Avery Johnson Looking for Two Gigs in New Orleans?

The Times Picayune reports that Johnson — who currently works as a talking head on ESPNwants to be a head coach for the Hornets, and have one of the top jobs in the front office: “If Avery Johnson is to have a role with his hometown’s NBA franchise, it might not solely be on the bench. The source said Johnson would join the Hornets only if minority owner Gary Chouest buys George Shinn’s 75 percent share of the team. Johnson is thought to be Chouest’s top choice to lead the franchise, and team officials said last month they’d be open to hiring someone to oversee basketball operations. Since interviewing for the Hornets’ head-coaching job two weeks ago, Johnson has become concerned about the snail’s pace of negotiations between Chouest and Shinn on the purchase price of Shinn’s stake in the franchise, according to the source. Johnson interviewed for the Atlanta Hawks’ head-coaching job earlier this week and will meet New Jersey Nets officials next week to discuss their vacancy.”