Johnson Interested in the Nets? Sounds That Way

Rod Thorn has had a list of coaching candidates for a while, but now that Mikhail Prokhorov is officially his boss, he can finally take action. So when FanHouse reported Thursday morning that Thorn had reached out to Avery Johnson's agent on Wednesday--apparently with the blessing of Johnson's former point guard, Devin Harris--it was no surprise.  

Not so fast.  By Thursday afternoon, Al Iannazzone was reporting that we might be talking overreach rather than reach. "Our understanding was a conversation was had at some point and it wasn’t initiated by the Nets," wrote Iannazzone, clearly suggesting it was Johnson or his agent who made the call.  In fact, writes Iannazzone and Fred Kerber, don't expect any real conversations until after next Tuesday's Draft Lottery.

Then, on the ESPN post-game show following the Celtics' elimination of  the Cavaliers, Johnson extolled the Nets'  chances of nabbing LeBron James. He noted the presence of Harris ("who I coached") and Brook Lopez, a lottery pick and plenty of cap space. His fellow analyst, Jamal Mashburn, added that the Nets need a coach and  Johnson would be a great choice.  "No, No, No," laughed Johnson.

• Nets Reach Out to Avery Johnson - Sam Amick - FanHouse
• Coach Speak - Al Iannazzone - In the 'Zzone
• Thorn Nets lots of calls - Fred Kerber - New York Post
• Questions abound as NBA reshuffles - Peter Vecsey - New York Post
• Can the Nets make a splashy coach hire? - Kurt Helin - NBC Sports