In Coach Approach, Thorn Knows Money Talks...and He Has More of It

Marc Stein focuses his Weekend Dime on the approaches GM's are using to lure coaching prospects to their respective teams.  Of the Nets, Stein writes, "Rod Thorn, unlike his counterparts with openings in Philadelphia and New Orleans, has yet to schedule a single interview".  Thorn, he adds, can afford to be patient because Mikhail Prokhorov can afford whatever's needed to sign a top candidate.

Stein says Thorn may be waiting for Prokhorov to be approved as Nets owner, presumably next week.  It's more likely Thorn's patience is driven by other things: the possibility that he'll be able to dangle John Wall in front of candidates come May 18 or the increasing perception that Prokhorov wants to make "a big splash" in coaching and free agency.

All that means the Nets will be dealing with a different field of candidates, writes Stein.  "You'll note that New Jersey is the only team out there believed to have a shot at convincing ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy to leave the comforts of television," he adds.  It's enough to make people forget the Nets just lost 70 games.

• Free Agency Dime: Coach Edition - Marc Stein - ESPN
• NBA: The Coaching Carousel (Video) - Larry Biel, Adrian Wojnarowski & Marc J. Spears - Yahoo! Sports