With Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau turning down the Hornets, setting his sights on the Bulls and disregarding New Jersey, the Nets have made former Mavericks coach Avery Johnson their top choice in their coaching search, report Fred Keber and Peter Vecsey in the New York Post. They say he was already "the front-runner" due to his experience with Dallas, but that Thibodeau's choices here have given Johnson "solid footing as the favorite" in New Jersey.
In four seasons with Dallas, Johnson compiled a stellar 194-70 (.735) record. Yet he faltered in the playoffs, with a 23-24 (.489) showing, which included the indignity of coaching the Mavs when they blew a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat in 2006, and when the eighth-seeded Warriors upset them in the first round in 2007.