Bet you thought I was writing about someone else, huh? Prior to a 105-91 loss to the Hornets, Nets head coach Avery Johnson angrily denounced reports his “control freak” tendencies had cost him the New Orleans job over the summer. From the NY Post’s Fred Kerber :

œOh, very unfair. It™s just blatant lies. But that™s just the way it happens, said Johnson of the œcontrol freak label. œOne guy tells one lie and by the time it gets to the 10th person, boy, it™s a really manufactured one.

œSo that™s a part of the deal. I think Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick “ even Sean Payton, my main man Sean Payton “ they™ve all been lied on. Gregg Popovich. But they™ve still been able to be successful. That™s the nature of our business, added Johnson.