The Oklahoma City Thunder, who are off to a league-worst 1-12 record, fired head coach P.J. Carlesimo last night following their 105-80 loss to the New Orleans Hornets. The loss was the Thunder’s 10th straight. Assistant coach Scott Brooks has been promoted to head coach after the firing. As reported by ESPN:

Brooks was told of his promotion after the flight took off. Carlesimo did not make the trip.

"This was a very difficult decision to make," team executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti said in a prepared statement announcing the move. "It is one that I felt was necessary at this time. I am very appreciative of the hard work and effort that P.J. gave to this team and we wish him the best in his future endeavors."

The team said it also relieved Paul Westhead of his duties as assistant coach.

The Thunder are the relocated team from Seattle previously known as the Supersonics. During his tenure with the Sonics/Thunder, Carlesimo amassed a 21-74 record in 95 games as the team's head coach.

In their first year in Oklahoma City, the Thunder are averaging 18,472 in attendance after 7 games at the Ford Center, ranking them 11th out of the league's 30 franchises.

  OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK

• Amidst Near Collapse, Cititgroup Confirms Retaining Naming Rights Deal with Mets - The Biz of Baseball
• Marlins Clear Legal Challenge on New Ballpark Financing - The Biz of Baseball
• Paul Volcker Talks to MLB Owners About the Economy - The Biz of Baseball
• Dodgers & White Sox Name New Spring Training Facility "Camelback Ranch" - The Biz of Baseball
• Blackout Policy to Remain Through MLB Network Launch - The Biz of Baseball
• The King Steps Down: George Steinbrenner Passes Control of Yankees to Son, Hal - The Biz of Baseball
• DHL's Future as MLB Sponsor Cloudy After Exiting From U.S. Express-Delivery Market - The Biz of Baseball
• MLB.com Reaches Agreement with Adobe Systems. Ends Deal with Microsoft for Silverlight - The Biz of Baseball
• Citi Field Name Safe, According to Mets - The Biz of Baseball
• Will Smith Goes NHL-Style at Premier of "Seven Pounds" - The Biz of Hockey
• NHL Network to Broadcast 20-Part Series on NHL Captains - The Biz of Hockey
• NHL Partners with Ticketmaster for First-Ever Ticket Resale Service - The Biz of Hockey
• NHL Sees Key Gains in Attendance, Television, Online, and Corporate Growth - The Biz of Hockey
• Organizational Report: Nashville Predators - The Biz of Hockey
• Forbes NHL Team Valuations Released. Maples Leafs Most Valuable - The Biz of Hockey
• NHL Offers Free Train of NHL GameCenter Live on Oct. 30 - The Biz of Hockey
• Verizon FiOS TV to Offer NHL Center Ice and NHL Network - The Biz of Hockey
• Joe Paterno Says He'll Coach at Penn State in 2009 - The Biz of Football
• NFL Adds Second Instant Replay Referee After Blown Polamalu Play - The Biz of Football
• ESPN and BCS Reach Four-Year Agreement - The Biz of Football
• All in the Family: Rooneys to Continue to Own Steelers - The Biz of Football
• Taking a Knee? NFL to Lower Playoff Ticket Costs by 10% Due to Economy - The Biz of Football