NEW YORK (AP) — P.J. Carlesimo says the Brooklyn Nets’ goal of winning a championship within the next two years is “maybe not totally realistic,” though he believes they are a contender in the Eastern Conference.
Carlesimo went 35-19 as interim coach after Avery Johnson was fired in December, but the Nets told him he wouldn’t return the day after a Game 7 loss to Chicago in the first round. He is working on ESPN as an analyst through the rest of the playoffs.
Owner Mikhail Prokhorov said after buying the team in 2010 his goal was to win a championship within five years. Carlesimo says Thursday on a conference call that he won’t say the Nets can’t win a title, but having the pressure to do it quickly “makes it a little challenging.”
The Nets haven’t hired a new coach.
