HoopsHype.com Rumors

Ryan Wolstat: Have been told Raptors have only gone hard after Ujiri and Phil Twitter @WolstatSun

Denver Nuggets, Toronto Raptors, Phil Jackson, Masai Ujiri 

Some executives still insist that Dumars is running the Pistons' coaching search and that he would walk away before staying on as a president in name only. Others are taking a wait-and-see approach, and they view Detroit's upcoming hire as the best evidence. If Jackson has his way, the prevailing thought around the league is that his protégé Brian Shaw will wind up with the job. Shaw, an associate head coach with the Indiana Pacers, is one of the most respected assistants in the league. He played for Jackson's Los Angeles Lakers during their first three-peat (2000-2002) and then served as an assistant coach under Jackson for many years. ESPN.com

Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Phil Jackson, Coaching, Brian Shaw, Joe Dumars 

Shaw might have other, better opportunities, as he is also a candidate for the head-coaching positions with the Brooklyn Nets and possibly the Los Angeles Clippers. When Jackson thought the Sacramento Kings would move to Seattle, where he would run the club's front office, sources said his plan included hiring Shaw as head coach. ESPN.com

Los Angeles Clippers, Brooklyn Nets, Sacramento Kings, Phil Jackson, Coaching, Brian Shaw, Seattle 

Asked if he had ever spoken with Michael Jordan about a possible reunion in Charlotte, Phil Jackson said, yes, in fact, they had. But it was in that playful Jacksonian way that slams the door on a budding issue before reopening it just a crack. “Last year when he was searching for a coach, we talked about it,” he said. “We talked a little bit about what he was looking for. I had a couple of people I could recommend to him. He said, ‘You’re not interested in this, are you?’ I said, no, I’m not, I can’t do that right now.” New York Times

Charlotte Bobcats, Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, Coaching 

Jackson considers Carmelo Anthony “an amazing ballplayer who still has another level to step up.” But given a choice, he seemed to prefer Brooklyn’s roster to New York’s because of the age of the Knicks and the presence of the Nets’ Deron Williams and Brook Lopez. “The Knicks still have to find some accommodating group of guys that know how to play ball together, move the ball, play the game the right way,” he said. “With Brooklyn, if you’ve got a point guard and a solid center, or a good point guard and a great center, you’ve got two of the pieces that you want to have toward a champion.” New York Times

Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, Phil Jackson, Coaching, Deron Williams, Brook Lopez 

Lost in the hype of the NBA draft lottery, Detroit Pistons president Joe Dumars made his first public comments about legendary coach Phil Jackson’s short-term consulting role with the Pistons’ coaching search. “He was in town for a couple of days,” Dumars said during the teleconference after the Pistons learned they would have the eighth selection in the draft. “We spent a lot time together during those two days, and we’ve have had a couple of conversations since he left town. “While he was here those two days, we talked through (the candidates). And after he left, we’ve had either one or two conversations since then.” Detroit Free Press

Detroit Pistons, Phil Jackson, Coaching, Joe Dumars 

The move to bring on Jackson as a consultant is what has raised the most eyebrows. The short-term involvement was characterized as Jackson doing a favor for his friend and Pistons owner Tom Gores. As far as the coaching search, Dumars said: “We will do a hell of a due diligence on our next coach. We're not going to drag this out. Tom and I have talked about this, and we want to turn this over as quick as possible.” Detroit Free Press

Detroit Pistons, Phil Jackson, Coaching, Joe Dumars, Tom Gores 

If given the choice of any player in NBA history to start a franchise, legendary coach Phil Jackson says Celtics center Bill Russell would win out over his former player Michael Jordan. “In my estimation, the guy that has to be there would be Bill Russell. He has won 11 championships as a player,” Jackson said in an interview with Time. “That’s really the idea of what excellence is, when you win championships.” SI.com

Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, Bill Russell 

In addition to his 11 titles with the Celtics in the 1950s and 1960s, Russell was a five-time MVP and 12-time All-Star. Jordan won six championships playing for the Bulls in the 1990s under Jackson, earning five MVP awards and 14 All-Star Game selections. Jackson dodged when asked to select between Jordan and Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, whom he coached to five titles between 2000 and 2010. “I would flip a coin,” he said. “Whichever one came up heads or tails, I’d take that person. They were that good.” SI.com

Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson 

Phil Jackson said Wednesday that critics of Derrick Rose should back off the Chicago Bulls star, who missed the entire 2012-13 season after undergoing ACL surgery on May 12, 2012. "Leave him alone," Jackson said on "Mike & Mike in the Morning" on ESPN Radio. "This is a guy who hopefully ... still has another 10 years to play. Let's not put him in under duress that may not be the right time. He needs to have a training camp and go through the process of gearing up for another season the right way." ESPN.com

