David Blatt is set to interview with the New York Knicks in Europe next week and the team is also reportedly interested in interviewing James Borrego of the Spurs.
According to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ian Begley, it appears that the New York Knicks are going to interview David Blatt next week while simultaneously working to set up an interview with Spurs assistant coach James Borrego.
The Knicks are meeting with David Blatt in Europe next week on head coaching job, and plan also to interview Spurs assistant coach James Borrego, league sources tell me and @IanBegley.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 20, 2018
Blatt’s close relationship with Steve Mills could help him land the job, but Mills and Scott Perry won’t be handing him the job on a silver platter. Blatt will certainly have questions to answer regarding his tenure in Cleveland. Whether or not, he can connect with Kristaps Porzingis could make or break his candidacy.
The sheer volume of candidates indicates that the Knicks don’t know exactly who they are looking for yet. The newest name linked to New York is James Borrego of the San Antonio Spurs.
Borrego is a young coach (40) who has experience as an assistant coach in a few different places. Right out of the University of San Diego, Borrego became an assistant for his alma mater. He would later spend seven years with San Antonio, two years with Charlotte, and three years in Orlando. After serving as the interim head coach for Orlando in 2015, Borrego returned to San Antonio.
Although he isn’t a big name, any coach who has spent time under Gregg Popovich will have a certain level of credibility. In a crowded field, Borrego could become a dark horse candidate despite the big names in the conversation.
Borrego joins a field of Blatt, Mark Jackson, David Fizdale, Jerry Stackhouse, Mike Woodson, Mike Budenholzer and Kenny Smith. Mills and Perry are adding more and more names to the conversation, but it’s unclear if there is a favorite to secure the job.
At this point, the only person the Knicks aren’t going to interview is Jeff Van Gundy.
