Phil Jackson has reportedly turned down the Brooklyn Nets head coaching job. (James Devaney/Getty Images)

Former NBA coach Phil Jackson turned down an opportunity to coach the Brooklyn Nets but instead would like a chance to run the front office of a team, reports Yahoo! Sports. 

Jackson is currently consulting the Detroit Pistons on their coaching search and reports are the Toronto Raptors are interested in Jackson’s services as well.

The Nets lost in seven games to the Chicago Bulls in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series. The team let go of interim coach P.J. Carlesimo after guiding the team to a 35-19 record after Avery Johnson was fired in December.

More from Yahoo!:

Mikhail Prokhorov, the Nets’ billionaire owner, was believed to be prepared to make Jackson the highest-paid coach in team history.

The Nets had waited for a response from Jackson before embarking on their coaching search, and now will soon start reaching out to candidates.

Phil Jackson tops the Brooklyn Nets’ head coach wish list. (James Devaney/Getty Images)

After exiting the first round of the playoff series, the Nets were quick to ax head coach P.J. Carlesimo. GM Billy King said he talked with ownership and “felt the time was now” to find a new coach. Even making it to the second round would not have affected the ultimate decision.

Owner Mikhail Prokhorov is looking for another big name to fill the coaching void, and Phil Jackson is at the top of the list. Jackson, currently 67 and assisting the Pistons in a short-term agreement, has publicly insisted he is no longer interested in coaching and prefers a front office position. King said on Sunday that won’t stop him from reaching out to the 11-time champion.

Among other candidates for the position is former Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, who Deron Williams endorsed. From the New York Post report:

Williams said he “would love” to play again for Jerry Sloan, his old coach in Utah, and when Phil Jackson’s name came up, Williams said, “Who wouldn’t want to play for Phil Jackson?”

Other candidates include Pacers lead assistant Brian Shaw and Nate McMillan. The only name King ruled out on Sunday was Mike Krzyzewski.

Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich is still dealing with a calf injury. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich will travel with the team to Brooklyn and is a game-time decision to play in Game 7 of their first-round series against the Nets, reports K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.

Hinrich has been dealing with a calf injury and did not play in the Bulls’ 95-92 loss to the Nets that evened the best-of-seven series at three games apiece. He is still listed as doubtful for Game 7, which is Saturday night in Brooklyn.

Hinrich has not played since Game 4, when he played almost 60 minutes, scoring 18 points and handing out 14 assists in a 142-134 triple-overtime victory.

Bulls forward Luol Deng also did not play in yesterday’s loss because of the flu and his status is unknown for the game.

The Chicago Bulls’ Luol Deng is out for Thursday night’s Game 6 against the Brooklyn Nets with an illness, the team announced right before tipoff.

Deng and point guard Kirk Hinrich, who is still bothered by a bruised left calf, are both out of the critical matchup. Marco Belinelli started in Deng’s place.

The Bulls have a chance to close out the series Thursday with a victory over the Nets at home. They lead the series, 3-2.

Deng has averaged 13.8 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists this series. According to ESPN, the Bulls have been outscored by 12 points per 100 possessions without Deng on the court.

Deng (illness) is out for tonight’s Game 6. Belinelli will start at SG & Butler at SF. #NETSvBULLS

— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) May 2, 2013

Billy King has revived the Nets since becoming general manager in 2010. (Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

The Brooklyn Nets are finalizing the details of a multiyear contract extension for general manager Billy King, according to Yahoo! Sports.

A formal announcement is expected in the near future, sources said.

King’s current contract is set to expire after the season. Sources told Yahoo! Sports King and the Nets have been discussing a new deal since the fall. Under King, the Nets have used the acquisitions of Deron Williams, Joe Johnson and Brook Lopez to rise from a lottery team to 49 wins this season and the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

The extension should end speculation that Phil Jackson could be in the Nets’ future. Jackson has been quoted saying he’s interested in returning to the NBA in a front-office role rather than as a coach.

The 72-day marriage of Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries reportedly will officially end after a year and a half of divorce proceedings. (Adam Taylor/Getty Images)

Nets forward Kris Humphries will not miss playoff games after reaching a divorce settlement with Kim Kardashian, according to TMZ.

The divorce case for the 72-day marriage will be settled Friday after a year-and-a-half of proceedings during which Humphries was ordered to court and threatened with fines by the judge after he missed the last hearing for a Nets shoot-around Friday in Indianapolis.

TMZ reported Thursday that Humphries had “softened” his demands that included an annulment declaring the marriage as fraudulent.

