COMMENTARY : Does Bill Fitch Need the Nets?

This was the scene at Meadowlands Arena Wednesday night:

New Jersey Nets chairman of the board Alan Aufzien boldly met the press and announced he and David Gerstein were majority owners and Willis Reed was in charge of basketball operations. He then told reporters they could ask Reed questions about basketball operations.

Aufzien did not seem to have a flair for the dramatic.

Reed said the Nets were not firing Bill Fitch and were not hiring Jim Valvano, although he did say Nets minority owner Joe Taub had met with Valvano but that he did not know if Taub offered Valvano a job.

Aufzien, who had retreated to the background, was approached and made it clear that even if Taub had offered Valvano a job, it did not matter because Taub is a minority owner. And if Taub did offer a job that he was not authorized to offer, Aufzien said, “I don’t think it throws any egg on our faces.”

Fitch said he had not been told he was going to be fired, but he said, “I started reading about Valvano and (the stories) said Valvano is coming in next week. I’m looking at (the Nets’ schedule of) New York, Cleveland, Indiana and Chicago, and I’m saying, ‘What’s wrong with this week?”’

Fitch is joking.

Someone implied the Nets’ left hand does not seem to know what the right hand is doing.

Aufzien quickly pointed to his hands and said, “My right hand is here and my left hand is here and I think I know what I’m doing.”

Nets center Sam Bowie said even if Fitch is fired, it won’t be the end of the world for him. “Bill is financially secure,” Bowie said. “It’s not like he needs the job to keep the lifestyle he’s living. He’ll still be able to go to the polo club, and the country club. The only difference is that he won’t be watching (game) films at 2 a.m.”

Bowie said if the Nets make a coaching change, he prefers they promote Nets assistant Tom Newell.

Reed said the Nets are not going to make a coaching change. For now.

If they do make a change, Fitch would have to give up a lot. He’d have to do without the excitement of those big games when the Knicks, Celtics, Bulls or Lakers visit the Meadowlands and fans are cheering for the visiting team.

He’d miss Derrick Coleman ripping him to reporters, or Coleman going through the motions on the court. He’d miss Coleman griping at teammates in the huddle. He’d miss what is becoming the regular Coleman scowl.

Fitch would miss the development of Kenny Anderson, although Anderson has already demonstrated he has mastered some of the finer arts of the pro game. Much has been made of Anderson’s youth and lack of experience because he played only two years in college. But, in his short career, Anderson has demanded money that exceeded outrageous, missed all of training camp and is already bitching about playing time.

Looks like Kenny’s got the pro game down pat.

Fitch would miss Chris Morris, a starter who certainly is capable of being a reserve on any other team. Morris has never met a bad shot he wouldn’t take, although he is making more and more. He is a 43-percent career shooter, but this season, he’s all the way up to 44 percent.

Fitch would miss all the Nets craziness. When talking about the injuries, the Anderson holdout, the roster moves and other assorted weirdness, Fitch said, “You couldn’t write a better scenario for chaos.”

No one argued.

And then Fitch added a holiday touch to the Nets situation.

“It’s not, ‘Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle bells,”’ he said.

No one sang.

Alas, it would be very surprising if Fitch survives very long. He has a 50-137 record as Nets head coach. Losing coaches get fired.

Reporters do not make these stories up. Someone in authority tells them. And once the story becomes public knowledge, people begin to talk even more. Wednesday, two people who would know told Newsday that once minor details are worked out, Valvano will be hired.

Perhaps those minor details won’t be worked out. Perhaps Valvano will change his mind. Perhaps Valvano’s feelings will be bruised when he finds out Aufzien admitted Wednesday night that he doesn’t know what Valvano looks like.

But whether it is Valvano or someone else, it seems likely that in the not-too-distant future, Aufzien will approve Reed’s recommendation to hire someone who was wooed by minority owner Taub, who had no authority.

Valvano or whoever will accept the Nets job.

Fitch will be fired.

And the Nets will have egg on their faces.