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When Tony Brown was promoted from assistant coach to interim head coach, he was taking over a 10-27 Brooklyn Nets team that had already lost two of its starters in Jarrett Jack and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.
Like Hollins, he was dealt a tough hand. Maybe an even tougher one. Mikhail Prokhorov wanted him to play an up-tempo style of play, as he told Brian Lewis in early February.
"I've had conversations with people in the organization," Brown said. "The thought is to try and have a little bit more of an entertaining style of basketball. In order to do that you might have to speed the game up a little bit, especially for our team."
The Nets are 11-33 since Brown took over and have lost nine straight games. The losses became uglier when the Nets sidelined Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young for the rest of the season so Sean Marks and co. can evaluate talent for next season.
This has taken things from tough to tougher to toughest.
And let's not forget: Brown told reporters that he is essentially coaching for his future just like the players are playing for their futures ... wherever it may be. His chances at winning the Nets' head coach position seemed nonexistent since day one, and under the circumstances, he was thrown into a lose-lose situation.
"I feel like the situation has been tough from the beginning,'' Brown said before the Nets 120-111 loss to the Wizards. "I've tried to make the best of it, and I'm going to continue to do that the last two games and whatever happens, happens. I'm not worried about my fate with this organization. I'm just trying to give these guys a great opportunity to showcase their skills, and I'm going to continue to do that.''
Brown has done a solid job at turning the Nets into a much better 3-point shooting team since taking over, but they continue to struggle mightily on the defensive end - allowing 111.6 points in 21 games since the beginning of March.
One key to Brown's job from the start was to develop the younger guys. Under him, guys like Brook Lopez, Markel Brown - abandoned to Lionel Hollins' doghouse - have thrived since Brown took over. Moreover, Thomas Robinson and Sean Kilpatrick have made the most of the opportunities in the offensive-friendly system.
He may not be the guy for the Brooklyn Nets, but hopefully, in the words of Rick Carlise, ‘an underrated basketball man' like Tony Brown will stick around the league past this season.