In a quiet moment of a dreary Friday night at Barclays Center, a single voice screeched from the lower bowl, with an emphatic desperation.
"We want Phil!"
The frantic plea of one disillusioned Nets fan might soon become a full-throated chorus across Brooklyn.
The Nets have firmly targeted Phil Jackson — the man with the 11 championship rings, the Zen maxims and the geometric offense — to replace the recently fired Avery Johnson.
No deal is imminent, no formal discussions have taken place and it is no certainty that Jackson wants the job. But the search will start with Jackson and only Jackson, according to multiple people monitoring the process.
P. J. Carlesimo is on the bench for now, and he guided the Nets to a 97-81 rout of the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday night, a day after Johnson was dismissed. Carlesimo was named the interim head coach, a title he will retain until the Nets identify a permanent replacement, whenever that day comes.
Team officials maintain there is no timeline for making a hire, and the owner Mikhail D. Prokhorov shed no light on the matter in a brief interview with reporters at halftime. Instead, he gave his full support, repeatedly, to Carlesimo.
"P. J., he is the head coach," Prokhorov said. "I think we have a lot of trust in him. And really, I want him to lead the team."
Asked if he would be interested in a coach with 11 championships, Prokhorov smiled broadly as a dozen camera shutters snapped.
"Now, P. J. is the head coach," he said again. "And if it becomes necessary, you know who usual suspects are."
When Jackson's name was specifically mentioned, Prokhorov turned coy again: "I never heard this name, you know."
A person with ties to the search called Jackson "the No. 1 choice," for all of the obvious reasons. He is the most decorated coach in N.B.A. history, he is available and he has strong ties to New York, having begun his playing career with the Knicks and ended it with the Nets (then in New Jersey).
All other candidates are considered distant second choices, at least until Nets officials determine whether Jackson wants the job. That is an open question, even among Jackson's friends. It is far from certain that Jackson will coach again, and if so, whether he can be lured to Brooklyn.
"I think he will talk to Prokhorov and just see where the conversation goes," one longtime friend said — a theme echoed by others.
If Jackson is to return to the sideline, in any city, he will want to see a "path to the championship," one friend said.
Could that path go through Brooklyn? Possibly. The Nets' three stars — Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez — would all be natural fits in Jackson's triangle offense. Still, the Nets look like a team that remains a player or two from title contention.
Money will not be a priority for Jackson, friends said. He does not expect to make the $12 million annually that he earned in his last term with the Los Angeles Lakers. However, he is expected to seek a role in player personnel decisions, and perhaps assurance of a front-office job after his coaching term is complete. Jackson, 67, is expected to coach only for another few years.
There have been no formal discussions so far, however, and Jackson's longtime agent, Todd Musburger, is on vacation. In the only comment he has issued so far — in a text sent to TNT's David Aldridge — Musburger indicated that Jackson "has no interest in the Nets job at this time."
The "at this time" qualifier was widely interpreted as an intentional hedge, leaving the door open for Jackson to make a play for the job.
Jackson is famously methodical in these matters, so it is no surprise that he is not leaping to fill the vacancy.
The Nets are not the only ones seeking Jackson's wisdom and rings. At least two other teams have approached him recently — most likely offering off-the-court positions — and it is believed that Jackson is considering those options.
Prokhorov plans to spend New Year's Eve in Europe, so the Nets will not seek a meeting with Jackson or anyone else for at least a few days.
The team has a list of other candidates — including Mike Dunleavy, Jeff Van Gundy and perhaps Larry Brown — but none will be relevant until the Nets have determined whether Jackson wants the job.
Dunleavy, a Brooklyn native, has left no doubt about his intentions. He openly lobbied for the job Friday.
"First off, I'm from Brooklyn, so if ever given the opportunity to coach a team from Brooklyn, it would be a dream come true," Dunleavy said on his SiriusXM show. "Right now, to the best of my understanding, is that P. J. has been given the job on an interim basis — I'm not sure with the opportunity to keep it or not — but he's a friend of mine, he's a good coach and I wish him all the best in what he's doing right now."
The field of coaches who have the credibility, the track record and the interest is not particularly deep. Stan Van Gundy, through his representative, indicated immediately that he had no interest in the job.
There are mixed signals about Jeff Van Gundy's interest, although Yahoo Sports reported Friday that he would listen. Van Gundy, in a text message, declined to comment, saying he felt it was inappropriate "to talk about another person's job" — alluding to Carlesimo.
Yahoo also reported that Kelvin Sampson, currently an assistant for the Houston Rockets, is on the Nets' radar. A person briefed on the Nets' deliberations confirmed that Sampson had been discussed but said that he is not viewed as a significant candidate.
Lopez led the rout Friday, scoring 26 points and grabbing 11 rebounds as the Nets sent the Bobcats to their 17th straight loss. The Nets (15-14) led by as many as 29 points and won for just the fourth time in 14 games this month. Williams added 19 points for the Nets.
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