Nets Fire Coach Avery Johnson; Fans, Players React on Twitter, Some Blaming Deron Williams for Firing

Barely 30 games into the Brooklyn Nets first season in New York, the Avery Johnson era has come to an end.

Several media outlets reported Thursday afternoon that the Nets fired Johnson after the team, which started out on a tear in the beginning, struggled in December to end up at its current 14-14 win-loss record.

Nets General Manager Billy King confirmed that the Nets had parted ways with Johnson.

A "coaching source" contacted by ESPN told the news outfit that the Nets will immediately start a search for Johnson's replacement, with coaching legend Phil Jackson at the top of the list.

11-time NBA Champion coach Jackson, who was passed over by the Los Angeles Lakers for their head coaching job in favor of Mike D'Antoni, is expected to head a list that reportedly includes Jerry Sloan, Stan Van Gundy, Nate McMillan, Mike Dunleavy, Brown, and ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy and Flip Saunders.

With newly-acquired talents such as Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace paired alongside elite point guard Deron Williams during a busy offseason for the organization, Johnson and the Nets started their inaugural season in Brooklyn on a hot 11-4 start that garnered the former San Antonio Spurs player Eastern Conference Coach of the Month honors for October and November.

But since then, the Nets' once-smooth ride has sputtered and stalled, with the team having lost all but three of their last 13 games, while Williams had been vocal about his unhappiness regarding the direction of the team's offense.

"The Nets ownership would like to express thanks to Avery for his efforts and to wish him every success in the future," principal owner Mikhail Prokhorov said.

On Twitter, where Johnson's name was trending, fans and players reacted to the news, some with shock, others with sadness.

Avery Johnson Jr., Johnson's son in high school, unleashed several angry tweets Thursday about his father's firing. "This is a fuxking Outrage. My dad is a great coach, he just got coach of the month and they Fire him. #Smh. Completely new team he had," he tweeted.

"The expectations were way to high for this team. We didn't even have a losing record.... Didn't even give my dad a full season. #OUTRAGE," he posted in another tweet.

Johnson's son blamed Williams's struggling shooting, which is at only 39.8 percent this season, as the reason for the Nets' struggles, not his father's coaching methods.

"I'm sorry are best players couldn't make open shots. Yeah that's my dads fault totally..." he tweeted.

"Avery got fired? He was just coach of the month wasn't he? That's like a player get Player of the Month then gets traded the next month" tweeted Miami Heat superstar Lebron James.

Nets player Andray Blatche tweeted, "Thanx coach Avery for everything."

Nets star Kris Humphries also had kind words for his now-former coach. "I appreciate everything Coach Avery. Good luck in all your endeavors moving forward," he posted on his Twitter account.

Atlanta Hawks' shooting guard Anthony Morrow wrote fondly of Johnson, calling him "One of the best coaches I've had and a great man is Avery Johnson. No question I learned alot from him in 2 years."

College coaching legend and Basketball Hall of Famer Dick Vitale tweeted, "Only in the NBA CAN A coach be COACH of the Month in Oct & Nov & FIRED in DEC."

Sportswriter Shaun Powell, in his tweet, put the blame for Johnson's firing squarely on Williams. "With Avery Johnson getting ax, Deron Williams has claimed 2 more NBA coaches than NBA titles."

He was referring to the falling out that Williams had with former Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan during the 2010-11 season, which many say drove Sloan to retire from the game afterwards.

Two-time Grammy nominee musician James Fortune tweeted, "Wow Avery Johnson was NBA coach of the month October & November then fired in December????"

Fan Kendall Marshall tweeted, "Wait, didn't Avery Johnson just get coach of the month?"