P.J. Carlesimo is out. Let the Brooklyn Nets' coaching search begin. And that search is expected to include a call to Phil Jackson. The Nets announced Sunday that they would not be retaining Carlesimo, who went 35-19 during the regular season on an interim basis after replacing Avery Johnson but could not get his team past the first round of the playoffs. "It was a difficult decision, and we talked about it, but looking at the long-term and the future of this organization, I felt it was best to look elsewhere to try and find the right fit," general manager Billy King said at the team's practice facility. "I thanked him, he did a helluva job for us in a difficult situation, but by doing it now, there's a lot of jobs open -- hopefully it gives P.J. a chance and gives us a chance with a lot of candidates out there to explore and that's what we'll do in the next couple weeks." King made the decision after speaking with ownership and felt the time was right to move in another direction. The GM said the team's first-round postseason exit had nothing to do with it, saying "it was more of an evaluation of the whole season." Source: ESPN New York
