So, one of the biggest things about Mikhail Prokhorov signing on to the Nets was this idea that with his money, charisma and business drive, he could change the decades-old negative perception around the organization. And if you read this morning news about LeBron James and his free agency plans, Prokhorov could be enough to snag the world’s most coveted free agent. Al Iannazzone reports that Prokhorov and co. will be the first to make their pitch to James once free agency opens later this week.  The Frank Isola/Mitch Lawrence Daily News New York Knick cheerleaders CONTINUE to dismiss this notion that LeBron would never sign with the Nets because it would involve this horrifying notion of playing 10 minutes outside of NYC in Newark for 2 years before moving to Brooklyn (I’m still waiting for a non-speculative report from someone who is not Isola that explains to me how two years of Newark and three years of Brooklyn could damage LeBron’s marketability compared to him just playing at the World’s Most Famous Arena for the World’s Most Embarrassing Owners in the Dolans). However, Iannazzone quotes someone close to LeBron saying:  “He’s coming to New Jersey.” While that source is about as reliable as Jalen Rose telling people he’s 100% certain LeBron might leave Cleveland, there’s food for thought there.

Meanwhile, in one of the most rational pieces I’ve read yet on LeBronmania, Steve Politi of the Star-Ledger weighs the pros and cons of Newark.

Dave D’Alessandro reports the Nets might have to give up a piece of their young core (Devin, Courtney or TWill) in order to shed some of their dead financial weight (Yi) to make a run at two max free agents.

Sam Arnick of Fanhouse chides the Nets for not having a “plan B” in place with Rod Thorn leaving on July 15. Meanwhile, top candidate Jerry Colangelo says he doesn’t know anything about being in line to replace Thorn.

Did Russian spies push Rod Thorn out of the organization?

Former coach of the year Sam Mitchell has been taken on as one of Avery Johnson’s assistants while Tom Barrise and John Loyer have also been retained as assistants.

ESPN’s Marc Stein is reporting that the Nets and Avery Johnson have reached a “verbal agreement” for Johnson to become the new head coach of the Nets.

I think this is the right move for the organization and if this remains true, the timing is good, because I would have hated to see him go to Atlanta as had been rumored.

Read some of Sebastian’s thoughts/analysis on Johnson here.

Now, if we were to ask each writer to name one more candidate that they would be interested in seeing, who would it be?

Sebastian: For the past few months I have been on the Eddie Jordan bandwagon, and even though I may be the only one, I think the Nets need to look at Coach Jordan as a serious candidate.  Yes, I do realize that he has been fired twice in the past two years, but in both instances I think he had a raw deal.  First in Washington he had to deal with a ton of injuries, and second in Philly, he had to deal with 2 bloated contracts.  Anyway, the reason I am all for Eddie Jordan (besides the fact that he is already familiar with the Nets – he was a former assistant) is because of his system.  I have always been a sucker for motion offenses in the NBA, and I think the Nets’ roster is perfect for a motion offense (I have been saying this for a few years now).  To run a motion offense you need a center who is comfortable playing on the outside who can pass, check.  You need scoring options from the wing, check.  Finally you need a scoring PG, check.  That might be the most appealing aspect of Eddie Jordan, you don’t need a pure PG for his system to work.  As much as I love Devin and his abilities, he isn’t a true point guard.  He is more of a scoring, ball dominating point guard.  You saw what Jordan was able to do with another PG with those qualities in Gilbert Arenas.  While Eddie Jordan isn’t the flashy name Nets’ fans would want, if the Nets do go after him, don’t be disappointed.

DV: Everyone that follows the NBA closely and pays attention to not only player contracts, but coaches’, you know that the Holy  Grail of all sideline stalkers will become a free agent after the NBA Finals when he wins an 11th championship ring.  Yes, I’m predicting the Los Angeles Lakers will repeat and that Phil Jackson is a possible candidate to consider for the Nets.  Sure, it’s a possibility as small as the size of Megan Fox’s acting ability, but she still gets work, right?  So, why not pine and hope for Jackson, arguably the best NBA coach ever, to come back East and turn the Nets into a dynasty?  Sure, there’s only one Kobe Bryant, but the Nets have a great chance to sign LeBron James, who has done… great… in the… postseason… yeah.  Hmm.  Is it a conflict of interest if we ask Michael Jordan to sign with the team for a season or two and inject him with HGH and liquid from the object of Ponce De Leon’s affection, the Fountain of Youth?  It is?  Well, regardless, Mikhail Prokhorov has tons of money and maybe, just maybe, Jackson will consider taking the greenbacks, as well as the challenge of making the Nets relevant again with the bonus of the Nets having some nice young players that is a LeBron away from easily making the playoffs in the Eastern Conference next season, and who knows in the next five?  The added bonus is that Jackson would be able to stuff in his former employer’s face, the New York Knicks, on their own turf.

