Avery Johnson Firing Analysis

Rant 1: Deron Williams    

    I like Deron Williams as a player. As a matter of fact, I like his game a lot. He's a very good scorer, he can shoot from anywhere and he is a terrific passer. But chalk up his name on the NBA bitch list of guys who can't assume any responsibility when things don't go right with Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James among others. First, Williams ends the revered Jerry Sloan's illustrious career by driving him so far over the edge that he resigns midseason. Now, Avery Johnson is gone as the Nets head coach. But don't blame Deron Williams. It's not his fault that his scoring has gone from 21 points per game to a little over 16 points a game this year. It's also not his fault that his assist/turnover rate has gone up in the last month. And of course, it's everyone else's fault that the Nets are 3-11 in the month of December. Williams is the common denominator in both Sloan and Johnson's firings. Deron Williams has quickly become one of my least favorite players in the NBA. Williams needs to assume some fucking responsibility, stop blaming everyone else and play basketball. 

Rant 2: The Nets Are Panicking...Big Time

     Avery Johnson has coached in the NBA Finals. P.J. Carlesimo hasn't even sniffed the second round as a head coach. When Carlesimo coached Oklahoma City in 2008, they were 1-12 before they fired him. Scott Brooks took over and the Thunder have been one of the NBA's premier franchises. So is Carleismo really an upgrade over Avery Johnson? Did the Nets really need to get rid of Johnson? No and absolutely not. Carleismo has nowhere near the head coaching resume as Johnson and it is way to early in the season to press the panic button. The Nets are in a rough stretch right now, big deal. But with the amount of talent and depth on their roster, the front office should have more faith in their players and their head coach that things would turn around soon enough. If you look at the teams that win in the NBA, one common attribute with those teams is that they have had stable coaches for some time and the ones that haven't been coaching with their respective teams for that long like Tom Thibedeau in Chicago are locked in for at least the next three years or so. If the Nets want to be a successful franchise, they need stability. But forget about that because the Nets just pressed the panic button. Good luck to them even making the playoffs.