Basketball

After being mentioned as a finalist for the vacancy in Atlanta it appears as though ESPN analyst Avery Johnson has reached a verbal agreement to become the next head coach for the New Jersey Nets.

I like this move for both sides.  I always thought that Avery got a raw deal in Dallas.  he was seemingly made the scape goat for a Mavericks team that peaked when it made it to the Finals in 2005.  Johnson took that core roster as far is was meant to go and the Mavs have yet to sniff the Finals again since he was fired.

He has a .735 career winning percentage and he has coached in the playoffs every year he has been a head coach.  Johnson is known to be a fiery, take charge kind of coach which should be what the Nets need right now.  after an abysmal season they need a coach who is going to come in and energize the team and purge the franchise of an aura of losing.

ESPN had reported earlier that current Nets point man Devin Harris, who played for Johnson in Dallas, had been pushing for the team to consider Johnson as the guy even though they had some rocky patches during their time together in Dallas.

Landing a coach like Johnson could also be key for the Nets as we get closer to July 1 when teams can officially start talking to free agents.  Having the right head coach in place could be vital when it comes time to start wooing free agents and Avery brings a winning energy to the Nets and makes them a more attractive team to play for.

The Nets were said to also be interested in Jeff Van Gundy who reportedly told Rod Thorn that he intended on staying on TV for at least one more year before entertaining potential coaching jobs again.  I think Johnson is a better fit for the Nets anyway, I have never understood the appeal of Van Gundy in the first place.  he is a solid coach but I am not sure he is a guy who is ever going to get a team over the hump.

It is also interesting to note that an offer never came down to Coach K despite the new owner insisting that was who he wanted to go after and was willing to pay $12 to $15 million to get him.  One wonders whether team president Rod Thorn talked him out of even pursuing that avenue given Coach K’s insistence that he had little to no interest in coaching the NBA at this stage of his career.

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