When Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov gave career NBA assistant Tony Brown the interim head-coaching job on Sunday, he also gave him a mission. Build a more positive atmosphere. Identify and develop the team’s young assets. And play faster, more entertaining basketball.
Then the Russian billionaire sat at Barclays Center on Monday night and watched the Nets get hammered 106-79 by the Spurs in Brown’s first game since replacing fired Lionel Hollins. After calling his Nets the NBA’s best club, Prokhorov saw them get clubbed by the Spurs, who really are the league’s model franchise.
“San Antonio’s the gold standard,’’ said Brown, adding Gregg Popovich “had some kind words, but I knew he was going to stick it to me once the game starts.’’
The Spurs did just that, especially in the paint. Thaddeus Young was held to nine points by LaMarcus Aldridge (25 points on 12-of-17 shooting, 11 rebounds). And it got ugly when the Spurs went to the bench for 7-foot-3, 290-pound rookie Boban Marjanovic, the big Serb getting the loudest cheers at Barclays in weeks.
At one point, he held the ball aloft one-handed over a jumping Thomas Robinson like a teen toying with his younger sibling, and laid it in flat-footed. It was funny, but the mess the Nets are isn’t.
Prokhorov would’ve been wise to start laying groundwork with R.C. Burford, and see what it would take to lure the Spurs general manager to Brooklyn. But in the meantime, he wants to see Brown evaluate youngsters such as Markel Brown, Sergey Karasev and injured rookies Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Chris McCullough.
“He wants to see these other assets on the roster play. He wants to see what he has,’’ Brown said before the game. “This is a good period to find out what Sergey can do, eventually what Chris McCullough can do. Hopefully we get Rondae back before it’s too late. Let’s find out what kind of talent base we have.
“Obviously, we want to play at a pace that’s exciting, that fans can get behind. He understands that’s the style of play most teams are trying to get to. And we want to find out if some of the guys we have can fit into that mold. … Let’s find out what we have and find out if these guys can be a Net in the near future.”
Hollins isn’t with the Nets any longer because he didn’t do those things, and couldn’t foster a positive vibe. Brown handed Donald Sloan (two points, five assists) a start at the point and Wayne Ellington at shooting guard. Bojan Bogdanovic went scoreless, but there was Brown screaming his way hoarse while trying to encourage them.
“I’m going to be as positive as possible. … It’s easy to get down on yourself,” he said. “It’s easy to not compete when you’re getting your behind kicked. My job is to keep them encouraged.”
Young said: “He’s just trying to keep our spirits up, continuing to play hard. At halftime he lost his voice [from screaming]. I told him to go suck on a lemon. But he’s been huge, trying to be that voice we need in the locker room.’’