This summer Avery Johnson, a New Orleans native, signed a three-year contract to become head coach of the New Jersey Nets. He was appointed by owner Mikhail Prokhorov, who is passionate about the game and optimistic for this season.
Last season, the Nets finished with the league's worst record (12-70). With plans on turning the season around, the Nets wanted to acquire some big names on their roster (LeBron James and Chris Bosh, who both signed with Miami) and possibly Carmelo Anthony next season.
A former Dallas Mavericks head coach and ESPN analyst, Johnson had more options before choosing New Jersey. He was pursued by the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, and New Orleans Hornets.
He was one of the eight candidates Hornets President Hugh Weber, Chouest, and former general manager Jeff Bower interviewed for the head coaching position in May.
Johnson wanted to work for Hornets because he thought minority owner Gary Chouest was going to finalize his deal to get former owner George Shinn's 75 percent stake of the team, though at the time training camp was set to open in two weeks and the ownership transfer was not finalized.
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Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Chris Grinstead
New Jersey Nets Head Coach Avery Johnson Looking Forward To Coaching Team
September 12th, 2010 by Chris Grinstead Leave a reply »
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