Devin: I can’t even deny that John Calipari is a giant sleazeball, so I won’t even try. But damnit if he doesn’t get the job done.  He’s been in the coaching world for almost 30 years (he started at 23) got the respect of  important players in the league, and regardless of the veracity of the CaLeBron rumor the ties between the two are impossible to deny. If Worldwide Wes is as popular as we all think he is, then having Cal as a coach could seriously influence the LeBron James sweepstakes. As a coach, he’s been around this organization before, was the creator of the “dribble-drive” offense that Devin & Brook thrived in and is the kind of guy who might mesh with a Russian billionaire pretty well. Also, I know it’s a long shot, but John Wall LOVED playing for Calipari, and if he has any say come June 24th…

Of course, there are other longshot candidates that we haven’t had a chance to mention – Rick Pitino, Mark Jackson, Jay Wright.  But given what we’ve heard, what we know, and what we expect to come, you can bet on one of the guys mentioned this past week to be manning the sidelines next season.

UPDATE – Mark: Ok, ok, I’m here. Sorry folks, I picked an interesting week to be traveling the Southeast of the United States. Let me dissect one of the remaining candidates if I can – Mark Jackson.  I think Jackson would be an interesting coaching candidate, but I just wish the guy could get a job as an assistant somewhere first, but he reportedly thinks it’s an unnecessary career move. I guess he’s got a great fallback job as an NBA analyst for ABC. I actually really enjoyed his time with YES and thought he was a great compliment to Ian Eagle and Marv Albert. Anyway, I think with Mikhail Prokhorov saying he’s looking for a guy with NBA experience, it would disqualify Jackson as a candidate. Plus if Prokhorov is serious about getting this franchise to the Finals in five years, he really needs to hire a guy who’s not going to spend a few seasons finding himself as a coach.

After my two esteemed colleagues discussed the potential of Mike Kryzamalamadingdong and Tom Thibodeau, now comes my chance to look at a guy who could also very realistically be manning the sidelines for our New Jersey Nets next season: Sir Jeff Van Gundy. JVG, who spends most of his time these days having Super Soaker Wars in Mark Jackson’s backyard (Mike Breen is not invited), spends his nights doing color commentary for TNT. While he seems perfectly content with his job, the lure of coaching remains over his head, and there are a few reasons why he might return to the sidelines.

First, I think we can all be sure that he hasn’t slept with Gloria James. So that’s one point in his favor.

Yes, Nets fans. In case we forgot, our favorite sad-puppy lookalike is actually a pretty good coach. While he hasn’t taken the helm of an NBA team in three years, Van Gundy has been on the NBA sidelines as an assistant coach, head coach, and commentator for literally as long as I’ve been alive. Seriously. JVG accepted the position of Knicks assistant on July 28, 1989. I was born the next day. Along with his assistant chops, JVG boasts a decade of NBA coaching experience. As a head coach, JVG led the Knicks to the playoffs six times in the 90s and 00s, including that wild lockout season when they made it to the Finals against the Spurs. (Side note: I attended game one of that series back when I was a pre-pubescent Knicks fan. I attest to this day that I was the loudest fan in the place, and the people within ten rows of me both ways would agree, too.) He’s known as a solid x’s and o’s guy, is well-known and respected throughout the league, and has a solid ability to communicate with players.

Unlike Coach K, he’s shown that he has a style that can succeed at the NBA level. Unlike Thibodeau, he’s shown he can take the lead reins of an NBA team and sustain his success. Unlike high-profile candidates such as Phil Jackson or John Calipari, he’s accessible and won’t demand the universe. He also spends a fair amount of time in this clip complimenting the Nets. While he doesn’t explicitly say anything about looking for a coaching job, he says he has a lot of respect for Prokhorov, calls Rod Thorn “as good as it gets” and that “any coach that’s interested in coaching would be interested in that job.” If JVG is interested in coaching – and I think he is – he’s someone we will have to take a look at.

