David Blatt was never a serious candidate to become the next coach of the Knicks, tweets veteran NBA reporter Peter Vecsey. Blatt’s name was floated as a smokescreen, Vecsey reports, and interim coach Kurt Rambis remains the only candidate for the position. According to Vecsey, the agent for new Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau contacted the Knicks to express his client’s interest, but team president Phil Jackson had no desire to talk to Thibodeau.
Blatt was reported as a candidate earlier this month, and Jackson was believed to have a positive image of the former Cavaliers coach who was a teammate of Knicks GM Steve Mills at Princeton. Blatt, who guided Cleveland to the NBA finals last season, has been mentioned for several open coaching jobs since he was fired in January.
There’s more this morning out of New York:
- Hiring the right coach is Jackson’s most important job this offseason, and he should consider someone other than the expected candidates, writes Bobby Marks of The Vertical. He lists Jim Cleamons, Bill Cartwright, Brian Shaw, Frank Hamblen, Derek Fisher and Rambis as failed coaches with a past connection to Jackson. Marks also writes that the Knicks need to fix their thin bench, and notes that more cap space will be available for that task if Arron Afflalo and Derrick Williams opt out. But he adds that the coaching job must be filled first, and that will determine the type of players the Knicks should pursue.
- Jackson is blaming former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy for the negative publicity surrounding the Knicks and his performance as president, according to Bob Raissman of The New York Daily News. Longtime Jackson friend Charley Rosen wrote recently that Jackson has been “unfairly denigrated as being misguided and incompetent” by the media and he believes “power-playing” Van Gundy is behind the effort. Van Gundy coached the Knicks from 1995 to 2002, compiling a 248-172 record. He is rumored to be the favorite to become the next coach of the Rockets.
Sigh. More of Kurt Rambis it seems. Phil’s the one to talk power-playing all right…
Phil Jackson and his dedication to the out-dated triangle offense will keep in the knicks exactly where they are…home during the playoffs and a laughing stock in the NBA.
Well Phil will be digging his own grave retaining Rambis. Jackson’s GM tenure has not been good.
Do you think Phil is a bad GM, is he too blinded by loyalty to the triangle and his own coaching disciples or has he just lost interest in the Knicks and is planning to return to L.A.?
What’s the definition of insanity? To do the same failed things over and over and to think this time the results will be different. Rambis is a multiple opportunity proven loser. To even consider him as the full time head coach is madness. Jackson is the establishment as he tries to ram him down the throat of Knicks fans. Sought of sounds like the Republican elitist pushing loser Jeb Bush then Rubio on the American people. Just substitute Jackson for Republican elitist pushing the outdated Triangle and Rambis. The game and times have passed him by. Do you think Dolan has figured that out yet? Nah as Guitar Jimmy Dolan is out of touch. Boy is he lucky Daddy came first. What a joke the Knicks are!
Phil Jackson is an idiot whose going to kill this team with sn incompetent coach, an outdated offense and no eye for talent (Jerian Grsnt should not have played more?) The only way something gets done is when people stop going to the games and MSG loses money.A coaching search where you interview one coach?? Go back to LA.
The Knicks will continue to be terrible as long as Jackson is there. Jackson has to realize that the only person who has ever had success with the triangle is himself, and that only happened because he had Jordan and Kobe. It’s easy to have success in a system when you have arguably two of the best players of their era.
Melo doesn’t qualify?
At his current age and health status, no. Melo from his late Nuggets/early Knicks days could maybe do some things in the triangle, but it doesn’t help that the secondary guys (Porzingas, Lopez) are nowhere near as good as the secondary guys Jordan and Kobe had. Jordan had Pippen (and Rodman later on) while Kobe had Shaq and then Gasol/Bynum. But still, the point remains that Jackson is the only coach to really have success with the triangle and only did so because he had Jordan and Kobe.
Jordan was with the Bulls for 4yrs before Jackson arrived! Under Doug Collins they got swept for years in a row twice by the Celtics and twice by the Pistons using the Jordan rules! Phil got the head job for the 89-90 season got rid of all the isolation plays for Jordan which hurt their efficiency. Cause that 30 point plus avg dont mean squat in the playoffs. Score 30 and your team wins championships does. He and Kobe would not have won squat without Phil! Do your history!
Lol he is blaming JVG? He sounds even more like a child than before
The irony is that Van Gundy would be a decent choice for the Knicks if Jackson weren’t around. The fans would love him, Carmelo would probably love him and he would find a way to solve the Knicks’ defensive problems. He would be a much better move than sticking with Rambis.
Melo is the biggest problem. It’s not Jackson, Rambis, the Triangle, Porzingis or Lopez.
Van Gundy isn’t the solution.
Rambis is the solution if it makes Melo this uncomfortable.