By settling the case prior to the May 6 trial, Humphries would be free to play and practice for the Nets during their first-round playoff series with the Bulls that begins Saturday.

Jay-Z is attempting to sell his small shares as an owner of the Brooklyn Nets so he can become an NBA player agent, reports Yahoo! Sports.

The Grammy-award winning rapper launched Roc Nation Sports recently, which is a joint venture with Creative Artists Agency, to represent baseball and football players. Some players that are reportedly signed with the agency include New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz and New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano.

Jay-Z owns a .067% stake in the Nets, which is worth around $350,000, according to ESPN.com.

NBA  league rules state he has to sell his minority ownership share if he wants to represent players:

“It’d be hard to overstate how important he was to the rebranding of the team,” Nets head coach P.J.Carlesimo said about Jay-Z.

From Yahoo! Sports:

The process is expected to be completed in time for Roc Nation to compete for players entering the June NBA draft, but there’s no guarantee of the timing, sources said. Those within Roc Nation and the CAA alliance aren’t “chasing a clock on this,” one source said. “This isn’t about one draft, but taking the long view of the business.”

Joe Johnson has been slowed by a sore heel and quad contusion. (Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Nets will be without Joe Johnson Wednesday night against the Trail Blazers and the team’s third leading scorer could miss the remainder of the current road trip, according to the New York Post.

Johnson, who sat out Sunday’s win in Phoenix the day after suffering a right quad contusion against the Clippers, also did not practice Tuesday.

He told the Post on Wednesday:

“I ain’t goin tonight,” Johnson said matter-of-factly when asked about his status and availability on the road trip.

“I’m not sure,” he said. “I’m just taking it one day at a time, and me and [Nets athletic trainer Tim Walsh] are just trying to figure it out.”

Keith Bogans will again start in Johnson’s place, a role he might be forced to continue Friday in Denver and Saturday in Utah.

The break could not only allow Johnson’s quad to recover, but also rest a left heel that’s been sore since the All-Star break. Then Johnson will have to decide the best combination of playing time and rest as the 41-29 Nets contend for a higher seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

“I’ve got to get healthy, to be able to help this team,” he told the Post. “If I’m out there at 50 or 60 percent and it’s not getting better, and then the postseason comes and it’s still at 50 percent, 60 percent, that ain’t gonna do us any good.”

Kris Humphries was told by P.J. Carlesimo that he’s out of the rotation. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

Though it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given his underwhelming season, but Brooklyn Nets power forward Kris Humphries was reportedly informed Wednesday morning by head coach P.J. Carlesimo that he’s out of the rotation, according to a tweet from Nets beat reporter Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.

In a report from Tim Bontemps of the New York Post, Carlesimo had said after the Nets dropped four of its last five Saturday in a loss to the Chicago Bulls that he would be tightening the rotation, a change that All-Star point guard Deron Williams endorsed as a “nice” idea that “everybody would welcome.”

Carlesimo hinted at changes that would result in more playing time for forward-center Andray Blatche and rookie forward Mizra Teletovic:

“We’ve got to tighten things up a little bit. [B]oth of those guys, when you put [Blatche] on the floor with Brook or you put Mirza on the floor with Brook, it stretches out the defense more in two different ways … [Mirza] more perimeter, [while Blatche is] another guy inside that you have to focus on.”

The bad news for Humphries is another disappointing chapter in his already mediocre season. He had a promising year in 2012, averaging 13.8 points and 11 rebounds per game, and was rewarded with a two-year, $24 million extension from the Nets this past summer. But Humphries has been mostly irrelevant this season; his playing time has been virtually cut in half from last season and consequently he is averaging career lows of 5.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. If Saturday’s loss to the Bulls is any indication, in which Humphries played only two minutes, his summer could be filled with exit strategies from Brooklyn.

Kris Humphries was informed this morning by PJ Carlesimo that he's out of the rotation, according to a league source—
Stefan Bondy (@NYDNInterNets) March 06, 2013

The Brooklyn Nets will take on the Houston Rockets tonight without the services of second leading scorer Joe Johnson. According to a tweet from Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, Johnson will sit out Friday night’s game with plantar fasciitis.

Billy King says Joe Johnson won't play tonight because of plantar fasciitis.—
Stefan Bondy (@NYDNInterNets) February 22, 2013

Billy King said Joe Johnson will not play on ESPN radio.—
Stefan Bondy (@NYDNInterNets) February 22, 2013

Johnson has been dealing with the condition for much of this season, but it flared up again after Wednesday’s 97-94 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Johnson only had eight points on 3-14 shooting in that game, but was instrumental in the Nets’ previous game against the Bucks the day before. Johnson is averaging 17 points per game in 55 outings this season with the Nets.

