Nets fall to 1-10 in ’16
JAZZ 108 NETS 86
THE NETS ALREADY made their coaching change earlier this month, even if it was not nearly as surprising as David Blatt’s ouster Friday in Cleveland.
Brooklyn already has dropped 10 games in January – including six of seven since interim coach Tony Brown took over for fired Lionel Hollins — with Friday’s 108-86 loss to Utah at boo-filled Barclays Center.
“This was by no means our best effort,” Brown said. “I’m going to keep coaching, but some soul-searching needs to be done. I’m going to keep fighting. I just hope they do, too.”
The Nets’ 1-10 record this month represents just one fewer loss than the Cavaliers totaled all season before Blatt — a candidate with both NBA success and ties to Russian basketball — became available on Friday for Mikhail Prokhorov to possibly consider as the next coach of the Nets.
Blatt, who led Team Russia to the bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics, was fired despite coaching LeBron James and the Cavs to an 83-40 overall record — including 30-11 this season — and a trip to the NBA Finals last season.
Former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau already has been pegged as a leading contender for the Nets’ opening, which came about when Prokhorov axed Hollins and reassigned GM Billy King on Jan. 10.
“I think it kind of speaks to the volatility of the profession,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said of Blatt’s firing before the game. “When you get into it, you get in with eyes open.
“I have a lot of respect for David. I’ve known him a long time since he was coaching overseas with Maccabi (Tel Aviv) and the Russian national team… I think continuity in a lot of professions may be undervalued.”
The Nets (11-33) opened the game with leads of 12-2 and 19-8, but Utah outscored them 37-17 in the third quarter and led by as many as 31 in the fourth.
Gordon Hayward scored 21 points with nine assists and Rodney Hood added 16 points as the Jazz (19-24) moved back within a half-game of Sacramento for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. Bojan Bogdanovic scored 14 points to lead Brooklyn, with Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez finishing with just eight points apiece.
“Same sorry story it’s been the last couple of games,” Thaddeus Young said. “Right now, something has to change and we just have to figure it out.”
NO FAVORS
Former Nets first-round pick Derrick Favors – dealt away in the Deron Williams trade in 2011 – has been sidelined since Dec. 23 with a back injury. The 6-10 forward is averaging a career-high 16.8 points with 8.6 rebounds… The Nets have hired David Nurse as shooting coach.