Chicago Bulls, Phil Jackson, Derrick Rose, Injuries 

Serena Winters: PJ Carlesimo said he really thought Phil Jackson would have taken the Brooklyn Nets job ( on @ESPNLA710) Twitter

Brooklyn Nets, Phil Jackson, Coaching, PJ Carlesimo 

Alex Kennedy: Phil Jackson isn't interested in coaching the Clippers. On Sportscenter, he was asked about Clippers' job and said, "Thanks but no thanks." Twitter @AlexKennedyNBA

Los Angeles Clippers, Phil Jackson, Coaching 

Jackson said he would be open to taking a front office position in the NBA but is not actively pursuing that either as he considers offers that come his way. Jackson is currently working as an adviser to Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores as he tries to find a new coach for his team. "I don't feel the ultimate urge to go back and be in management either. Mentoring is something that I feel is good. I'm doing pro-bono work for the Detroit owner and the Pistons organization, which is almost a conflict of interest when you think of the Bulls and Pistons in the '90s and the rivalry that we had. But they have a young owner that wants to do something different." ESPN.com

Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Phil Jackson, Coaching 

Although Jackson was interested in returning to the Lakers last season he said he wouldn't be interested in the job now even though Lakers governor Jeanie Buss, who he is engaged to, still thinks Jackson can coach. "I don't see myself coaching again, I really don't," Jackson said. "When I discussed this with Jeanie Buss, she said make sure you tell them that Jeanie still thinks you can coach even though you might say you're not going to coach again. Jeanie still thinks I can coach but I'm not going to go there." ESPN.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson, Coaching, Jeanie Buss 

“Well, the Brooklyn situation, I think, is a good situation,” Jackson said in an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show. And while Jackson has talked about an interest in potentially joining a team in a front office capacity, he said such a role never came up in his discussions with the Nets. “They wanted to know if I was interested [in coaching],” Jackson said, adding that he “didn’t even think about” the possibility of only coaching home games or some other timeshare arrangement to cut down on travel. New York Post

Brooklyn Nets, Phil Jackson, Coaching 

Jackson added that he has never had contact with the Clippers, who announced Tuesday they won’t be signing coach Vinny Del Negro to a new contract, about an opening, and also said that he was never contacted by the Knicks. “No,” Jackson said, adding he wasn’t disappointed about it. “They’re pretty locked into the people they’ve got there, and they have a nice rapport between [general manager Glen Grunwald] and [coach Mike] Woodson. “That Indiana connection goes back a long way. They think alike, they have a good idea of what they want to have. That’s pretty solid.” New York Post

Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Knicks, Phil Jackson, Coaching 

When Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak called Phil Jackson to tell him the Lakers were hiring Mike D'Antoni instead of him as coach, he responded the only way he knew how. "I laughed," Jackson told ESPN's "Mike & Mike in the Morning" show Wednesday. "It was humorous to me when Mitch said that we think that Mike is a better coach for this group of guys." ESPN.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson, Mitch Kupchak, Coaching, Mike D'Antoni 

Jackson said he believes the Lakers made the decision largely based on catering to Steve Nash, their 39-year-old point guard who was limited to 50 games this season as he battled a variety of injuries. "I think it didn't happen because there was some concern how are we going to move in the right direction for this ballclub," Jackson said. "When Mitch gave me the call close to midnight on Sunday night right before I was going to give them an answer Monday morning and said, 'We've made a choice. We're going to hire Mike D'Antoni. We think he's the best coach for this group of guys.' My answer was, 'For Steve Nash, yes, I agree but for Dwight Howard, I'm not so sure.' "In the process of thinking about how they could best use the team I think they thought first and foremost about Steve Nash and how Steve Nash was going to fit inside of an offensive system that I coach. ... I think that was a concern for them." ESPN.com

Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson, Steve Nash, Coaching, Mike D'Antoni 

One source with knowledge of the Clippers' thinking said Phil Jackson would "pretty much be excluded" from consideration because of his engagement to Lakers executive Jeanie Buss. While the source insisted it wasn't a reflection on Jackson's coaching ability, it would simply be "too creepy" for the Clippers to bring in a coach who was engaged to the owner of their crosstown rival. ESPN.com

Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson, Coaching, Jeanie Buss 

Bill Reiter: Source says Hollins, Phil & Scott are indeed candidates but it's incredibly early in process and that timing of VNG ouster was a surprise. Twitter @foxsportsreiter

Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Byron Scott, Phil Jackson, Coaching, Lionel Hollins