EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Avery Johnson never saw it coming.

But just 24 days after he was named Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for November, Johnson was fired by the Brooklyn Nets. Assistant P.J. Carlisemo was named interim head coach, and will retain the rest of Johnson's staff.

A search for a new head coach will begin immediately.

"I just got a sense, as I told Avery this morning, that he just wasn't reaching them anymore," general manager Billy King said at a news conference Thursday afternoon, adding that ownership had final say in the decision.

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

The Nets (14-14) won 11 of their first 15 games en route to their best start in franchise history, but have gone just 3-10 in December, which prompted Brooklyn's brass to make a change. They sit in eighth place in the East playoff standings.

"You never think when you're a .500 team and then you're going into two more home games at home that something like this would happen," Johnson, who was in the final year of a three-year, $12 million contract, said at the news conference. "But this is ownership's decision, and this is what we sign up for. This is part of our business. Fair or unfair, it doesn't matter. But again, it's time for a new voice, and hopefully they'll get back on track."

One NBA coaching source told ESPN.com the Nets will start a broad search for Johnson's replacement, including a call to gauge Phil Jackson's interest. Jackson was bypassed by the Lakers in November after Mike Brown was fired five games into the season.

A list of the top available coaching names includes: Jackson, Jerry Sloan, Stan Van Gundy, Nate McMillan, Mike Dunleavy, Brown, and ESPN's Jeff Van Gundy and Flip Saunders.