Clevaland Cavaliers Reaching Out To Phil Jackson For Coaching Vacancy
The Cleveland Cavaliers hope they have what it takes to bring Phil Jackson out of retirement.
After firing coach Byron Scott last week, the team as reportedly reached out to Jackson to gauge his interested in returning to the league. Though he has made public statements that he isn’t interested in a return, ESPN reported last week that Phil Jackson has been increasingly thinking about coming back to the NBA next season.
Whether that return would be as a head coach remains to be seen. Phil Jackson has also reportedly been interested in coming back to the NBA in some kind off management capacity.
Phil Jackson has some history with the Cavs. Back in 2005 Jackson was approached by the Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, but the job instead went to Mike Brown.
Brown could also be a candidate to return to the Cavs this time. After being fired by the Lakers early this season, Cleveland has reportedly shown interest, with Brown and Gilbert meeting last week.
Phil Jackson nearly returned to the NBA earlier this year. After Brown was fired by the Lakers, Jackson met with team officials and the two sides seemed all but finished on a deal for the Zen Master to return to the Lakers sidelines.
But after the Lakers reportedly left it up to Jackson to make the decision, they surprised everyone by selecting former Suns and Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni.
Under D’Antoni’s leadership, the Lakers dug themselves out of an early season hole and finished the season strong to earn the No. 7 spot in the playoffs. But an injury to Kobe Bryant in the final week of the season all but quashed the team’s playoff hopes, and they now seem overmatched against the San Antonio Spurs.
If Phil Jackson doesn’t go to the Cleveland Cavaliers, there could be other comeback options. The Brooklyn Nets were interested in Jackson before firing coach Avery Johnson in the fall, and would likely take a look at him again after this season ends.
Phil Jackson could also be a candidate for the Sacramento Kings if the franchise moves to Seattle. NBA insiders think both Brooklyn and Seattle would be more attractive to Jackson than the Cavs.
