Brooklyn Nets Rumors 2016: Lionel Hollins Exits, Billy King Reassigned
When Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov took over ownership, the Brooklyn Nets were expected to become a title contender with his vision, money, and commitment to the game for which he admits to love the most. But just like the previous couple of seasons, the hope of building a winning tradition within the franchise has gone in a different direction.
This season, the Nets see themselves at 10-27 — a record that puts them in a group of the worst teams in the league. And when something isn't working the way it is supposed to, blame the person running the team — the head coach.
The team announced that coach Lionel Hollins has been relieved of his duties only after less than two years at the helm, while trusted general manager Billy King has been reassigned after playing the role for six long years.
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Prokhorov himself justified the firing of his two top officials. "It's clear from our current state of affairs that we need new leadership… we are going to create a winning culture and identity," he said.
It has been long rumored that Prokhorov and his close confidants weren't really on board when King hired Hollins to coach the team. Last season was simply used to give Hollins the chance to prove himself. But the Nets' awful start to this season, in spite of the fact that star center Brook Lopez came back healthy, gave ownership the reason to boot the coach out.
In the meantime, top assistant Tony Brown will be filling in for Hollins in an interim basis. While the announcement said that King has been reassigned, there is no official word as to what position nor is there any announcement as to who will replace him.
King was hired by the team back in 2010 after finishing three years in the same position for the Philadelphia 76ers. His tenure in Brooklyn is highlighted by trading for All-Star point guard Deron Williams and acquiring aging players in Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett for huge paydays. As a result, the team had to sacrifice their future draft picks, which could have been very useful today.
