Phil Jackson, 11-time NBA champion head coach, will serve in an advisory role in the Detroit Pistons' search for a new coach, according to reports. Pistons owner Tom Gores announced Jackson's involvement Thursday night, but a source close to the organization said Jackson is helping out pro bono, as a favor to Gores, a personal friend.
Speaking on bringing Jackson into the decision-making fold, Gores said, "Phil Jackson is a friend and one of the best minds in the business. We are thrilled to have him as an adviser as we make some very important decisions for this franchise. Joe (Dumars) and I discussed this and he and I are in full agreement that this is a great opportunity."
That same source who indicated Jackson's work is unpaid said Jackson's involvement "does not foreclose any options" in terms of a return to an NBA bench as a head coach or some kind of front office role with any team in the league.
Jackson has recently admitted in an interview that there are "three or four" teams interested in his services, while the same ESPN report indicates the Toronto Raptors are in hot pursuit of the Hall of Fame coach. Interestingly, Jackson, whose name was brought up frequently after the Los Angeles Lakers fired Mike Brown, said the interest from the aforementioned teams was not for coaching jobs.
A spokesman for Gores, Mark Barnhill, told Pistons.com, "Phil Jackson and Tom Gores are friends. Based on that relationship, Phil has agreed to provide advice and counsel on the coaching search and immediate basketball needs. He will be in Detroit next week as a resource to Joe Dumars, who is leading the search. Phil's role is to advise Joe, Tom and the ownership team, not to assume a formal position inside the Pistons organization."
Detroit fired head coach Lawrence Frank after a disappointing season in which the Pistons finished 11th in the Eastern Conference, with a 29-53 record and 11 games behind the eighth-place Milwaukee Bucks.
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