The Brooklyn Nets have contacted Phil Jackson about replacing the outgoing P.J. Carlesimo, according to a source.
After Jackson, the source says the list of current Nets candidates consists of Larry Brown and Brian Shaw.
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Neither Nate McMillan nor brothers Jeff and Stan Van Gundy are on the list, the source said. That could change if the Nets fail to land one of their top three choices.
Boston coach Doc Rivers would interest the Nets should the Celtics agree to let him out of his current contract, the source said. Jerry Sloan, whom star point guard Deron Williams recently endorsed, is a long-shot candidate.
King said Sunday that he would make a call to Jackson, the league’s all-time coaching leader with 11 titles. He understands that Jackson is not likely to come to Brooklyn to coach, but he is open to bringing Jackson into the front office, according to the source.
NBA.com first reported the Nets had reached out to Jackson regarding their coaching job.
Jackson, who has voiced interest in a Pat Riley-type role with an organization, would perhaps join the Nets as the team’s president while also getting a slice of ownership.
Jackson, who coached Shaw with the Los Angeles Lakers, is known to believe Shaw has a bright coaching future ahead of him, and Shaw would be a likely coaching candidate if Jackson joined the Nets front office.
But another source told ESPN.com that no teams have contacted Shaw or scheduled interviews yet. His primary focus remains on the Indiana Pacers, the source said.
Shaw, long viewed as one of the league’s top assistants, is currently the lead assistant to Indiana’s Frank Vogel.
Brown, who currently coaches at SMU, has a successful and well-known history with King. The two worked together for six years in Philadelphia during the Allen Iverson era, leading the Sixers to the NBA Finals in 2001.
The New York Daily News, meanwhile, reported that Mike Dunleavy also is a candidate due to his strong relationship with Nets general manager Billy King.
By Chris Broussard
