EAST RUTHERFORD — The Nets hope to add several new on-court pieces before the NBA season starts later this month. But on Tuesday, they filled out the coaching staff, as P.J. Carlesimo and Mario Elie officially were hired as assistants.

"It's about chemistry amongst a coaching staff as well as chemistry amongst the players," coach Avery Johnson said. "We feel we've got the right fit this year, and hopefully the guys that we have will be able to provide some continuity for us."

It's a homecoming for Carlesimo, who was the coach at Seton Hall from 1982-94.

"For me it was a home run," Carlesimo said. "Being back here is an enormous plus. … This has always been home, there's no question about that."

Carlesimo was an assistant with Toronto last season. Elie, an assistant in Sacramento last year, won three championships with the Rockets and the Spurs in an NBA career that spanned from 1990-2001.

The two join a bench featuring Popeye Jones, Doug Overton and Tom Barrise, who were assistants on last year's squad.