The New York Knicks allowed all of their fans to breathe a sigh of relief when they hired Jeff Hornacek to replace Kurt Rambis as their head coach. Rambis, who had assumed the role of interim coach after Derek Fisher was hired, does not have the greatest reputation as a head coach. Before Hornacek’s hiring was announced, it appeared to be a real possibility that he would retain his role.
That is obviously not going to happen anymore, but that doesn’t mean Rambis will be gone entirely. While no official announcement has been made about Rambis’ future role in the organization, team president Phil Jackson is making it quite clear he will be back in some capacity:
On SNY, Phil Jackson sure sounded like Rambis will be back: "He can help Jeff feel his way through and find a best way for them to play."
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) June 7, 2016
Based off of this quote alone, it appears that Jackson wants Rambis to serve as an assistant to Hornacek. But while it was reported that the new head coach would not have to run the Triangle as Jackson would prefer, Rambis’ inclusion on the coaching staff would point to the Knicks still involving the offensive system. In fact, Hornacek recently claimed that the Triangle would not be scrapped entirely.
In short, Rambis may be used as a Jackson puppet on the bench, allowing the president to control how the team plays indirectly. The fact that the Knicks went away from hiring a Jackson-disciple was a good sign, but it can all be undone quickly by manipulative management working through an assistant.
The level of trust in an organization from top-to-bottom is a crucial part of success that goes unsaid, but the Knicks certainly do not appear to have it. If you’re Jeff Hornacek, how can you trust management by effectively forcing you to keep Kurt Rambis, a disciple and student of Phil Jackson, on your coaching staff?
Perhaps this is all nothing and Rambis will be more of a part-time consultant to either Hornacek or Jackson. But as it stands now, this could be a potentially devastating blow to the Knicks’ rebuild.
UPDATE:
Knicks and Rambis are getting close to finalizing a deal to have him remain on the staff, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.
The New York Knicks are in negotiations with Kurt Rambis on a new contract for a position on Jeff Hornacek’s coaching staff, league sources told ESPN.
Rambis was given serious consideration for the Knicks’ head-coaching vacancy, but the club ultimately decided to hire Hornacek, leaving Rambis’ future with the team in limbo.
Hornacek has signed off on adding Rambis to his staff, sources say, and while Rambis still had one year remaining on his current contract, the sides decided to negotiate a new deal.
