Nets fire coach Lionel Hollins, reassign GM Billy King
The Brooklyn Nets are shaking things up in a big way after a 10-27 start to the season, announcing Sunday they fired head coach Lionel Hollins and reassigned general manager Billy King.
"After careful consideration, I've concluded that it's time for a fresh start and a new vision for the direction of the team," Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov said in a statement. "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."
That current state of affairs involves the Nets owning the league's third-worst record but none of their own first-round draft picks until 2019.
Assistant coach Tony Brown will serve as interim head coach, while the GM position will remain vacant until Prokhorov - who took over complete ownership of the franchise last month - finds a successor for King.
In the meantime, there appears to be some confusion over who'll run the Nets' day-to-day basketball operations.
Who is running the Nets for now? Unclear within organization. Almost all learned of firings via news release.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojVerticalNBA) January 10, 2016
After talking to multiple people within Nets, it's unclear who would be answering the phones if a team called. One way to not make a move.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) January 10, 2016
The Prokhorov-King partnership, formed when King was hired in the summer of 2010, oversaw three successive playoff seasons from the Nets after the team moved to Brooklyn in 2012. They overloaded the roster with cumbersome contracts, ran a historic deficit, and mortgaged the team's future for a short-term payoff that ultimately amounted to a single playoff series win.
The most damning and crippling move the regime made was the trade for aging Boston Celtics stars Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in 2013, which saw the Nets cede first-rounders to Boston outright in 2014, 2016, and 2018, as well as swap rights in 2017.
Hollins, who took over as head coach in the wake of Jason Kidd's failed coup and acrimonious exit in the summer of 2014, coached the Nets to a 48-71 record in a season-and-a-half.
"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," Prokhorov said. "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."
Prokhorov is expected to address the changes, and the franchise's future, at a press conference on Monday.