NEW YORK -- Brooklyn Nets interim coach P.J. Carlesimo's future is uncertain after his team's first-round playoff exit.
His players, however, would like to see him return.
"I think he did a great job," Nets point guard Deron Williams said after the team's 99-93 loss to the Chicago Bulls in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals at Barclays Center.
"With everything that went on this season, we had a lot of turmoil and he kind of inherited us. And I think he did a great job of leading us and getting us that fourth seed. I'd love to see him back, but as you know, that's not up to me."
Carlesimo went 35-19 during the regular season after taking over for Avery Johnson following the team's 14-14 start, which led to Johnson's dismissal.
"I'm pretty happy with the way he's coached and the way things worked out," center Brook Lopez said. "I think a lot of players bought into what he was preaching."
"P.J.'s been great. He's gotten us to this point," shooting guard Joe Johnson said. "We had a pretty good year, especially when he took over."
But Carlesimo has failed to win a playoff series as a head coach, and his future with the team, sources told ESPN.com, hinged on his success in the postseason.
"We really believed that we would be successful in the playoffs," Carlesimo said. "And we didn't get as far as we wanted to."
The Nets entered the 2012-13 campaign with high expectations after general manager Billy King and the rest of his staff invested $330 million on current and future contracts to overhaul the roster. And following a 49-33 finish to the regular season, they felt like they had a chance to make a run in the playoffs.
It didn't happen.
The Nets long have been interested in Phil Jackson, who recently was hired by the Detroit Pistons to consult the team while it fills its head-coaching vacancy. Owner Mikhail Prokhorov, with deep pockets, is thought to want to make a splash and hire a big name.
Both Van Gundy brothers -- Stan and Jeff, a current ESPN NBA analyst -- could be available.