The New York Knicks are 31-47 overall and 8-16 since Kurt Rambis took over for Derek Fisher on February 8th. But regardless of the poor record under Rambis, team President Phil Jackson wants Rambis to stay at the helm, according to ESPN.
Jackson is 70-years-old, so he can’t be the coach. Luckily for him, when he was leading the Los Angeles Lakers to four titles, Rambis was his assistant coach. As a result, the two are very close.
The relationship between Jackson and Rambis could help the Knicks truly implement Jackson’s vision, which is part of the reason why he was brought in and why he hired Derek Fisher, although that failed. Rambis could still run the triangle offense and implement some of the same strategies and beliefs Jackson did while in Los Angeles.
But then again, that’s part of the reason why the Knicks hired Fisher, who played under Jackson with the Lakers, to begin with. Before last season, New York signed Fisher to a five-year $25 million dollar deal to be its coach. But after going 40-96, and 1-9 right before the coaching change, New York decided to sever ties with Fisher.
Another factor into this equation is the team’s best player, Carmelo Anthony. About a month ago, Anthony told reporters he was hoping Jackson would consider Rambis along with other potential candidates during the offseason instead of committing to Rambis before talking to anyone else. This could be because there are established coaches out there like Tom Thibodeau, Jeff Van Gundy, and Mark Jackson.
Rambis has only one other full-time head coaching job under his belt. He was the head man in Minneosta from 2009-2011 and went 32-132 before being let go. Rambis’ only other head coaching job was when he served as the interim head coach during the 1998-1999 season for the Lakers and went 24-13.
Jackson hasn’t discussed the situation publicly since the team’s west coast swing in early March. At the time, Jackson said he thought Rambis was “perfectly capable” of taking over full time.
“Kurt and I have a relationship that goes back to 2001,” Jackson said. “He knows the ins and outs, what pleases me and [what] probably I want to have changed. … We have a relationship that’s much more tight [than Jackson’s relationship with Fisher].”
[ESPN]
