Mark Jackson the preferred candidate of Kings owner Vivek Ranadive?

Former Orlando and Charlotte head coach Steve Clifford has interviewed and so has former Golden State coach and ESPN analyst Mark Jackson. Sources say, Mike Brown, the Golden State associate head coach whose team is tied, 1-1, in its West semifinal series with Memphis, spent informal time with Kings officials on Wednesday and has his formal interview on Thursday. As Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer noted on Tuesday, there is indeed a strong sense from sources close to the situation that Jackson is the preferred candidate of Kings owner Vivek Ranadive. But the Kings insist there’s a level playing field, and that second-year general manager Monte McNair will be given the leeway to make the final decision.