Brooklyn Nets players support P.J. Carlesimo

In interviews with Billy King and Nets players, David Aldridge finds a franchise happy with the way P.J. Carlesimo is coaching with more than one of them endorsing his return next season.

Here's a sampling from the lengthy piece by Aldridge...

"P.J. has done a good job for us," Nets General Manager Billy King texted Aldridge Sunday night. "When the time is right we will sit down and evaluate everything."

"He's always trying to build us up," guard Joe Johnson said. "He's always telling guys to get their heads up. But he shouldn't have to say that...

"I would love to have him back," Johnson said. "I don't have a problem with P.J. I think P.J. does a great job in dealing with us as players."

"Guys aren't playing so uptight now," Gerald Wallace added. "And that makes the game a lot easier. When you go out and you're trying to play the game of basketball mistake-free, that's kind of hard to do.

"If you're so worried about not turning the ball over or messing up a coverage, it kind of limits your ability out on the court. P.J. kind of loosens it up."

"It ain't been nothing bad with P.J.," Reggie Evans said. "P.J., he's not your average coach. He ain't no pushover. He ain't just a newcomer in the game. As far as his credentials, he's got great credentials. We've got a lot of veterans that know his history."

Carlesimo believes that it will all work out.

"When you make a change in the middle of the year, it's very difficult to kind of catch your breath," Carlesimo said. "We still have a lot of work to do before the All-Star break...for us, it'll give us a chance to catch our breath. Unfortunately, we come right back to a back-to-back and we get going back at it. We've been trying to sneak things in and make little changes along the way."

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