Apparently, the best way to get to a billionaire is to go around his team president.
And that, multiple sources maintained yesterday, was how supporters of Rick Pitino tried to make known to the Nets’ incoming owner, Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov, that the Louisville coach was interested in coaching New Jersey next season.
Nets team president Rod Thorn said neither Pitino nor his intermediaries had reached out to him regarding the position and Pitino strongly supported that claim. But sources claiming knowledge of the situation maintain Pitino’s intermediaries tried an end run around Thorn to get to Prokhorov. Pitino also vigorously denied that assertion last night.
“I have no representatives who I know that even know the owner [Prokhorov]. And Rod Thorn is a good friend. I root for him all the time,” Pitino told The Post before Louisville was routed, 74-55, by St. John’s at the Garden last night. “There is not an ounce of truth to anything that has been written about the situation.”
The sources said Pitino supporters sought to reach Prokhorov through members of the billionaire’s inner circle.
“I have no idea about that and I have no comment,” Thorn said.
Prokhorov, who is expected to be approved soon as the Nets’ new owner by the NBA Board of Governors, will meet this weekend at the All-Star festivities in Dallas with Thorn and team CEO Brett Yormark.
A spokesman for Prokhorov said the billionaire “keeps everything close to the vest” and will not discuss Nets matters publicly until after he is approved by the league’s owners.
Pitino has coached the Knicks and the Celtics. He went to Boston after leading Kentucky to the NCAA Final Four in 1997 — following denials of his interest in coaching the Celtics. Pitino said he has no interest in returning to the pros “at this juncture in my life.”
Thorn should have a better gauge on his status after meeting with Prokhorov. Indications favor Thorn’s return: Prokhorov sought advice from NBA executives, including Toronto’s Bryan Colangelo, who fervently endorsed Thorn (Colangelo is rumored to be one of the possible replacements if Thorn is let go). For anyone to campaign for a coaching candidate before Thorn’s status is settled makes no sense.
“If I had interest in the Nets, I would call Rod,” Pitino said. “If I had interest in any job, I would call Rod. If it was Program X out in the Midwest, I would call Rod. He would be the first person I would call for advice if I had any interest at all in going back [to the NBA].”
Pitino was equally emphatic after Louisville’s loss last night, explaining that the rumors are having an effect on his recruiting.
“I’ve worked my ass off in the last two weeks traveling to obscure places every single night after practice, 18 hours in recruiting,” Pitino said. “Now I gotta call every single recruit up and say its nonsense.”
So if not to Pitino, where will the Nets look? There are clearly two front-runners: Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, who led the 2008 U.S. Olympic team to the gold medal, and former Knicks and Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy.
Krzyzewski is the perfect “big splash” name Prokhorov would favor. Krzyzewski’s appointment certainly would be a lure to free agents and sources within the organization rate him as the top choice, though the Nets would have to give him a virtual blank check and promises of control. Krzyzewski has turned down the Lakers in the past.
Van Gundy is the kind of proven NBA type Thorn would favor. Thorn in the past has been a supporter of giving the hot assistant type a head-coaching shot, but this will not be one of those times.
“Coach K would be an awesome pro coach,” Pitino said “There are few guys in college basketball who have the demeanor to be an outstanding pro coach. He’s one.”
One report said Pitino’s representatives contacted Thorn, whose Nets stumbled into the All-Star break with a 4-48 record, on pace for the worst mark in NBA history.
“That is totally untrue,” Thorn said. “He has never contacted me in any way, shape or form. . . . I’m good friends with Rick. But he has never indicated to me at any time that he is interested in returning to the pro ranks and he certainly did not indicate he wanted to do it here.”
Thorn is in the last year of his contract and needs assurances about his situation before making any decisions on the coaching position, currently held by interim Kiki Vandeweghe. Thorn said he has some names in mind but that he has not discussed his candidates with anyone so that “it’s wrong to say this guy or that guy is on the list.”
Additional reporting by Lenn Robbins