Avery Johnson was fired Thursday as coach of the Brooklyn Nets after a 14-14 start to the season in a move that shocked many NBA fans.
ESPN.com reported that Johnson was dismissed following a 14-14 start. The Nets are 3-10 in December and have lost seven of their last 10 games.
The Nets issues go beyond their on-court issues though.
General manager Billy King announced the dismissal in a statement, according to the Associated Press.
"The Nets ownership would like to express thanks to Avery for his efforts and to wish him every success in the future," owner Mikhail Prokhorov said in a statement.
The team named P.J. Carlesimo, a former head coach with Portland, Golden State, and Seattle/Oklahoma City, as its interim head coach.
After a strong start to their first season in Brooklyn, the Nets have lost 10 of 13 games to fall well behind the first-place New York Knicks, the team they so badly want to compete with in their new home.
Avery Johnson became the coach of the New Jersey Nets in 2010 before moving to Brooklyn with the team for the 2012-2013 season. After over two seasons, his record of 60-116 as a head coach for the organization seemed underwhelming for the management staff that released him.
Fans of the Nets and NBA took to Twitter to react to the news that many considered shocking. Some people did not think the move by the Nets organization was a fair to the former head coach.
"Not a fan of the Brooklyn Nets but Avery Johnson didn't deserve to be fired," one person tweeted.