The Celtics and Nets also discussed a Paul Pierce trade in 2012. (Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)

The Celtics and Nets have discussed a trade that includes Paul Pierce, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

In the report, league sources said the Nets’ initial offer included forward Kris Humpries, guard MarShon Brooks and a first-round pick, but the Celtics want more for the 35-year-old Pierce.

“The Celtics still highly value Pierce and it wouldn’t make sense to trade him for that kind of a package if they’re keeping Kevin Garnett,” one league source said.

Boston has shown interest in forward Mirza Teletovic and securing another possible first-round pick, but the Nets have shown no inclination to pay that steep of a price for Pierce.

Boston had interest in guard C.J. Watson in a separate deal, but Brooklyn doesn’t want to part with him, sources said.

This isn’t the first time the two teams talked about a trade involving Pierce. The Celtics nixed a deal prior to the 2012 trade deadline.

While Pierce is averaging 18 points for the Celtics this season, his 41 percent shooting from the field is his worst since the 2003-04 season.

Deron Williams will play Tuesday night but said he’s not 100 percent and can’t jump without pain. (Ned Dishman/Getty Images)

Deron Williams confirmed he will play Tuesday night as the Brooklyn Nets host the Milwaukee Bucks, despite admitting that he needs more time to treat the inflammation in both of his ankles.

The Nets’ starting point guard has missed the past two games and has been out for a week because of the All-Star break but said he doesn’t have time to sit out any longer. With a 31-22 record, the Nets are currently fourth in the Eastern Conference as the team begins the second half of the season on Tuesday. He said doctors told him a week would be sufficient in allowing him to return to game-shape form, but Williams is clearly not 100 percent, according to a report Tuesday morning from Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com:

“It definitely feels better than it did before I did it. [The doctors] said a week [of rest] was sufficient, so I trust the doctors. I definitely need more rest than a week for it to get back to normal, but I don’t have time right now.”

The pain is apparently so bad that Williams said he is unable to jump and cannot dunk off one foot. He said the swelling in his ankles has left him without any explosiveness and admitted that his performance has been declining recently after the first quarter:

“I can’t jump — I don’t know if you’ve noticed — I haven’t dunked. I can’t dunk Even if I tried, off one leg I can’t dunk. I can dunk off two, but if I tried to jump off my left leg, I can’t dunk, so it’s definitely affected me. [A]ny hard impact, or hard move, it hurts. I do a good job getting it warmed up, so the first quarter is usually great, a lot of good first quarters and then I go and sit down, it stiffens up. It’s hard to get back going. It’s definitely been a concern.”

Williams has been bothered by lingering ankle and wrist injuries all season, but has missed only three games so far after signing a five-year, $98 million contract with the Nets over this past summer. The ankle injuries are nothing new for the three-time All-Star; before the season began, he was given a cortisone shot to his left ankle after a bone spur caused inflammation in the area. After this season wraps up, Williams said he expects to undergo surgery to have his ankle cleaned up.

Though his playing time has remained virtually the same this off-season, Williams is playing with a number of new teammates and his statistics have taken a hit. In 36 minutes per game this season, he is averaging 16.7 points on 41 percent shooting to go along with 7.6 assists and 3.3 rebounds.

Paul Millsap is getting interest from the Nets. (Rocky Widner/Getty Images

The Brooklyn Nets are reportedly no longer interested in Charlotte Bobcats guard Ben Gordon and are growing increasingly pessimistic about landing Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith. According to Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News, the team has decided to shift its focus and will now look at acquiring Paul Millsap of the Utah Jazz.

Nets General Manager Billy King is in the final year of his contract, so there’s reason to believe that he’s feeling pressure from owner Mikhail Prokhorov to get a deal done before the Feb. 21 NBA trade deadline. The Nets are currently sixth in the Eastern Conference and Deron Williams is out with an ankle injury until after the All-Star break this weekend.

The Jazz are loaded with front-court depth, so it’s not clear what the possible pieces would involve from the Nets’ side should a deal happen. Kris Humphries has turned out a disappointing season this year and is due to make $12 million next season. Marshon Brooks has some upside as a young swingman but the Nets don’t have much else in terms of intriguing young talent and would likely not part with All-Star Brook Lopez. Millsap is averaging 14.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and one block in 30 minutes per game this season despite being featured in a loaded frontcourt that includes Al Jefferson and young talent in Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter

The Jazz are currently seventh in the Western Conference but pulled off an impressive win at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder this week and could look to upgrade its roster to make a push for the playoffs. With all of their depth among big men, it makes sense in some ways that the Jazz would be exploring trades to unload one of their forward-centers, but whether or not the Nets have the pieces to acquire that talent will be seen in the next week and a half as the league approaches its trade deadline.

Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams will miss the next two games with inflammation in both ankles, the team announced on Twitter today.

Williams is suffering from synovitis in both right and left ankles, according to the team. Williams underwent platelet-rich plasma injections on Monday and is expected to miss the Nets’ next two games before the All-Star break, against the Indiana Pacers and Denver Nuggets.

Guard @DeronWilliams will miss the next 2 games (IND, DEN) due to synovitis in both ankles. #injuryupdate—
Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) February 11, 2013

#injuryupdate (cont'd): @DeronWilliams recieved PRP (platelet-rich plasma) treatment today. Expected to return after the All-Star break.—
Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) February 11, 2013

Williams has started 50 games for the Nets this season, leading the team to a 29-22 record and a second-place standing in the Atlantic Division. Williams is averaging 16.7 points and 7.6 assists per game.

The Nets are “aggressively pursuing” a trade for Josh Smith. (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

The Brooklyn Nets are “aggressively pursuing” a possible trade for Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith, ESPN.com’s Chris Broussard reported on Sunday.

The Nets are also targeting Charlotte Bobcats guard Ben Gordon in trade talks before the Feb. 21 deadline. But Broussard reported that Smith is a “higher” priority for the Nets.

The Nets would offer Kris Humphries and second-year guard MarShon Brooks for the 27-year-old Smith, who is averaging 16.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per game on 45.1 percent shooting from the field. He would be a bona fide addition to a Nets lineup that includes guards Deron Williams and Joe Johnson and center Brook Lopez.

The Hawks would be looking for more in return from the Nets, however. Broussard reported that they would want the Nets’ first-round pick in addition to Humphries and Brooks. Or, it could take a third team to get involved for the trade to go through.

Smith will be a free agent in the offseason. He said recently that he believes he is worth a max contract, something the Hawks have indicated they are unwilling to give him. If Smith re-signs in free agency, a max contract would run for five years and cost his team in the neighborhood of $94 million.

The Nets and Hawks are neck-and-neck in the current Eastern Conference playoff standings. The Nets sit at No. 5, while the Hawks are right behind them at No. 6 — and the two teams are tied in the loss column.

LeBron James ripped into Reggie Evans after Evans dismissed the Heat’s title. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

LeBron James didn’t take too kindly to pre-game comments made by the Nets’ Reggie Evans who said that beating the Heat wouldn’t mean anything because they won a title during a lockout season.

James said to reporters after Miami beat Brooklyn for the third and final time this season that Evans has no right to make those comments because he has never won a championship and therefore he has no idea what it takes to win one.

“You can’t just come out and say something like that versus a champion. No one knows what it takes unless you’ve done it. You can’t sit here and judge and talk about a team winning a championship unless you’ve done it. (Evans) hasn’t done it. [L]et me look at his numbers real quick — he had no offensive rebounds, so we did our number on him.”

The Heat won 105-85, with Evans grabbing 6 rebounds and 2 steals in 20 minutes. James also took to Twitter to fire back at Evans.

Just keep throwing rocks at the throne, don't matter cause nothing can break my zone—
LeBron James (@KingJames) January 30, 2013

Reggie Evans said beating the Heat doesn’t mean anything because their title came during a lockout season. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images)

Reggie Evans agrees with Phil Jackson’s school of thought when it comes to winning titles during lockout seasons.

Jackson said following the San Antonio Spurs’ 1999 NBA Finals win over the New York Knicks that their title should have an asterisk next to it because it happened during a lockout season, and called their run an “aberration.”

Evans, the Brooklyn Nets’ rebounding machine, echoed those sentiments Wednesday, hours before the Nets get ready to play the Miami Heat. In a report from Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, Evans said that beating LeBron James and the Heat would not prove anything because their title took place at the end of a season that was cut short by nearly 20 games because of the lockout:

“It doesn’t prove nothing. That was a lockout season.”

Evans said that James is not unlike anyone else on the floor in that every player should command a double team, but added the key will be to stopping James in transition:

“Our team is defending the Miami Heat. If our team has to defend one person, LeBron isn’t going to score nothing. LeBron is no different from Joe Johnson or Andray Blatche. No different.People need help (on defense). Some people don’t need help. Everybody has to be double-teamed, it doesn’t matter who you are. You just have to stop LeBron in transition.”

