes of play.

Brooklyn Nets forward Thaddeus Young had 19 points and 11 rebounds, and Shane Larkin, who didn’t start in place of injured Jarrett Jack, put up 17 points, five assists, and two rebounds. Joe Johnson, who is still the subject of trade rumors and looked like the Joe Johnson of previous seasons, he made two key jumpers in the final 2 minutes and finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Point guard Wayne Ellington chipped in 10 points, two assists, and two rebounds.

The electricity in the air at the Barclays Center was palpable. Celebrity row actually had celebrities. R&B singer Maxwell was in the house promoting his upcoming concert with rapper Nas. New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, who was cheered at the opening of the Barclays Center, was roundly booed; probably by disappointed Giants fans. Even former Knicks player Andrea Bargnani got booed, but surprisingly, not Shane Larkin another former Knick. At times, there was a battle of the fans, as Knicks fans made their presence known. Nets fans may have been outnumbered, but most of the evening, they were not shrinking violets.

"Games like this, it's going to help turn our fan base around," Brown said. "If we continue to play in this kind of fashion, we'll fill the seats, but we've got to show them first. It'll take time, but tonight was a good start."

In defeat, Knicks forward Derrick Williams came off the bench and led all scorers and tied his career high 31 points. Other Knicks players scoring in double digits were Arron Afflalo with 18 points; Jose Calderon added 16 points and wonder-kid Kristaps Porzingis, who shot just 5 for 17, chipped in 12 points and 10 rebounds.

"On nights like this when we don't have (Anthony), I can't have a shooting night like this," Porzingis said. "I've got to step up. I've got to score the ball more."

Looks like the stars aligned for the Nets.

Next up for the Nets will be the Portland Trailblazers on Friday.

Jarrett Jack surgery deemed successful; expected back with team for 2016-17 NBA season

Brooklyn Nets guard Jarrett Jack underwent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgery on Wednesday at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan.

The surgery was performed by Nets’ Medical Director, Dr. Riley J. Williams and Dr. David Altchek. A full recovery is expected, and it’s anticipated that he will be ready to participate in full basketball activities for the 2016-17 season.

Jack, who sustained the injury during the second half of the Nets’ game at Boston on Saturday, January 2, played and started in 32 games for Brooklyn this season, and posted averages of 12.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and a team-high 7.4 assists per game.

Kobe Bryant leads in NBA All-Star voting; Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza Get Nod for Baseball Hall of Fame; LRMR Dumps Johnny Manziel; and Beyonce set to take the stage at the 2016 NFL Super Bowl

In Episode 56 of What's The 411Sports, there is a discussion about the NFL Wild Card playoffs: Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans; Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals; Seattle Seahawks and the Minnesota Vikings; and Green Bay Packers and Washington.

The Brooklyn Nets fired its head coach Lionel Hollins and reassigned General Manager Billy King.

in baseball news, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza are elected into the 2016 class of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired head coach Lovie Smith by telephone.

Alabama beats Clemson in the College Football Championship game.

Reportedly, the UFC will announce that Holly Holm will defend her bantamweight championship against Miesha Tate on March 5, 2016, in Las Vegas.

Maverick Carter, CEO, LRMR announced that the company dropped its representation of Cleveland Browns quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner, Johnny Manziel.

In the Dog-House this week are three Ooltewah High School basketball players that raped a fellow teammate.

The Nets drop 8th straight at home with 91-74 loss to Raptors

It’s a bit unsettling, but it appears that the Brooklyn Nets are in free-fall motion, losing their eighth straight home game against the Toronto Raptors. 91-74.

The Nets haven’t won at home since they played the 76ers on December 10; which is quite troubling. Also, the team’s 74 points are the lowest points scored all season. Somebody ring the alarm bells.

Toronto came into this game, having lost two games, but are still first in the Atlantic Division and tied for fourth place in the Eastern Conference with Atlanta. The game started off decently enough for the Nets, considering they are playing without Jarrett Jack and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. They ended the first quarter with only a seven-point deficit (24-17) and 4 of 7 shooting from behind the arc in the first half.

In a game that was tied three times and with three lead changes, it became increasingly clear that the Nets just didn’t have the firepower to keep it close even in defeat. Three Nets players scored in double digits, Brook Lopez led all scorers with 24 points and 13 boards; Bojan Bogdanovic, who is rumored to be on the trading block, scored 12 points, and Thaddeus Young chipped in 11 points and seven rebounds. Newly-minted starting point guard Shane Larkin put up nine points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Four bench players scored a total of 13 points.

Joe Johnson’s level of production has been dismal this season. He seems to have been missing in action in far too many games. At least this game, he had a stated reason for only scoring five points and two rebounds – a bruised left quad. Johnson was scoreless until hitting a 3-pointer in the third quarter.

On the other hand, the Raptors, a team that the Nets have matched pretty evenly in the last several years, bounced back from its two losses rather convincingly. Jonas Valanciunas returning from a broken finger lifted Toronto with his 22 points, 11 rebounds. Kyle Lowry added 17 points from field goal range, along with eight rebounds and six assists, and DeMar DeRozan appended 15.

Brooklyn Nets head coach Lionel Hollins summed up the Nets loss this way, “Their quickness just dominated. We couldn’t move the ball from side to side; they took away a lot of our ball movement. We had spurts where we were able to do it, but we weren’t able to do it consistently. We missed a lot of easy shots and it got us in a hole and then we battled back and in the second half they just kept grinding us out.”

With Jack out for the season, Hollis-Jefferson out until March, and Johnson providing minimal production, it’s going to be an ugly season for Brooklyn.

The Nets play Orlando on Friday.

The Brooklyn Nets seem to be catching all the breaks in a bad way, starting point guard Jarrett Jack will be out for the rest of the season. Jack suffered an ACL tear and small medial meniscus tear in his right knee. The injury occurred during the second half of the Nets’ game at Boston on Saturday, January 2. He will undergo surgery on a date that has yet to be determined.

Jack has played and started in 32 games for Brooklyn this season, posting averages of 12.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and a team-high 7.4 assists per game.

On Saturday, December 5, 2015, Brooklyn Nets guard/forward Rondae Hollis-Jefferson broke his right ankle during practice.

Hollis-Jefferson is not expected back with the team until after the NBA All-Star break.

 

 

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