Proky, please offer Coach K $10M, we need him badly.

That seems like a whole lot of money to me. Especially for a guy who isn’t NBA proven. Phil Jackson has all of his championships to justify his 8 figure salary, Coach K only has his college reputation. But hey, it’s his money to burn

I hope not. He has no NBA experience. I’d rather get a solid NBA coach to lead us out of this mess. He has a one of a kind gig at Duke. He needs to want the position, nit just the money.

Coach K also has his 2008 Olympic gold medal credentials and is close to those guys, particularly LeBron James. He will coach those guys again this summer at the FIBA World Championships in Istanbul.

He’s not coming. Bring back Coach Cal or hire The Czar.

Fire Frank !!!… no wait, we did that! Hire Coach K !!!… $ 10 mill pre year would be another stupid move…

Hope Thorn has a plan to build a nice team with second tier free agents, draft choices, Brook and a real point guard. Fingers crossed on a 25% chance at Wall.

We need a coach with NBA experience that can talk to this generation’s kids. Cal or Patino would do nicely.

If we have the money, why not?
That 10 million will go a long why, because not only will it pay one of the best coaches ever, but it will lure big name free agents by having coach K here.

Spend the money on players

That 10 mil comes out of Prokhorov’s pocket and has nothing to do with spending on players. If he doesn’t mind shelling it out then why not.

I recently heard Coach K on the Michael K show and he thinks the Nets job is a great job (just not for him due to his age and how much he loves it at Duke) Michael K threw the number of 20 million a year at him and Coach K admitted thats a lot of money but its not always about the money.

There are NO restrictions whatsoever on coaches…on how much they are paid, over what period of time, how many assistants can be hired or what types of assistants. You can hire five strength coaches, one for each part of the body and pay them a million dollars.

One of the big upgrades I expect is in the intangibles: the locker room amenities, the team plane, assistant coaches, state of the art training facilities and equipment, etc. Not to mention pay raises for those who are worth it.

If Coach K got the head coaching job, expect his top assistant to be well know for his NBA expertise.

I don’t see why we would want Coach K, I feel like a team this young needs a veteran head coach with NBA experience. Not one someone who will in some ways be learning on the job himself. How often does the NCAA to NBA transition even work for coaches?

@ Gina, Coach K is the exception to this rule, why do you think the Lakers wanted him rather than Phil Jackson, one of the greatest NBA coaches of all time?

Coach K probably won’t take it. I think he has too much pride at his Duke job and isn’t a guy about the money, no matter what type of numbers you throw at him. I respect that.

only if he can bring in top free agents then its all worth it

That’s too much money for any coach. Bring back JVG or Avery Johnson. Spend the money on the players.

Coaches don’t impact the game like people think. If the Cavs win this year is it because Mike Brown is a great coach? Did Doc Rivers become great overnight and now that his talent is getting old is he a worse coach? Why will Phil Jackson only coach the best players? Chuck Daly was good with the Nets but he was great with Detroit because of talent.. When the Spurs went from 17 wins in 97 to 56 wins the next season, was it because Popovich was a genius or because they drafted Tim Duncan? There are a lot more examples of talent turning around a franchise and few examples of coaches.

Good coaches can get a more out of talent than bad coaches, but talent is the difference in the NBA.

LeBron’s worth a max contract + $10M (or more) for whatever else it will take to get him here. I’d give his mom Sussman’s job (whichever of Sussman’s job she wants – probably the PA announcer gig) for $5M a year if it meant LeBron would be a Net for the next five years.

If Coach K can’t be pulled away from Duke, then the Nets should look into Parick Ewing, he said he wanted to coach the Nets after Frank got fired. He has the NBA expierience and is gaining knowledge by assisting the Magic right now

of Coach K doesn’t want to leave Duke, Prokhorov shouldn’t offer him 10 million. Either he wants it, or doesn’t want it. He loves his job, and if he leaves it for a job that he doesn’t want but pays him more, why would I want that as a fan? I prefer an NBA coach.