The Nets lost to the Heat twice this season but Evans said the game on Wednesday night is still nothing personal or about revenge for him or the team and regardless of the outcome, they won’t even be thinking about this game in a few weeks from now:

“The way I look at it is we have to win in front of our fans because we’re playing them (at) home, not letting them down, no matter who we’re playing. It’s too early to be talking about that kind of stuff. Ten games from now you’re not going to thinking about this game.”

The Nets are reportedly interested in trading for Dwight Howard again. (Harry How/Getty Images)

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: The Brooklyn Nets are preparing to make a run at Dwight Howard, again.

Nets general manager Billy King is reportedly searching for a third team with a piece attractive enough to facilitate the trade, according to Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM, and feels like now is the time to once again ramp up efforts because of continuous struggles out of Los Angeles for the Lakers to live up to expectations, much less a .500 record. The general sentiment out of Brooklyn of course is that Howard would still listen to opportunities to sign long-term with Brooklyn.

According to sources, King was planning to contact the Minnesota Timberwolves in order to gauge their interest in a three-team trade that would send Kevin Love to the Lakers, Brook Lopez to the Timberwolves and Dwight Howard to the Nets.

The proposed trade is less probable now with Love currently rehabbing a broken hand that is expected to keep him out until mid-March.

But King is still interested in making it work, though he reportedly won’t make it a focal point to the extent that he did last summer when the Nets spending much of their time courting former Orlando Magic center.

King still has some time though; the NBA trade deadline is Feb. 21. Howard is in the middle of a 1-year, $19.2 million contract with the Lakers this season, so If he’s not traded by the deadline, expect these talks to surface again with regularity as several teams will no doubt enter the conversation to sign Howard as a free-agent this coming summer. His Staples Center neighbor, Chris Paul, also enters the market after the Los Angeles Clippers pay him $17.2 million this season.

In July, ESPN reported via RealGM that Howard would be interested in re-signing with the Lakers, but the real possibility that the team could miss the playoffs this season could change his course.

Player support of NBPA executive director Billy Hunter is waning. (Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)

Brooklyn Nets guard Deron Williams says change is needed at the top of the league’s players association and says NBPA chief Billy Hunter needs to go, reports CBSSports.com.

Hunter has been the National Basketball Player Association’s executive director for the past 16 years. He is the subject of a 469-page report released Thursday by independent law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in which they questioned Hunter’s use of union finances and accused him of failure to properly manage conflicts of interest.

“I think change is needed, top to bottom,” Williams said. “I don’t think things were getting voted on like they should have been,” Williams said. “I’m sure there’s guys that are still with Billy, and some guys that aren’t. We’ve just got to figure out what the next step is.”

That independent law firm also said that Hunter’s 2010 contract extension, reportedly worth $18 million, was not voted on by the board of 30 player representatives.

A Nets player is being questioned in a possible sexual assault case in Philadelphia, according to NBC Philadelphia. A source told the New York Daily News that the player in question is forward Andray Blatche.

Just before 4 a.m. on Tuesday, a woman was taken from a Four Seasons hotel to a local hospital. According to reports, she told police she was raped by someone inside the hotel. Three men were taken into custody for questioning, including the Nets player:

Police say a Brooklyn Nets player was in the hotel suite at the time of the alleged incident but was not in the bedroom where it may have occurred.

Nets general manager Billy King acknowledged the ongoing investigation, but did not confirm that the player was indeed Blatche.

Full Billy King statement: "We are aware of the ongoing police investigation regarding a member of the Brooklyn Nets. …—
Stefan Bondy (@NYDNInterNets) January 08, 2013

.. We will have no further comment until the investigation has concluded. All of our players are available for tonight's game."—
Stefan Bondy (@NYDNInterNets) January 08, 2013

A tweet from Blatche indicates he is likely the player in question:

Im ok and I didn’t do anything jus was n the area when it happened

— andray blatche (@drayblatche) January 8, 2013

Nets GM Billy King says interim coach P.J. Carlesimo has the team’s support. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBA/Getty Images)

Brooklyn Nets general manager Billy King is apparently in no hurry to name a new coach, saying that interim coach P.J. Carlesimo will stay in that position for now and he is not actively searching for someone to take the job permanently.

King said on ESPN Radio Sunday that the team will continue to support Carlesimo and will re-evaluate his status moving forward. King did not put a timetable on when a new coach will be hired.

The Nets fired coach Avery Johnson on Thursday and the Nets are 2-0 since Carlesimo took over, with defeats over the Charlotte Bobcats and Cleveland Cavaliers.

