P.J.

Carlesimo

Don’t hold back, P.J. “We thought we could this year if things broke a little better for us. But if you have that on your plate, that you need to win a championship in two years, I think it makes it a little challenging.” Carlesimo was a victim of unrealistic expectations and the Nets are highly unlikely to win a championship any time with the current core in place.

The Nets more or less met their expectations this past season, finishing with the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference. King being able to sign Deron Williams certainly helped his cause and Brook Lopez may have also lived up to his max deal this season with 19.4 points and 2.1 blocks on 52.1 percent shooting. On the other hand, King does have one of the worst deals on his track record, acquiring Gerald Wallace for what turned out to be Damian Lillard with the sixth pick on the 2012 draft.

“By doing it now, there’s a lot of jobs open, so it gives P.J. a chance and it gives us a chance, with a lot of candidates out there, to explore,” said GM Billy King. He added that the Nets will take “the next couple of weeks” to survey their options, and it stands to reason that billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov will target high-profile coaches, possibly including Jeff Van Gundy and Phil Jackson.

“I think he did a great job,” D-Will said. “I’d love to see him back, but as you know, that’s not up to me.” Joe Johnson also said “P.J.'s been great,” while Brook Lopez said he was “pretty happy” with the team’s mid-season coaching change, but Carlesimo remains squarely on the hot seat.

Mike D’Antoni accepted a head-coaching position with the Rockets, so Carlesimo will take over as the top assistant on Brett Brown’s coaching staff.

Stein cites “family reasons” for Carlesimo’s decision, and he will remain at ESPN for the foreseeable future. Previously, the 76ers had a desire for the veteran coach to join Brett Brown’s staff in the same role Mike D’Antoni—Houston’s expected new head coach—had filled.