First they need players. Red Auerbach couldn’t win with this team.

i wonder if coach k would still noot want the nets even with 10 mil. id rather pay JVG or some former NBA coach signifacnt money so that we cant go wrong

Ratner was hemorrhaging money and couldn’t spend a dime. Now, the team has one of the wealthiest men in the world as its owner and people are griping about the idea of spending 10M a year on Coach K? The last thing fans should be worried about is how much Prokhorov spends to lure a big time coach.

This is also a business not just a game — right now, the Nets brand is in the toilet. While it’s highly doubtful he’d accept an offer, a Coach K hire would be a huge step towards establishing the legitimacy the organization is in desperate need of. At this point, nothing should be off the table.

please, no to Coach K.

he is a great college coach and he did win Gold in 2008 and 2007 (but Bronze in 2006). what were the differences in those years?

More superstar players.

Moreover, if one looks at college coaches who turn pro, there is not a good trend there…

The record of coaches who jump from college to the pros is not good.

If things go the way I would like to see them go, 1) Get #1 or #2 pick, 2) trade Harris for another lottery pick to get Monroe, and 3)if Lebron and Wade says NO to the NETS and the NETS dont sign any 2nd or 3rd TIER FAs, Coach K would be perfect for this team.

Yes, he has no NBA coaching experience, but he has experience getting the most out of young players. Usually There arent any great NBA player that comes out of Duke, but for years DUKE has been beyond competitive with less talented players.

He would be PERFECT for a young team like the NETS.

I dont see how coach k’s game will translate well to the NBA. Ya he won a gold in 08 but I could have won the gold in 08 w that team.

If larry brown gets 10 mil you bet coach k will want it.
Coach k might want GM duties too

I’m wary about bringing in a college coach. Managing team USA, where guys brought into the program before even stepping foot onto a basketball court, and managing an NBA team are two different beasts.

I’d prefer the money be spent upgrading the roster.

Jon is right and let’s remember…his coaching staff on the Olympic team wasn’t made up of Joe Schmoes. He had 2 bonafide NBA coaches in Mike D’Antoni and Nate Mcmillan as assts along with NCAA championship coach Jim Boeheim.

NO to K. I don’t want him, nor does Proky because he wouldn’t be able to fire him if it didn’t work out.

NBA superstars aren’t going to be influenced by who their coach is, no matter how many compliments they say about coach K. K’s extended family is in N. Carolina; he has plenty of money; he is motivated to win more Gold with the Dream Team.
He has no reason to do anything else. End of Story

Proky should hire someone who could be fired if it doesn’t work out during the first year. THAT is the value of having money – to fire the guy and not worry about how much $ you lost.

The first priority is 1. Obtain Condemnation of Ground Zero which would 1b. immediately result in Proky allowing NBA to approve him and 1c. complete conditions for Proky to sign final paperwork and assume Ownership of Nets.

2. Hire a coach (The SOONER THE BETTER). No decent coach would agree to come before Proky is the clear Owner of the Nets.
A more mild Avery Johnson (respected former player, point guard, demands defense, a winning player and coach, gets in peoples face when they deserve it, and would challenge Harris to prove his worth) who is available today, and waiting for the phone to ring,
would be best.

However ONE Lower Court Judge is standing in the way for everything to happen, and there is no telling how much longer this will be delayed.

If this 10 million dollar figure is true, I think they would be paying Coach K about 2 million to coach, and about 8 million to improve the Nets brand and attract free agents. If you have a net worth of almost 18 billion, 10 million per is not so much and possibly money well spent. I don’t understand why people are so worried about the money. The guy spending it certainly has a lot of it. Just be thankful he is going to be spending it on improving our team.

Who knows if he can coach at this level, but he certainly would attract free agents.

People shouldn’t be buying in to this media crap. Dave D. said it the other day that there is are a lot of stories going around that aren’t true – but rather people with certain agendas.

Coach K denied any contact and he doesn’t want the job for good reason. Lets focus on the Real World.

