Reasonable man says reasonable things

P.J. Carlesimo, who was let go after the Nets lost to the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs (how long ago that was), is in the news today after giving a revealing conference call in which he hashed out his appreciation for his recently departed job while also outlining the difficulties in expecting to move forward so quickly. To wit:

“The expectations to win a championship in two years, that’s a heavy load for anybody, not just for Brooklyn. I don’t know if that’s realistic the way the roster is right now. I would not say that team could not win a championship. We thought we could this year if things broke a little better for us.

“But if you have that on your plate, that you need to win a championship in two years, I think it makes it a little challenging. … But I still would not call them one of the favorites. I wouldn’t put that on whoever is lucky enough to get the job. I think it’s a team that could win a lot of games. I think it’s a 50-win team, a playoff team and a team that could do well, particularly in the Eastern Conference. But to win a championship is a bear. Those 16 wins are hard to come by at the end of the year, but the Spurs have 10 of them right now, Miami’s got nine. It’s hard to get to 16.

“I still do think it’s a good job. I think the expectations are maybe not totally realistic, but you’d rather have that from your owner and you know he’s got the wherewithal to back it up.

All of which is a very hearty duh, because a roster that couldn’t get past the banged up Bulls probably isn’t going to make the magical leap to the upper echelon via veteran signings/whatever they can trade Kris Humphries for. But the rest of the interview, in which he mentions his frustration over Avery Johnson getting fired after slogging through the last few years with a team waiting to clear its cap space, illuminates the problem with expecting a quick fix or rise; it’s going to take time, organization, a little more cap space, and due diligence.