Pitino Denies Interest

Rick Pitino denies interest in Nets coaching job
Nets president denies contact with the Louisville coach

Sporting News staff reports

Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010 - 8:29 a.m. ET

On Thursday, the New York Daily News reported that Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino is interested in the New Jersey Nets' head coaching vacancy, but the coach tells ESPN the report is false.

"There's not an ounce of truth to it," Pitino told ESPN.com's Pat Forde on Thursday. "I have no interest, period. I'm done with coaching professional basketball. I've put the professional ranks behind me."

Pitino had "intermediaries" recently contact Nets president Rod Thorn on his behalf, according to the newspaper's sources.

Thorn, responding to a question from the Newark Star-Ledger about the Daily News' report, said via text message, "Have not had any contact with Pitino. To my knowledge, no one in our organization has, either."

A source close to Pitino tells ESPN.com that Pitino did speak with Thorn at the funeral for former New York Knicks player and coach Dick McGuire earlier this week. But that conversation was appropriate for a funeral and did not concern a job.

The newspaper reports the franchise has a short list of candidates, starting with former Knicks and Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy.

General manager Kiki Vandeweghe took over the coaching duties on an interim basis after the Nets fired Lawrence Frank

Heard this same crap in 97 two weeks before he left

Bho wrote:Heard this same crap in 97 two weeks before he left

My thoughts exactly Bho. UL fans don't be shocked if you see him walk at the end of the year.

I don't even understand why he would be considered for a NBA job. Has he really done anything in the past 12 years that would really warrant a NBA head coaching job?