How about how potentially screwed up the Knicks may be next year when they find out that LeBron, DWade and Bosh (maybe Miami) aren’t going anywhere (LOL)!!
The Knicks salary cap figure excludes all the good players with expiring contracts. If McGrady continues to play this good, the Knicks will be forced to offer Tracy at least 10 million.

If Nets can steal the Knicks best player DLee (30,10,5,3BL) in loss), the Knicks would be forced to use all their cap on McGrady and maybe Amare and maybe 1 or 2 of the decent players they now have. Then what happens if McGrady has a back re-injury next year? No way for Knicks to get better without draft picks.

Nets expirings however are not key players. By doing nothing, Nets can keep Dooling and get their 2nd top FA in 2011.

@kevin
Nets will only be going after 1 suitable top FA who is available – David Lee. (LeBron, Wade are staying – stop believing the media hype which is ignoring the obvious. Bosh likes Toronto and would only consider Miami because he is Okay with being the #2 guy behind DWade.)

Lee wouldn’t care a rats’ if K is the coach. His decision will be determined by other factors, such as whether the Knicks make a determined effort to go after him FIRST and with at least 13-14 million. Otherwise he will have a legitimate excuse to abandon his Knicks fans and go across the Hudson.

However, if Nets get #3/#4 pick and have no choice but to take the best big man – Cousins, then everything changes.

we need a guy like him to turn this team around! but im not sure how he will do

The author of this article is mostly right about the summer being fool’s gold. However he mistakenly left off Boozer in his list of 2nd tier people (but mentioned him later on)

The Coach K stuff is just repeating old hyped-up stuff that was started by our own Al I. (based on an NBA source who knows how the Nets think) and not on any facts coming from Proky’s people. It is OVER.

Time to have a topic about DeMarcus Cousins and whether BLopez could co-exist with Cousins.

Maybe the beat writers could get some feedback from Lopez?
Cousins may be the next Dwight Howard, with an attitude like KMart!

10 mill sounds nice. i would accept :P

Not my money… If that’s what it takes, why not go for it?

Porkhorov spending $10 million on Coach K is the equivalent of Ratner spending $56,000 on some new gym equipment. That’s how much more Prokhorov is worth than Ratner.

Who cares how much he pays a coach?

Kiki for a bag of rocks?

Hollah!

PLAY MONEY!!

@Jerry
If the Knicks strike it rich in free agency (getting two max free agents) and we get one of the top two picks in the draft (to select Wall or Turner) I would then believe that the chances of us coming away with David Lee in free agency are quite high. He would fill an area of need for us – a legitimate power forward who excels in rebounding which is probably Brook’s weakest area. I would propose trying to get Lee for 10-12 million a year, and trying to maintain enough salary cap space to make a run at Carmelo is 2011.

Harris
C.Lee
Tuner
D.Lee
Lopez
 
or

Wall
Harris
TWill
D.Lee
Lopez

Then make a run at Carmelo in 2011 if we cannot get any of the elite free agents this season.

The Nets have made it so it is almost impossible for next season not to be a huge improvement. Once we have a legitimate owner willing to spend, a legitimate coach who knows what he is doing, and a top 4 draft pick to add to the talent level of the team, things will be much much better. If we do well in free agency, its all the better.

@ Chris2

There is no way I’m spending that much for Lee. Is he better than Yi? Sure, but thats not saying much. If we want a good team, a team where everybody plays defense, even ok defense, Lee should not be on the team. Lee’s defense is comparable to Yi’s, and I certainly don’t want to spend big bucks to a player who plays no defense.

“Is he better than Yi?”

The gap between DLee and Yi is about as great as the gap between Brook and Boone.

Enormous.

@ TWiliAM

“Is he better than Yi? Sure, but thats not saying much.”

Read the whole statement next time.

i would signlee. lee and lopez is a better frontcourt tehn gasol and bynum. its an outstanding outcourt for years to come. lee has meat on his bones, and plays fair defense, so unlike yi he can improve bcuz his body can actually play in the nba.

imagine this, even just getting lee and turner/wall is a great improvement. success is a slow journey, its not immediate(unless of course we get lebron)

Lopez
Lee
TBD
Harris
Wall/Turner

and that could get better with draft picks, trades and other signings.

