Suddenly Reeling, Nets Fire Johnson

Nets Fire Johnson

The move was announced by General Manager Billy King in a statement released just after 1 p.m.

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

No immediate successor was announced, but all signs point to P.J. Carlesimo, Johnson’s top assistant, being elevated to interim coach. Carlesimo is the only assistant on the bench with head coaching experience.

King will address reporters at 4 p.m. at the Nets’ training center in East Rutherford, N.J. Johnson is also expected to speak to reporters then.

The Nets went 11-4 to start the season, their play living up to the immense hype that accompanied their move to Brooklyn after more than three decades in New Jersey. But they have disintegrated in December, losing 10 of 13 games amid growing signs that Johnson had lost command of the locker room.

Deron Williams, the Nets’ star point guard, publicly criticized Johnson’s offense last week, unfavorably comparing it to the Utah Jazz system that Williams thrived in earlier in his career.

Williams sat out Wednesday night’s game in Milwaukee, citing a wrist injury that he had been playing through all season. C.J. Watson started for Williams, and the Nets were routed, 108-93, for their third straight loss.

Johnson was hired in June 2010 and compiled a 60-116 record over two-plus seasons, presiding over a two-year demolition job as the franchise prepared to remake the roster in anticipation of the move to Brooklyn.