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Mikhail Prokhorov's plan for New Jersey Nets begins with former Mavs coach Avery Johnson

Mitch Lawrence
Saturday, May 22nd 2010, 3:39 PM
Mikhail Prokhorov's five-year plan for the Nets to win a championship makes for good copy, but it has all the makings of fiction.

It was difficult to take the plan seriously before the lottery, and then the plan took a major blow when New Jersey was awarded the third pick.

But the Nets still want Avery Johnson to coach the team. And even after their latest setback, Johnson apparently is still interested in the post.

Here's what the Nets like about Johnson, the former Mavs coach who was in the running for the Knicks job two years ago before Donnie Walsh decided to go with Mike D'Antoni: He won a title as a player with the Spurs. He coached the Mavs to a 194-70 record in four seasons and guided the franchise to its first Finals berth, in 2006 against Miami. The Mavs' collapse against the Heat and their first-round loss as the No. 1 seed in 2007, to lightly regarded Golden State, has not altered New Jersey's view of Johnson.

"Besides being a very good coach, the Nets really like the fact that Johnson has a lively, effervescent personality and he's good with the media," said one league official with knowledge of the Nets' plans. "Whether you like him as a coach or not, they think he'll help promote the team. He's good on TV. He's got a lot of pizzazz. And that's very important to Prokhorov."

Before the lottery, Johnson sent word to the Nets that he would still be interested in their job if they did not get Wall. That was seen in some quarters as a surprise. But even after they lost out on Wall and probably Ohio State's Evan Turner, the projected No. 2 pick, they got word from Johnson that he wasn't scared off.

League sources say that Johnson likes the idea of working for team president Rod Thorn, a proven builder of championship contenders. He believes that Prokhorov will put his money where his mouth is and spend millions on free agents. He also likes the idea of coaching a team in Brooklyn down the road.

At the outset, the Nets hope to give Johnson a starting five of Devin Harris, whom he coached in Dallas; Courtney Lee; Rudy Gay, who is a restricted free agent with Memphis and sits atop the Nets' wish list for July; Derrick Favors, the Georgia Tech power forward who is seen as their top choice with the No. 3 pick; and Brook Lopez.

But Johnson also has been mentioned as a possibility in Chicago, for many of the same reasons the Nets like him. The Bulls want their next coach to be able to work with Derrick Rose, and Johnson, a former point guard, fills the bill. They also want a coach with playoff experience and Johnson has a 23-24 record in four postseasons.

The mystery involves Chicago and LeBron James. Would Johnson be LeBron's choice to coach the team? The Nets are hopeful of getting a deal with Johnson sooner than July 1.

If they don't land him, it would be another setback for Prokhorov. In that case, they might make a run at Boston assistant Tom Thibodeau. As of now, that's the plan, but the Nets have a few reservations about Doc Rivers' right-hand man. He's never been a head coach and his low-key personality will prevent him from being a media star.

Then again, maybe Thibodeau could sell Prokhorov on a new five-year plan.