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Expect Coach Search To Move Into High Gear...Phil Jackson Available?

By Net Income Updated
Oregonian
Oregonian

While Mikhail Prokhorov may sit on the dias at the Draft Lottery, the Nets' search for a head coach is more likely to engage him.  Rod Thorn said he wanted to talk to candidates in April, but that was before Prokhorov's approval as NBA owner got held up.  Now, with the Russian likely to be approved in May, expect things to move into higher gear.

Thorn, who has a history of elevating assistant coaches to the top job, has said some candidates may be coaching in the NBA playoffs. His description of an ideal candidate had people speculating he was talking about Tom Thibodeau of the Celtics.  But another candidate whose team is still in the hunt is Blazers' assistant Monty Williams who played in New York for the Knicks and likes the coaching style of Pat Riley. He's been an assistant in Portland for five years.  The Daily News reports his name has come up in the Nets' coaching hunt.

Meanwhile, Phil Jackson and his longtime girlfriend (and Laker owner daughter) Jeanie Buss both suggested that the Hall of Fame coach might not be back in Los Angeles next year.  Buss' father doesn't want to pay Jackson the $12 million he's currently making, although if the Lakers win again, it's likely he'll relent.  Buss said, "There's going to be a lot of good jobs that come up this summer."  Prokhorov was reportedly ready to offer Mike Krzyzewski $12 million a year.  Jackson, 64, is a year older than Coach K.

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