P.J. Carlesimo talks the other PJ the Nets might want

You knew this, because you have eyes and a brain and could connect the dots after Phil Jackson mentioned that a few teams had already contacted him about getting back into the NBA for next season and onward. But in an exit interview with The Dan Patrick Show, recently deposed interim coach P.J. Carlesimo confirmed that general manager Billy King is serious about reaching out to Jackson. From Mike Mazzeo’s report for ESPN New York:

“I think he’s serious about starting with Phil Jackson, who is arguably the best coach in the history of our league, and anybody else out there that’s a good fit.”

Not that what King wants might make a difference.

“My gut tells me no. Obviously he’s always been linked to this job … but it seems that’s not on his wish list anymore. From what I’m reading and hearing all the time, he wants a Pat Riley-type situation, a team where he can do that (be in the front office), that obviously would not be the case in Brooklyn.”

This is obvious, too, because the Nets would be a bad situation for Jackson’s desire to man the ship from top to bottom. The roster isn’t too flexible over the next few years and King has just been given a long-term contract extension, ensuring that Mikhail Prokhorov probably won’t turn him out just a few months later for the promise of one season with the Zen Master. Like P.J. my gut reaction is that this isn’t happening, but it’s an effective smokescreen to raise the anticipation for Brooklyn’s coaching search, because if the best coach of all-time is involved then how good must the short list be?