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Brooklyn Nets: 5 Candidates To Replace Lionel Hollins As Head Coach

By Gerald Bourguet

Jan 9, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Brooklyn Nets head coach Lionel Hollins looks on from the sidelines during the third quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons won 103-89. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 9, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; Brooklyn Nets head coach Lionel Hollins looks on from the sidelines during the third quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons won 103-89. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /
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Brooklyn Nets
Apr 8, 2015; Dallas, TX, USA; ESPN broadcaster Mark Jackson watches warmups before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks defeated the Suns 107-104. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Mark Jackson

Mark Jackson‘s embattled exit from the Golden State Warriors is not the kind of inner-organizational turmoil the Brooklyn Nets need right now, but it should be noted that before all the drama, M-Jax had turned a budding, young team into a hard-working, defensive-minded unit that fully bought into what he was preaching.

His 121-109 record (.526) with such a young group serves as a testament to that fact, but even if you wanted to focus on how messy the end was in Oakland, do the Nets really have the right to be picky now?

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In Brooklyn, there’d be no Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson lying in wait. But Jackson is a Brooklyn native who also played for St. John’s in college. There’d be a certain homecoming element to a hire like this, and Jackson is the kind of big-name splash that Prokhorov continually tries to make — whether it’s the right move or not.

The Nets owner wants to see his team contending for titles next season, which speaks to both his delusion and his desire to be competitive. How could that deadly combination NOT call for Mark Jackson at some point?

M-Jax would have an extremely hard time turning this team into the contender Prokhorov is looking for, but his ability to get a roster to buy into what he’s preaching is perhaps just as valuable for a franchise with no set direction and no hope of improving in the near future.

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Until a new and upgraded roster can be assembled, Jackson is the exact kind of entertaining hire the Nets should make. The Warriors were a pretty depressing franchise too until Jackson came along and established a winning culture. He wouldn’t have the talent to do the same in Brooklyn just yet, but at the very least he’d be an enjoyable stopgap between now and the future.

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