The Nets did not have a .500 record in mind when they began this season. It has now cost head coach Avery Johnson his job.
The Nets announced Thursday afternoon the coach had been relieved of his duties. Assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo, a head coach previously with Portland, Golden State and Seattle, will be the interim head coach.
Brooklyn began the season 11-4 and won Eastern Conference Coach of the Month in November. But the team has been a mess ever since. They are just 3-10 in December, to drop their record to 14-14. They are currently the No. 8 seed in the East.
“The Nets ownership would like to express thanks to Avery for his efforts and to wish him every success in the future,” owner Mikhail Prokhorov said in a statement.
Star point guard Deron Williams had complained publicly about Johnson’s coaching style last week, telling the New York Times he was a “system player” and was not a good fit for Johnson’s system.
“That system was a great system for my style of play,” Williams told the New York Times of the offense run by Utah head coach Jerry Sloan. “I’m a system player. I love coach Sloan’s system. I loved the offense there.
“Is [the Nets’ offense] as good as there? No,” he said. “There’s just more one-on-one and isos.”
Johnson’s record in two-plus seasons with the Nets was 60-116.
Follow Metro New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter
