P.J. Carlesimo will not be returning to the Brooklyn Nets as head coach, according to reports. Carlesimo, who took over as head coach of the Nets when previous coach Avery Johnson was fired, compiled a 35-19 record during the 2012-2013 regular season and led the team to a No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
After suffering a Game 7 loss at the Barclays Center to the Chicago Bulls Saturday night, the Nets announced they will begin looking for a head coach this offseason. Sources say Phil Jackson is among the candidates expected to be contacted by Brooklyn.
During the announcement, Nets general manager Billy King said, "It was a difficult decision, and we talked about it, but looking at the long-term and the future of this organization, I felt it was best to look elsewhere to try and find the right fit. I thanked him, he did a helluva job for us in a difficult situation, but by doing it now, there's a lot of jobs open -- hopefully it gives P.J. a chance and gives us a chance with a lot of candidates out there to explore and that's what we'll do in the next couple weeks."
When asked about whether Jackson was an option, King responded, "I'm pretty sure I'll call him. He's one of the best coaches sitting on the sidelines so you've got to reach out." King also said the Nets are not necessarily looking for a "high-profile guy," and that they're simply searching for "the right guy."
After losing to the Bulls and being eliminated from the playoffs many of the Nets players supported Carlesimo. Upon hearing the news, shooting guard Joe Johnson said, "I think the news was shocking to all of us."
Carlesimo said, "I think we made enormous progress from where we were last year and what these guys accomplished this year, but to me it's a hill. You're always trying to climb up the hill. You go up; you go back. But we thought we could get higher up the hill than we got."
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