Sources: Thunder fire Carlesimo

[Behrooz24]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Aj6qEdlwIrQgfm3MVBNCllo5nYcB?slug=aw-carlesimofired112208&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Sources: Thunder fire Carlesimo
By Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports 30 minutes ago
Yahoo! Sports

After losing 12 of 13 games to start the season, P.J. Carlesimo has been fired as Oklahoma City Thunder coach, sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Assistant Scott Brooks will take over as the interim coach beginning with Saturday night’s game against the Hornets in New Orleans.

The final indignity for Carlesimo was a mortifying 105-80 loss to the Hornets on Friday night in Oklahoma City. General manager Sam Presti informed Carlesimo of the decision before the team boarded the flight to Louisiana.

Before the feeble start to this season, Carlesimo was 20-62 a season ago in Seattle. As the assistant GM in San Antonio, Presti had worked with Carlesimo, an aide on Gregg Popovich’s coaching staff. Presti and owner Clay Bennett considered firing him over the summer, but allowed Carlesimo a chance to salvage a second chance. With a roster gutted of veterans, this was a difficult job from the start.

After building a reputation as an unrepentant screamer in his first two NBA jobs in Portland and Golden State, Carlesimo sold himself as reformed with a five-year stay on Popovich’s staff. He insisted that he learned the art of developing relationships with players under the four-time champion Spurs coach, but several sources insisted that he reverted back to the strident ways that precipitated the Latrell Sprewell attack in 1999.

In parts of eight seasons as an NBA coach with Portland, Golden State and Seattle-Oklahoma City, Carlesimo had a 204-296 record.

[Cloud786]

Get him back on the spurs then!

[anakha]

It's all part of the CIA-Pop and Presti plan.

Get Carlesimo back on the Spurs first.

Durant trade to follow. :hat

[vy65]

The final indignity for Carlesimo was a mortifying 105-80 loss to the Hornets on Friday night in Oklahoma City. General manager Sam Presti informed Carlesimo of the decision before the team boarded the flight to Louisiana.



That's got to sting the crotchular region

"Hey Sam, remember when you were an intern? I was really nice to you back then, right? Can I sleep on your couch while I see if the Wendy's is hiring?"

[z0sa]

The final indignity for Carlesimo was a mortifying 105-80 loss to the Hornets on Friday night in Oklahoma City. General manager Sam Presti informed Carlesimo of the decision before the team boarded the flight to Louisiana.

So he was fired before the loss? These two sentences contradict each other.

Still ...

Presti: Sorry PJ, you're screaming's too much for the young team. You got to go. [boards plane]

PJ: But ... how am I going to get back to OKC? [Presti simply waves from the window]

[Flight3107]

So he was fired before the loss? These two sentences contradict each other.




No, you are just unable to comprehend that sentence. :lol

[JamStone]

So he was fired before the loss? These two sentences contradict each other.

Still ...

Presti: Sorry PJ, you're screaming's too much for the young team. You got to go. [boards plane]

PJ: But ... how am I going to get back to OKC? [Presti simply waves from the window]

Home and home between Thunder and Hornets. Last night's game was in Oklahoma City. Tomorrow night's (tonight's) game in New Orleans. He was informed of his firing before the team boarded the flight to "Louisiana."

[JamStone]

Presti should probably fire himself. That team is a mess in how its constructed.

[BruceBowenFan]

i cant say i didnt see this coming

[Ice009]

You think Pop would offer PJ a job? or is that unfair to the assistants he's already got now?

[TDMVPDPOY]

ISNT THIS the fukn team that rob us a couple of first round picks on teh kurt thomas trade....serves them right

[z0sa]

No, you are just unable to comprehend that sentence. :lol

hey I can do this too

+1 post count

[Indazone]

Never was a Carlissimo fan. Still remember him getting choked by Latrell Sprewell..and thinking what an ass he must have been to get a player hot enough to do that.

[Anti.Hero]

Never was a Carlissimo fan. Still remember him getting choked by Latrell Sprewell..and thinking what an ass he must have been to get a player hot enough to do that.

lololol.

[Indazone]

the were both at fault but Carlissimo probably pushed him over the line. Never heard Spreewell like this with other coaches.

http://blogs.jsonline.com/blogs/proofandhearsay/spreetoon.JPG

[baseline bum]

Bring PJ back, Pop.

[Matchman]

another good coach scapegoated because the team just suck ass.

[Gino2882]

First thing I thought as well, was to offer him a job back on the Spurs. I highly doubt he gets another job until next season or the season after. Get him back on that Spurs bench.

[tlongII]

Carlesimo is a terrible head coach. I can't believe OKC hired him.

[Findog]

Presti should probably fire himself. That team is a mess in how its constructed.

Presti is doing the Moneyball thing in stockpiling picks and trying to clear cap space. Of course, it might be easier to lure FAs if you have Mercer Island as a selling point instead of Methlahoma City.

[jack sommerset]

It amazes me how players and coaches look so damn good when they have Timmmmmmmay on the squad and when they don't they are not as good or smart as people thought.

[JamStone]

Presti is doing the Moneyball thing in stockpiling picks and trying to clear cap space. Of course, it might be easier to lure FAs if you have Mercer Island as a selling point instead of Methlahoma City.

I don't know. He traded his one really valued asset a couple years ago in Ray Allen for the #5 pick after getting their franchise small forward with the #2 pick and then he picks another small forward with that #5 pick. Now, granted, there weren't much better prospects at that pick, but then use Ray Allen for a better deal. And, I'm pretty sure they said they were targeting Jeff Green with that pick anyway. Then this draft, when he clearly needed a pure point guard or a legit power forward/center, they go with an undersized wing player in Russell Westbrook. Kevin Love, Brook Lopez, and DJ Augustin all on the board and none of them would have been stretches to take that high. They also basically gave the rights to Carl Landry away for a future second round pick. How many picks do you need in the future? Start building your team now.

Then they traded Luke Ridnour for Desmond Mason and Joe Smith. I guess Mason was good to sell tickets in Oklahoma City... I guess. But, you have to believe there were better offers out there for Ridnour. Well, at least their contracts expire, I guess. Then they gave DJ White a guaranteed first round pick contract?

Presti has been getting credit for making "shrewd" deals to acquire extra draft picks. You have to do something with those drafts picks. You have to have a vision to build the team. What the hell is his vision? It's like the Hawks of a few years ago when they kept drafting 6-8 small forward after 6'8 small forward or the Bulls of the early 2000s when they drafted I believe three straight point guards with high lottery picks. Shit, they just drafted another point guard last summer.

The most impressive things about Sam Presti was that he was able to get two first round picks out of Kurt Thomas and that he used to work for the Spurs.

[de Soto]

It is just a matter of time when Presti himself gets fired. He has done nothing but fucked up since he joined the Seattle/OKC organization. Presti got way too much credit for the success of the Spurs organization and it is about time he gets a much deserved attitude adjustment.