Nets Announce P.J. Carlesimo Is Out as Head Coach - East Idaho News
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Nets Announce P.J. Carlesimo Is Out as Head Coach

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Getty S 050613 P.J.%20Carlesimo?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1367815397966Jim McIsaac/Getty Images(EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J) —  The Brooklyn Nets have a head coaching vacancy just one day after being eliminated from the NBA playoffs.

The team announced Sunday that it will not bring back interim coach P.J. Carlesimo.  Carlesimo replaced Avery Johnson during the regular season and went 35-19, leading the Nets to the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The Nets lost to the Chicago Bulls in seven games during the first-round.

“It was a difficult decision, and we talked about it, but looking at the long-term and the future of this organization, I felt it was best to look elsewhere to try and find the right fit,” general manager Billy King said.

King made the decision to fire Carlesimo after speaking with team ownership and agreeing that it was best to move in a different direction.

The Nets will almost certainly reach out to Phil Jackson to gauge his level of interest in the job.  Other names on the list could include Jeff Van Gundy, Stan Van Gundy, and Larry Brown.

Whoever takes the job will inherit a talented, but expensive roster headlined by Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, and Brook Lopez.  It is a solid core that needs one or two more pieces in order to contend for an NBA championship.

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