Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks are now reportedly interested in David Blatt. I don’t about you, but it’s time for me to now go home.
By Robby Sabo
This can’t be the hot news coming out of New York Knicks land today. Can it?
According to Ian Begley of ESPN New York, it is believed that interim head coach Kurt Rambis remains a strong possibility to remain head coach, but boss Phil Jackson is kicking the tires on other candidates.
As Begley puts it, Jackson wants to make sure he does his due diligence. So, naturally, the name David Blatt surfaces.
According to league sources, the former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach, and LeBron James whipping boy, is a potential name Jackson is considering.
Should all Knicks fans just go home now?
Not only do we have to put up with many years of miserable squads and that not-so-delightfully themed program titled Friday Night Knicks (please try something new MSG), but now we’ve got to consider Blatt as the next head coach?
Rambis, of course, is still saying all the right things:
“There’s nobody on this staff that feels comfortable not making the playoffs; we’re all in the same boat with that. We all know that we have to do things better and we have to get better in order to make that happen,” Rambis said. “It’s a process [to build a winning team], but I’m not thinking 10 years from now. We’re all assuming it’s going to happen a lot sooner rather than later.
Because Blatt doesn’t have any experience with the triangle, this leads many to believe that Jax is finally open to the idea of hiring somebody not formerly involved with his famed “inner circle.”
The more cynical, and realistic mind believes this is simply a front put on by one of the better media manipulators in NBA history.
In either case, here’s an excellent idea: How about hiring the actual best talent available? This guy has name, and it’s Tom Thibodeau.
Look at what the Chicago Bulls did prior to Thibs (mediocrity with a 41-41 record in 2008-09 and a 33-49 record in 2007-08), to what they did with Thibs (a 394-255 record over five seasons), to now quickly reverting back to mediocrity (40-40 this season).
The guy is a defensive wizard who always gets max effort out of his players, yet Jackson wants nothing to do with him.
And oh yeah, there have been multiple reports that Thibs is just dying to come back to his home, Madison Square Garden.
Sadly, the approach that makes sense to most doesn’t work out for Jackson and the Knicks.
Instead, they’re reportedly interested in this guy:
