The New Jersey Nets coaches played an important role in the teams’ success even if the team did not win in any NBA Finals.
Being a good coach is not entirely based on the number of championships that he brought to the team, but the values and skills that the team members learned during his coaching period. By the end of this article, you will be able to know who the best New Jersey Nets coaches are.
The Chuck Daly Era
Charles Jerome “Chuck” Daly became the head coach of the New Jersey Nets in 1992 when the Detroit Pistons, who won two consecutive NBA championships with him, let go of him. The team improved significantly. That same season, the team was lead by the emerging trio: Coleman, Petrovic, and Anderson.
Though Petrovic and Anderson was both injured, the team still survived and even ended up as the sixth seed. They played against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but because Petrovic and Anderson could not play, the team lost a tough five-game series.
During the off season, Petrovic died due to a car accident in Germany. So, the next season, though the team had a hard time without Petrovic, Daly guided them and they eded up again as the sixth seed in the East, however they were eliminated by the New York Knicks. After the 1993-1994 season, Chuck Daly resigned. Chuck Daly, today, is considered as one of the top 10 coaches in the NBA history.
The Nets’ First NBA Finals Appearance
One of the New Jersey Nets Coaches is Byron Anton Scott. Just like the other head coaches, Scott first became an NBA player before he became a coach. He began his coaching career in 1998, where he became the assistant coach of the Sacramento Kings.
By the year 2000, he took over the struggling New Jersey team. His first coaching year with the Nets was kind of tough, but the next season, he led the New Jersey Nets to a franchise record 52 wins, their first Atlantic division crown. Also, under him, the New Jersey Nets became successful to appear for the first time in the NBA Finals in 2001-2002.
Even though they did not win the NBA championships, it was still considered as a great achievement. In the 2002-2003 season, again, the Nets made a come-back in the NBA Finals, only playing against the San Antonio Spurs, which defeated them eventually. However, during the season 2003-2004, Scott was fired because the Nets had a disappointing 22-20 record coming into the All-Star break.
The New Jersey Nets Today
The team had their worst season in 2009-2010. Out of the 82 games they played throughout the season, they only won for 12 games. The team really had a shaky season because coaches were hired and fired in the middle of the season.
After the 2009-2010 season, the new majority owner of the Nets, Mikhail Prokhorov, hired a new head coach for the team: Avery Johnson, makes him one of the New Jersey Nets coaches to be looked out for. Shortly thereafter, Sam Mitchell was named the assistant coach of the team.