“We’ve put our support behind (P.J.) and then we’ll look at things and evaluate it later,” King said. “I know people have been throwing lists together and things like that, but we have not contacted anybody. … We’ve made the move and now we’re going to let P.J. coach. Sometimes you just need a different voice. What I like about P.J. is he’s had NBA head coaching experience. I think he understands the game, he’s been around it.”

Brooklyn is 16-14, five games behind the first place New York Knicks in the Atlantic Division.

Former NBA coach Phil Jackson hasn’t dismissed the Nets coaching job. (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Just yesterday, Phil Jackson’s agent Todd Musburger told David Aldridge via text that, “Phil has no interest in the Nets job at this time.” But it looks like that might have changed.

A source told CBSSports.com on Thursday night that the Nets job and the possibility of coaching a Brooklyn team have intrigued Jackson.  Jackson is meticulous with offers and will explore all facets of the coaching job before returning to the sideline.

No offers will be made until Nets officials meet with owner Mikhail Prokhorov. After that, the Nets will reportedly reach out to the 11-time champion coach about the job.

Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson is reportedly a candidate for the Brooklyn Nets job. (Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

Houston Rockets assistant coach Kelvin Sampson is a significant candidate for the open Brooklyn Nets job, reports Yahoo! Sports. 

The Nets fired coach Avery Johnson on Thursday after the team lost 10 of their last 13 games this month and named assistant P.J. Carlesimo the interim coach.

Sampson had a 488-269 record as a college coach with Washington State, Oklahoma and Indiana. Sampson then joined the Milwaukee Bucks in 2008 and then moved onto Houston with coach Kevin McHale last season. Sampson was also a candidate for the Detroit Pistons job last year says he has not been contacted by the Nets.

Nets general manager Billy King is intrigued with Sampson, among other candidates, and is expected to eventually speak with him, sources said.

Sampson has elevated his stature as a head-coaching candidate as the top assistant for Kevin McHale in Houston. When McHale left the team early this season to tend to his ailing daughter, Sampson led the Rockets to a 7-6 record that triggered a spurt that has Houston at 16-12 and in sixth place in the Western Conference.

Deron Williams said he was “surprised” at coach Avery Johnson’s firing. (Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

After the Brooklyn Nets unexpectedly fired head coach Avery Johnson on Thursday, much of the blame fell on star point guard Deron Williams, due to the pair’s reported rift.

But Williams downplayed those suggestions on Thursday. He told the New York Daily News’ Stefan Bondy Thursday night that he had nothing to do with Johnson’s firing. In fact, he said, he was as “surprised” as anyone.

“I was surprised,” Williams said in a telephone interview with Daily News. “I never had any conversation with (GM) Billy King about not liking coach, nothing about coach Johnson. Avery was a big reason I came back, because him and Billy. So I was surprised.

The Nets fired Johnson on Thursday after a 14-14 start and a horrid month of December in the franchise’s much-anticipated first season in Brooklyn.

For Williams, the situation mirrors one two years ago when he was with the Utah Jazz. Coach Jerry Sloan retired then after a reported rift with Williams.

Last week, Williams caused a stir when he said that he had never been comfortable in Johnson’s offense. But on Thursday, he tried to put aside any notion that those comments led to bad blood between him and Johnson.

“It’s almost like I’m always on the offense when I talk about Utah because of how things ended there with coach Sloan,” Williams said. “So the next day I went in, talked to coach Johnson and made sure he knew that I didn’t mean anything by it, and he was like, ‘No worries, I haven’t even thought about it.”

Johnson was in the final year of a three-year, $12 million contract. Williams, who signed a near $100 million contract this offseason, has struggled this season. He has averaged 16.6 points per game while shooting only 39.8 percent from the field.

The firing of Avery Johnson by the Brooklyn Nets Thursday morning has already elicited denials of interest by two unofficial candidates.

The agent for Phil Jackson, Todd Musburger, told NBA.com’s David Aldridge Thursday that Jackson is not interested in coaching the Nets.

“Phil has no interest in the Nets job at this time,” Musburger said via text.

ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reported Thursday morning via Twitter that the Nets planned to discuss the job with Jackson.

Jackson talked with the Lakers about their head coaching job after the team fired Mike Brown earlier this season, but was later surprised to learn that the Lakers hired Mike D’Antoni instead.

Former Miami Heat and Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy reportedly has no interest in the Nets job according to a tweet from Brian K. Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.

According to NBA coaching source, Nets launching broad search that will include call to Phil Jackson to gauge Phil's interest in Brooklyn—
Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) December 27, 2012

Stan Van Gundy has no interest in Brooklyn job—
Brian K. Schmitz (@MagicInsider) December 27, 2012

The Brooklyn Nets announced on its official Twitter site that they fired Avery Johnson on Thursday afternoon. Johnson was named the team’s head coach on June 15, 2010. He had a 60-116 record with the Nets in his two-plus years with the team.

Johnson was the Eastern Conference’s Coach of the Month in October and November after a 11-4 start. But the team has gone 3-10 since then and are in third place in the Atlantic Division, six games behind the Knicks, with a 14-14 record.

Prior to joining the Nets, Johnson led the Dallas Mavericks to the playoffs three times, including a Western Conference title in 2005-06, the same year he was named NBA Coach of the Year.

The Brooklyn Nets have relieved Avery Johnson of his head coaching duties, Nets GM Billy King announced.—
Nets PR Dept. (@Nets_PR) December 27, 2012

Analysts reacted to the seemingly abrupt decision:

While not unforeseen given the Nets' struggles, firing Johnson caught some in the organization off guard. Clearly a Prokhorov decision.—
Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) December 27, 2012

It was believed that Johnson would be given more time to turn things around after nine losses in 12 games against mostly winning teams.—
Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) December 27, 2012

Nets forward Kris Humphries has a mild abdominal strain and will not play in the Christmas Day game against the Celtics, reports the New York Times’s Howard Beck. Humphries will also miss tomorrow’s game against the Bucks and then be reevaluated.

Humphries, 27, is averaging 7.1 and 7.4 rebounds in 23.2 minutes per game so far this season. He has played in 25 of the team’s 26 games and started in 20 of them.

The Nets (14-12) are one game ahead of the Celtics (13-13) in the Atlantic Division. They trail the Knicks in first place by 5.5 games.

Kris Humphries has a mild abdominal strain. Out today, out tomorrow, then will be reevaluated.—
Howard Beck (@HowardBeckNYT) December 25, 2012

Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony is expected to play Wednesday night. Anthony missed the past two games against Cleveland and Houston with a sprained ankle. The injury occurred last Thursday in the second half of the game against the Lakers.

Anthony has been listed as day-to-day and a game-time decision since the ankle injury. Today, however, there are reports confirming Anthony will definitely play. His ankle is “badly bruised,” and he ran for it for the first time on Tuesday.

The Knicks lost their first game against Brooklyn, but won the second. The Knicks and Nets will meet three times in the first two months of the season.

Carmelo is a go. Brooklyn, you have been warned.

—
Frank Isola (@FisolaNYDN) December 19, 2012

Nets forward Gerald Wallace received a warning for flopping in a play against Carmelo Anthony on Monday night. In overtime, Wallace made contact with Anthony who used his elbow to create space as he went up for the three-pointer. Wallace threw his arms back and backed up several steps.

It is Wallace’s first warning; if he commits another flopping violation, he’ll be fined $5,000.

The Nets won the game 96-89, and Wallace finished with 16 points and five rebounds. A video of Wallace’s flop is below:

Nets center Brook Lopez will be out for the next two games with a mild foot sprain, the team’s PR department reported via Twitter on Thursday morning:

Brook Lopez will miss the next 2 games with a mild sprain of the right foot. X-rays were negative.—
Nets PR Dept. (@Nets_PR) November 29, 2012

Although the x-rays were negative, several analysts were quick to remember last season’s injury to the same foot that took Lopez out for all but five games:

To make any Nets fans feel better: last year Lopez immediately was diagnosed with the stress fracture in that foot that needed surgery.—
Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) November 29, 2012

I must also point out that last season Nets announced Lopez sprained his ankle, only to reveal two weeks later his foot was broken.—
Stefan Bondy (@NYDNInterNets) November 29, 2012

Lopez, 24, has started in all 14 games for the Nets so far this season and leads the team with 18.5 points and 2.5 blocks per game. New Jersey is 10-4 and tied for first with the Knicks in the Atlantic Division.

UPDATE: Video of the incident below:

The Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics engaged in a shoving match involving significant portions of both teams late in the second quarter of their game Wednesday night – one that saw Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo and Nets forwards Kris Humpries and Gerald Wallace ejected from the game.

The altercation began when Celtics power forward Kevin Garnett drove to the basket, defended by Humphries. Humphries jumped to block Garnett’s shot, fouling Garnett and knocking him to the ground in the process. Rondo took exception the the foul, shoving Humphries into the seats underneath the basket after the foul was called. From there it was a free-for-all, with Garnett and Wallace entangled, and multiple other players jostling with one another.

In the end, Humphries and Wallace were both assessed second technical fouls, while Rondo was ejected outright.

Brawl in Boston. Rondo just punched humphries in the head.—
Stefan Bondy (@NYDNInterNets) November 29, 2012

That might end Rondo’s assist streak.—
Chris Forsberg (@ESPNForsberg) November 29, 2012

Rondo appeared to overreact to a Humphries foul on Garnett that didn't look all that bad.—
Brian Mahoney (@briancmahoney) November 29, 2012

Expect a multi-game suspension for Rondo, so the #celtics need for a PG may be pressing now—
gary washburn (@GwashNBAGlobe) November 29, 2012

UPDATE: Evans will reportedly be fined by the league for his flop against the Lakers, per a tweet Wednesday evening from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

For his second flopping offense, the NBA has fined Brooklyn's Reggie Evans $5,000, league source tells Y! Sports.—
Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) November 21, 2012

It doesn’t bode well for the Brooklyn Nets’ Reggie Evans considering he was featured in a video distributed to teams by the league before the season began showing what flops look like.

After the NBA implemented the no-flopping policy, whereby players receive a warning from the league and then subsequent incremental fines for repeating acting jobs, Evans became one of the first players to receive the official warning after a game against the Boston Celtics. Less than two weeks later, after a game on Tuesday night in which the Nets lost on the road to the Los Angeles Lakers, it appears Evans may be the first player in the league to be fined for his repeated violation of the policy.

The league will review the play as seen below and determine if Evans flopped. If guilty, per NBA policy, Evans will be fined $5,000 because it would be his second violation. A third offense results in a $10,000 fine, and then $15,000 for a fourth violation and $30,000 for a fifth occurrence. Six or more offenses could lead to a suspension.

Metta World Peace was called for a foul on the play and, of course, took to Twitter to weigh in on the situation:

the refs did a good job on the gerald wallace flops…
but they missed the reggie evans flop….

its ok.. they will catch the next ones—
Metta World Peace (@MettaWorldPeace) November 21, 2012

what was the best flop tonight?
out of the three?i am so happy the nba charges $5000 per flop……—
Metta World Peace (@MettaWorldPeace) November 21, 2012

The Brooklyn Nets will be out two players tonight with matching sprained left ankles.

Gerald Wallace and Josh Childress, with matching left-ankle sprains, are both out tonight vs Heat. Avery Johnson cagey about who starts at 3

—
Howard Beck (@HowardBeckNYT) November 07, 2012

Josh Childress goes back on the injury report with a mild ankle sprain and has a way to go before he can play consistently.

Small forward Gerald Wallace sprained his ankle last week late in the fourth quarter of the Nets opener against the Toronto Raptors. He missed Monday’s game against the Timberwolves and will now sit out against the Heat. Coach Avery Johnson says Wallace’s status remains day-to-day. Wallace has been a reliable defender this season, and with Miami leading the league in scoring, his absence could be a game changer.

Gerald Wallace is out with injury for this Monday’s game. (Bruce Bennett, Getty Images)

The Brooklyn Nets will have to do without small forward Gerald Wallace for a little while, it was revealed on Monday.

The 30-year-old Wallace suffered a sprained ankle in the closing stages of the Nets’ season-and-home-opening win over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night, and head coach Avery Johnson says he will hold Wallace out of the team’s second game. According to the New York Daily News, Johnson will insert Keith Bogans into the starting lineup in Wallace’s place- a move that is designed to preserve the continuity of Johnson’s rotation of subs.

The Nets-Knicks season opener at the Barclays Center was postponed due to Hurricane Sandy. (Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

The Brooklyn Nets season opener against the New York Knicks scheduled for Thursday night was postponed Wednesday because of the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and damage to the city’s transit system, the New York Times reports.

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg made the announcement after NBA spokesman Tim Frank said yesterday the game would go on as scheduled despite the damage to the area caused by Hurricane Sandy. Brooklyn plays host to the Toronto Raptors on Saturday and the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.

Service to several subway stations leading to the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn are still suspended and no make up date for the game has been announced.

Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald said the team’s game against the Miami Heat will be played Friday at Madison Square Garden in midtown Manhattan.

SI.com reported Tuesday that the NBA is watching developments and assessing the situation as far as other games on the week’s schedule.

RT @HowardBeckNYT: Another source confirms what my colleague @richsandomir just tweeted: Mayor to announce cancellation of Knicks-Nets game—
Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) October 31, 2012

Billy King confirms game canceled.—
Howard Beck (@HowardBeckNYT) October 31, 2012