Same old Nets lose by 27 to Spurs

Coaching his first game in the position after the firing of former Nets head coach Lionel Hollins, Nets interim head coach Tony Brown gestures in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs, Monday, Jan. 11, 2016, in NY.

Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov wants to develop a better strategy for building a Nets identity and a winning culture in Brooklyn.

On Monday, Mikhail Prokhorov, Nets chairman Dmitry Razumov and board member Sergey Kushchenko will fly in to watch the Nets play the Spurs, the model.

King was Prokhorov’s first significant hire, and he aggressively attempted to fashion the Nets into a team capable of winning immediately and meeting Prokhorov’s championship edict. Things in Brooklyn have not been going well.

The Nets’ owner did not back off his big dreams.

The San Antonio Spurs have, for nearly two decades now, adhered to coach Gregg Popovich’s credo developed from Danish social reformer Jacob Riis, which posits that one should always, no matter the result, continue “pounding the rock”.

Only a day before Brown was shaking up the lineup, he had no idea he’d be taking over as coach.

The NBA’s top team, the Golden State Warriors, also rolled to another victory, beating the Miami Heat 111-103. They look at what’s next for the Nets and how we got into this situation.

“It was always interesting”, Lopez said of his relationship with Hollins. “The Spurs are just a tough team to beat”, said Thaddeus Young.

One thing about the Nets is certain: Whoever replaces King has their work cut out for them. So it’s time to start breaking up the team.

He wanted a title within five years of buying the team in 2010, and King was aggressive in trying to build a contender quickly.

Worse still is the general direction of the team, which has paid record luxury tax bills, preferring splashy trades and signings to developing young players. Obviously, we want to play at a pace that’s exciting and that the fans can get behind. “He’s really an intelligent player”.

The Suns have long-term commitments to Brandon Knight, Eric Bledsoe, Tyson Chandler and Morris. The Wizards and Bulls split four games last season.

The Suns do have several attractive rookie scale contracts including guard Archie Goodwin, center Alex Len and forward T.J. Warren who could all be included in a deal to make something less attractive more palatable.

On the report that King will be a part of the search for a GM: “He can send me any of his ideas as a friend, but for the time being, it’s not his job”.