NBA: Brooklyn Nets Target Ex-L.A. Lakers Coach Phil Jackson For Coaching Job

Now that their up-and-down 2012-13 season is over, the Brooklyn Nets have set their sights on coaching legend Phil Jackson to be their next head coach.

The Nets, who fired coach P.J. Carlesimo this week after the Nets dropped a seven-game first round NBA playoff series to the injury-laden Chicago Bulls, have contacted Jackson about his potential interest in the job, ESPN reported.

NBA.com first broke the story.

A source familiar with the Nets' strategy regarding finding a new coach, said that the Nets list of potential candidates for the job include Larry Brown and Brian Shaw, though the list is absent of other notable names such as Nate McMillan and brothers Jeff and Stan Van Gundy, according to the New York Daily News.

The firing of Carlesimo marked the second coaching change for the Nets this season, following the abrupt firing of Avery Johnson earlier in the season despite Johnson having been named NBA Coach of the Month twice prior to that.

Obviously, Jackson, who won 11 NBA titles as a head coach with the Chicago Bulls and L.A. Lakers, is the top choice for the job. After having surgery to correct knee problems he sustained through the years, Jackson has left the door open to the idea of coaching again.

The Nets have a strong chance, considering they have an owner in Mikhail Prokhorov who has been known to spare no expense for his team, as wel as a trio of stars in Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson. 

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith suggested that getting Jackson would be a pricey deal for the Nets, one that would likely involve having some sort of control and front office power in addition to being head coach, similar to the deal that Pat Riley got with Miami when he signed with the Heat in 1995 and became both the head coach and team president.

However, he was also skeptical of the idea that Jackson would want to take on the job in Brooklyn, particularly with several question marks existing in L.A. following the disappointing finish to the Lakers' season despite the acquisition of high-priced talents like Dwight Howard and Steve Nash.

"I just don't know if this is the kind of challenge that Phil would want to take, especially with there still being question marks existing in L.A. with both teams," Smith said.