Pure speculation…Another writer who is desperate to get some readers to save his job, so he just writes some “out of this world” stuff to get some.

“Read the whole statement next time.”

I did.

DLee plays center for the Knicks. He’s overmatched on most nights. So? He’s undersized for the position. Playing the four next to Brook will only help him in this regard. He’s certainly not as abysmal defensively as many make him out to be.

Yi doesn’t do much of anything. He could be the worst defending four in the NBA.

Lee can be a better defender than he is right now. His coach does not care about defense, and that is why he does not give max effort on D. The other thing is that Lee rebounds. That means he boxes out. Boxing out to get a rebound is something Kiki’s boy, YI, is allergic to.

@ Twilliam

If you’re going to say Lee can’t defend because of the system he plays in, can’t his offensive game be the result of the system he plays in? Again, I don’t mind having Lee for maybe 5-6 million, which won’t happen. But to invest 10-12 million in a player who has only played as a superstar when D’Antoni coached him and has yet to show that he can be a quality defender is ridiculous. If Lee comes to the Nets, don’t expect over 14 ppg and maybe 8-9 rpg. Again, he is a good player, but not a great one.

@Lee Disbelievers:

It is laughable how the people who aren’t willing to pay above the market price for DLee, can’t name someone who is better, who the Nets could get. There will be at least 5 teams bidding for DLee in the 10-12 million and higher range.

LeBron is taking his $17 million and will be off the market. He doesn’t care about his contract, but rather his long term future, which will be on hold.
The only two legit. Max FA may be DWade and Bosh and they aren’t both coming to the Knicks. However, if Donnie Walsh isn’t convinced yet, then Nets should jump in and pay “what ever it takes” to get DLee (provided a Big Man isn’t the Nets draft pick)

Will someone please tell me who is better than DLee for Nets PF (Bosh ain’t coming and is more expensive anyway)??

If Nets were to win 50 games with Turner and DLee, then LeBron would “come a callin” in 2011, and he would accept whatever Nets had to offer (he would be “King of Brooklyn”).

I’m not sure who is better than DLee (what impressees me more than his scoring, which could be a product of the system, is his 11.4 rpg) that we could realistically get, but if not him, how do people here feel about Boozer?

Frankly, I say we should forget about LeBron or Wade…they ain’t coming. My idea scenario would be to get either Wall or Turner in the draft (honestly I would be thrilled with either), keep Harris, sign either DLee or Boozer, and then position ourselves to make a run at Carmelo in 2011.

Lee’s win shares were 7.4 in 07-08, the year before D’Antoni came. After D’Antoni came, his win shares jumped to 9.0 Amare’s win shares were 14.6, the last year he was coached by D’Antoni. It is going to be difficult to convince a player to play defense when he hasn’t played any real defense in the 2 years prior. Is Lee a good rebounder and scorer? Yes. But we have scorers in Brook, Harris, and in our future draft pick (Wall, Turner, etc.) But what we really need from the 4 position is defense, something that is lacking from most other positions on this team. Harris, Brook, and whoever is playing the 3 does not provide that much defense. We need someone tough and willing to defend at PF.

Ugh, I don’t know if I can handle this. I went to Maryland and I’ve been hating Coach K for the last 10 years of my life. I’m gonna have a hard time turning those years of hatred around to root for him if this goes down.

coach k aint coming…..

to be honest… dont know if anyone is coming to the Nets … but i’d rather have it that way….cuz if Thorn blew up our old playoff team for another 2nd level playoff team.. he’s in BIG trouble

Please get Rick Pitino.

He wants to be here, he knows he has something to prove and it won’t cost 10 millions dollars a year either. Sign him for 5 years/30 million and hopefully watch this man join Larry Brown as coaches with an NCAA and NBA Title on their resume.