Nets president Rod Thorn could not have been more emphatic.
Lakers coach Phil Jackson could not have been more elusive.
“I have not reached out to anybody about Phil Jackson through any back channels, front channels, side channels or any channels,” Thorn said yesterday — with a bit of a laugh — as he shot down a report the Nets are trying to lure the Lakers’ 10-time title-winning coach to New Jersey.
Jackson, though, sounded intrigued by the Nets’ possibilities — or more specifically, by their new billionaire Russian owner, Mikhail Prokhorov.
“I’d like to have a vodka with him at some point. He seems like a very interesting young man,” Jackson told reporters before Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals last night.
An ESPN.com report said the Nets and Bulls had tried to contact Jackson through “back channels.”
Thorn said that, given Prokhorov’s wealth, such a report is no surprise.
There are reports that, regardless of whether the Lakers repeat, Jackson will be asked to take a pay cut to stay.
Jackson was emphatic on one point. He has no desire to return to Chicago.
“I have no, at all, desire to go back to Chicago and coach the Bulls,” he said.
Where does that leave the Nets in their search for a coach? Thorn reiterated he is convinced they will “get a good coach” whenever they move forward.
One strong candidate, Boston assistant Tom Thibodeau, seems a lock for New Orleans, with talks getting the Celts’ blessing.
Avery Johnson, the former Mavs coach, remains a strong candidate. Fired Cavaliers coach Mike Brown also will be in the mix.