Nets fire coach Lionel Hollins, reassign GM Billy King

Since purchasing the Nets in 2010, Mikhail Prokhorov has been described as an absentee owner who makes infrequent trips from Moscow, Russia, to see his team in Brooklyn.

The Nets have registered their third-worst performance this season with a 10-27 win record, just above Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers.

This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams.

Brooklyn Nets interim head coach Tony Brown talks to San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich before an NBA basketball game between the Nets and the Spurs, Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, in NY. The Russian billionaire had determined more than a month ago that King and Hollins weren’t among them. Let’s hope the close game against the Knicks will motivate the Spurs to handle business against the Nets.

Even as Prokhorov preached patience and acknowledged having learned some hard lessons in his six years with the Nets, you could already hear the wheels turning in his head. During King’s tenure, the Nets never made it as far as the Eastern Conference finals, much less the NBA Finals. He made significant trades that brought in notable players such as Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Deron Williams and Joe Johns.

Owner Prokhorov’s statement involve a lot of words like culture, new leadership and experience. The Nets reassigned their general manager and fired coach Lionel Hollins on Sunday in the midst of their worst season since moving from New Jersey. The veteran-heavy Nets roster seemed to be a logical landing spot for Hollins, and he guided last year’s team to a 38-44 regular season record and playoff berth, where the Nets pushed the Atlanta Hawks to six games before a first round exit. “I think it’s a great challenge for any general manager and coach”.

“We are playing in the best market in the world”, Prokhorov said. The inevitable of Hollins firing was going to happen eventually but with Brooklyn’s woeful play as of late Ownership couldn’t wait.

“He wanted us to go out there and have positive energy about us”, center Brook Lopez said. “I’m really optimistic. Now I’m 100 percent owner of the team and the arena and I’m very committed to be championship and I’m all in”.

Prokhorov took the blame for the Nets’ poor play and called for a “small reset”. He said he plans on personally interviewing every candidate and spending more time with and around the team in general in Brooklyn. “Just, we need a fresh look”.

According to Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski, it will cost the Nets $120 million if they can manage to lure him away from Kentucky. Currently, the Nets are cash-and-draft-pick-strapped.