The New York Knicks have been a train-wreck since starting out the season strong. Once a surprising playoff contender, they have fallen steeply off a cliff. The sudden change in their postseason chances, along with possible other factors, led to the team firing head coach Derek Fisher and replacing him on an interim basis with Kurt Rambis. However, the Rambis era has not been much more different.
With all of these things going wrong for New York, it seemed safe to assume they would be in the coaching market this offseason. That may not be the case, however, with the team reportedly uninterested in hiring arguably the best free agent coach in Tom Thibodeau.
Following from Marc Berman of the New York Post:
For those tabbing Tom Thibodeau, who looks even more attractive because of the Fred Hoiberg disaster, it’s not happening. The Knicks also are getting a strong sense Luke Walton is not leaving the Warriors this soon. Thibodeau has as much a shot as a Fisher redux.
Additionally, it seems the relationship between Rambis and team president Phil Jackson is as great as ever, leading many to speculate that despite his clear flaws, Rambis will be back next year:
The Rambis-Jackson daily rapport has been unmatched, rarely seen between head coach and president anymore, according to observers. Rambis has no ego. They talk almost every day and have their disagreements. This is what Jackson craved — access and input he could not achieve with the headstrong Fisher running the show. If Rambis returns, Jackson will only get more involved next season, as long as his bionic hips don’t melt.
Ignore the random jab at Jackson’s old age and health. This does make sense. As one of the greatest coaches of all time, it makes sense that Jackson may want to be very much involved in that aspect of the organization, for better or for worse. The issue here is that Rambis has not shown himself to be a good coach in New York or elsewhere. There is a large number of talented and successful coaches available this summer and nearly all of them are better options than Rambis.
If the Knicks want to maximize the young talent on their team in order to develop them for an eventual playoff run, they must start with choosing the correct coach. Hiring Rambis full-time because he will listen to Jackson is likely not the right call.
