Brooklyn Nets: Did Billy King Make Right Move By Firing P.J. Carlesimo?

P.J. Carlesimo led the Brooklyn Nets to a playoff berth, but was fired following a first-round exit against the Chicago Bulls. (Photo Credit: Mark Runyan, Basketball Schedule)

After turning the Brooklyn Nets’ season around and clinching the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, P.J. Carlesimo is out as the head coach of the Nets, according to ESPN New York.

Speaking about the firing of Carlesimo, Brooklyn GM Billy King told ESPN New York’s Mike Mazzeo,

"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.  I thanked him, he did a helluva job for us in a difficult situation, but by doing it now, there’s a lot of jobs open — hopefully it gives P.J. a chance and gives us a chance with a lot of candidates out there to explore and that’s what we’ll do in the next couple weeks."

After axing Avery Johnson on Dec. 27, the Nets promoted Carlesimo to the helm, where he led the Nets to a 35-19 record and their first playoff appearance since the 2006-07 season.

Surely those seem like grounds to be fired, right?

Forgive me, but the firing of Carlesimo just doesn’t make sense to me. Brooklyn was struggling under Johnson, but once Carlesimo took over, the Nets won 12 of their next 14 games and began to establish themselves as a top seed in the Eastern Conference.

If the firing is solely based off of the fact that Brooklyn couldn’t get past an injury-riddled Chicago Bulls team in the first round of the playoffs, that would also be a mistake.

The last time I checked, Carlesimo had nothing to do with Joe Johnson’s 25 percent 3-point field goal percentage or C.J. Watson’s inability to knock down his open 3s.

Joe Johnson struggled in the playoffs, shooting .256 from downtown. (Photo Credit: Mark Runyan, Basketball Schedule)

As I examined the series, I can’t find any flaws with Carlesimo’s coaching moves against the Bulls. I thought he utilized his bench to the best of his ability, putting Andray Blatche, Kris Humphries and C.J. Watson in at the correct times to give his starters a rest.

Even star point guard Deron Williams, who has wrongfully become synonymous with having coaches fired, praised Carlesimo for how he turned around Brooklyn’s season, telling ESPN’s Mike Mazzeo,

"I think he did a great job. With everything that went on this season, we had a lot of turmoil and he kind of inherited us. And I think he did a great job of leading us and getting us that fourth seed. I’d love to see him back, but as you know, that’s not up to me."

As a Nets fan, you honestly can’t tell me you weren’t pleased with what Carlesimo was able to accomplish with an ailing Williams and Johnson throughout the season and an extremely inconsistent Gerald Wallace.

So what exactly is Brooklyn’s motive? By the sound of it, the Nets are looking to bring in a big name coach, as ESPN’s Marc Stein points out.

Call me crazy, but I don’t want to see either Phil Jackson or Jeff Van Gundy coaching the Nets.

Why, you ask?

Because there’s already enough pressure on a newly located franchise to perform, especially with high-priced stars like Williams, Johnson and Wallace, and bringing in a star coach like Jackson or Van Gundy would only elevate the expectations—expectations I don’t think the Nets can exceed.

Ultimately, I believe Brooklyn would have been better served keeping Carlesimo at the helm and letting him continue building the Nets into a legitimate contender in the East.

But what do I know, right?

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