Phil Jackson informed the Brooklyn Nets that he is not interested in their head-coaching vacancy, a source confirmed to ESPNNewYork.com on Wednesday. The Nets made the 11-time NBA coaching champion their No.1 target in the wake of interim coach P.J. Carlesimo's dismissal last week.
Although Jackson passed on the opportunity to work with Brooklyn, a source with knowledge of the Hall of Fame coach's thinking told ESPN.com that he remains open to the possibility of coaching again if he had "influence" over personnel, similar to the arrangement Miami gave to Pat Riley.
The Nets' opening, while intriguing, wouldn't have allowed Jackson to have the kind of say over the overall direction of the franchise that he's seeking, the source said. Another source with knowledge of the situation said "the situation would have to be perfect" for the "Zen Master" to return to the sideline and described Jackson's conversations with the Nets as "very limited."
The source also mentioned to ESPN that Jackson still has "lots of options" under consideration. If Jackson does not come across a situation that fits what he's interested in, he might stay retired for now, according to sources.
Carlesimo and the Nets parted ways on Sunday, a day after the team was eliminated at home by the Chicago bulls in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series. He went 35-19 as the Nets interim coach during the regular season following the termination of Avery Johnson.
Jackson owns a career coaching record of 1155-485 for his tenures with the Chicago Bulls (1989-98) and the Los Angeles Lakers (1999-2004, 2005-11). His 11 championships are the most amongst all NBA coaches. Jackson was named the 1995-96 NBA Coach of the Year, as well as one of the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History during the 1996-97 season.
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