Rod Thorn keeping silent on who he's interviewing for the head coaching job...and when. Four to six candidates and maybe a surprise make up the short list.

Days after Rod Thorn denied he had set up an interview with Avery Johnson, Al Iannazzone of The Record reports that an interview has indeed been scheduled...for this weekend. Johnson apparently will be the first of "four to six" candidates Thorn will interview for the open post.

Phil Jackson? The Nets are reportedly gauging his interest in coming back east next season.

What can Brown do for you? Mike Brown, that is. Rod Thorn hinted strongly Monday that his short list of coaching candidates now includes the coach Cleveland fired earlier in the day. Rather than say he was looking at "four to five" possibilities, he told Dave D'Alessandro the number is now "four to six".

Avery Johnson is emerging as the leading candidate for the Nets coaching job, reports the Daily News. He will be interviewed next week for the job, ESPN reports. Johnson has been endorsed by Devin Harris, who he coached in Dallas.

Mikhail Prokhorov to tap Andrei Vatutin, president of CSKA Moscow, his old Euroleague team, as an assistant general manager. Vatutin would become the second European assistant GM after Toronto's Maurizio Gherardini.

The Nets will combine the roles of president of basketball operations and general manager, Rod Thorn said this morning. This follows word that Kiki Vandeweghe may leave before his contract expires June 30. With the draft, free agency and a coaching search underway, things will be busy.

Kiki Vandeweghe at one point thought he would succeed Rod Thorn as president of basketball operations. But history repeated itself in Jersey. His contract wasn't renewed in Denver and it won't be renewed in New Jersey. "His contract is up," said Mikhail Prokhorov. "and I wish him luck.

Joke's not on us. Rod Thorn responds to the possibility that LeBron James and John Calipari are offering themselves as a package deal to the Bulls, Clippers and Nets. Nothing has been offered to him, he notes as he laughed at the prospect.

Is World Wide Wes offering the Nets a package deal of LeBron James and John Calipari. That's what the Chicago Tribune is reporting. According to the Tribune, the Nets. Clippers and Bulls are all being offered the deal.