The Brooklyn Nets have reached out to Phil Jackson about the possibility of becoming their next head coach.
Brooklyn is gauging Jackson's interest in taking over as coach, according to ESPN. The news leaked Tuesday just days after the Nets fired interim coach P.J. Carlesimo.
Carlesimo's firing came in the wake of a first-round playoff loss to the injury-depleted, No. 5 seeded Chicago Bulls. The Nets dominated the Bulls in Game 1 of the playoffs, but were unable to win several close games throughout the series. They were eliminated in a 99-93 Game 7 loss.
Jackson's interest in coaching for the Nets, much less any team, is unknown. Reports suggest the 67-year-old retired coach is interested in running an NBA team's front office. The idea of having complete control over personnel decisions to build a championship-caliber team his way is said to intrigue him.
If Jackson doesn't return to coaching, the Nets could still hope to lure him to Brooklyn with a job in their front office — the team president position is vacant.
Boston coach Doc Rivers, if released from his current contract, and former Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan are also rumored by ESPN as possible coaching candidates for Brooklyn.
Jackson made news last week when the Detroit Pistons announced that he will help find the team's next coach. Jackson, a friend of Pistons owner Tom Gore, will get a taste of working in a front office as an informal advisor to the team.
Jackson and his 11 NBA championship rings make him the most sought after coach on the market. He retired from coaching in 2011 and revealed in April that he had been diagnosed during that time with prostate cancer.