Ideally, I don’t think JVG is the top choice for the job, but if the lottery proved anything, it’s that we don’t live in an ideal world. It’s clear that JVG is not a sexy pick. While that sounds bad, I do think it’s actually a point in his favor; the season will then be about the players, and not about the coach. He can get his job done and make sure that any FA we get, Brook Lopez, Devin Harris, and (sigh) our #3 pick are the stars of the show.  I do have faith in his ability to lead a team, however; he’s done it before, and with the right crew I’m confident he can do it again.

“I don’t see him leaving there,” Thorn said. “I think he will probably stay there until he retires.”

I still think that Mikhail Prokhorov is going to make a huge splash when it comes to finding a head coaches. There are a lot of assistants in the NBA whose names are being floated into the Nets coaching discussion, and while it would make sense to bring in one of these assistants, I just don’t see Prokhorov’s first personnel decision being promoting another team’s assistant to a head coaching job. He’s going to want a name. Jackson and Coach K may be unlikely, but I think they would be easier for Prokhorov to woo to the Nets than LeBron James and Chris Bosh. And while the rationale basketball person in me wants to see the Nets look to build something by bringing in a young, defensive-minded coach, I can’t say the diehard fan in me doesn’t want to see Prokhorov go for broke and leave a huge bag of money on Phil Jackson or Jeff Van Gundy’s doorstep.

Jeff Van Gundy offers no comment on the prospects of him coaching the Nets next season.

If you’re in NYC limits and spot a yellow cab, it may be advertising suites at the Barclays Arena.

Who are the NBA’s worst defenders? Well, there’s a Net somewhere on the list.

Here’s Ben Couch with the video of Rod.

From Al Iannazzone’s report, Rod on the coaching candidates: “I’m trying to ascertain who might have interest,” Thorn said. “We have some people we have interest in and then maybe some candidates you wouldn’t consider who might have an interest in it.”

Fred Kerber asks an executive their advice for Rod’s coaching search: “They have young players there; they’ve got a bunch of picks. Maybe they even trade a pick to get a coach,” the exec said. “But whoever they get is going to have to develop a lot of young guys and be the bridge until the move.”

Julian Garcia reports that the Nets are interested in Boston Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau.

Dave D’Alessandro includes Rod’s plans for Chris Douglas-Roberts, who has a team option: “As of right now that decision has not been made. Because we don’t know exactly what we’re going to do. For a lot of these options, a lot will depend on … who are we (signing), who we might be able to sign, how much money that we’ll need. A lot of things that need to be firmed up.”

Former Duke players don’t see Coach K. leaving the university’s coaching ranks.

One Bleacher Report contributor believes the Nets will be in the NBA Finals in four years.

Freddy’s Bar, ground zero for the opposition to the Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, is closing and relocating to Park Slope.

What a difference a year makes. Dave D’Alessandro on Terrence Williams: You can tell him something, and he’ll learn it in five minutes because he trusts coaches – especially Nets assistant Doug Overton – and he’s not a yes-sir type of rookie who then tries to do it his own way.

Meanwhile, TWill, thinks John Wall should make the leap to the NBA: “With him able to be the No.1 or No.2 pick, it’s hard to go away from that,” Williams said of Wall. “Let’s say he’s playing summer ball and he gets hurt and misses the entire year, then he’s got to come back the following year to prove himself and then he may be the 28th pick. The difference would be millions of dollars.”

Al Iannazzone says Kiki Vandeweghe blamed himself last night for the loss.

Matt Moore at Pro Basketball Talk gushes about a Nets starting five that features Amare Stoudemire.

Nets Daily looks at how to get Rudy Gay.

Ken Berger at CBS Sports speculates if former YES color man and NBA point guard Mark Jackson is an option for the Nets at head coach next season.

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel has a profile on broadcaster Jim Sparnarkel. No word yet on whether NAS’ own “Sparklespice” was asked to comment.

The Philly sportswriters continue to the pile-on as the Nets approach the 72-73 record as worst of all time.

Brook Lopez is appearing at a Pathmark in Old Bridge. It’s come to this, hasn’t it?

Kiki Vandeweghe reminds reporters that the organization is still giddy to have Brook Lopez: “We had him somewhere in the top three in the draft, and we thought there was going to be a 99 percent chance he wasn’t going to be there [at No. 10],” Vandeweghe said. “It was a very easy decision. If he’s there at No. 10, you take him.

NBA.com ranks the Nets as having one of the most interesting coaching vacancies this summer.