Thunder fires Carlesimo

OKLAHOMA CITY - With the Oklahoma City Thunder off to an NBA-worst 1-12 start, coach P.J. Carlesimo was fired Saturday and replaced on an interim basis by assistant Scott Brooks.

The firing came after a 105-80 defeat to the New Orleans Hornets on Friday night for the Thunder's 10th loss in a row.

"This isn't about one person," General Manager Sam Presti said. "There's accountability for everybody involved -- players, coaches, myself and anyone involved with our basketball team."

The Thunder also let go assistant Paul Westhead, who guided the Phoenix Mercury to the 2007 WNBA title and won an NBA title in 1980 with the L.A. Lakers.

Carlesimo had questioned his team in recent games for failing to give full effort, performances resulting in a string of blowouts.

Brooks, an 11-year NBA veteran, played on the Houston Rockets' 1994 NBA championship team and bounced around with seven teams before becoming a Denver Nuggets assistant in 2003.