NEW YORK • The Brooklyn Nets, in a midseason shake-up after years of reckless spending and trades, announced on Sunday that they had fired coach Lionel Hollins and reassigned general manager Billy King.
Mikhail D. Prokhorov, the billionaire owner, said that he had made the moves to pursue "a fresh start and a new vision for the team" who, at 10-27, own the National Basketball Association's third-worst win-loss record this season - ahead of only the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Nets are on a four-game losing streak and have lost nine in a row at their home venue, the Barclays Centre, where attendance has been dropping steadily.
King was in his sixth season as the team's general manager, Hollins was in his second as coach.
"By making this decision now, it enables our organisation to use the rest of the season to diligently evaluate candidates with proven track records," Prokhorov added.
"It's clear from our current state of affairs that we need new leadership.
"With the right basketball management and coach in place, we are going to create a winning culture and identity and give Brooklyn a team that it can be proud of and enjoy watching."
Tony Brown, an assistant coach under Hollins, will be the interim coach for the remainder of the season. The general manager position will remain open indefinitely.
Hollins was working with a roster largely bereft of talent. Much of the Nets' dysfunction can be traced to their move to Brooklyn in 2012 - and specifically to the win-now, win-at-any-cost edict that was passed down by Prokhorov.
In adhering to that plan, King mortgaged much of the team's future without any obvious gains.
The Nets made three straight play-off appearances, from 2013 to 2015, but never advanced past the Eastern Conference semi-finals.
Now, their immediate prospects appear bleak, no matter whom Prokhorov puts in charge.
Of even greater concern, their long-term outlook is not particularly rosy.
The Nets are not in control of their own first-round pick until 2019.
NEW YORK TIMES, REUTERS
