It was clear that Derek Fisher was not getting the job done and he would be fired eventually but shockingly the Knicks announced his release on Monday, in the middle of the 2015-16 season. Assistant coach Kurt Rambis will serve as the interim coach. While he’s auditioning for the job permanently, discussions have already begun as to who will be the Knicks next coach. Former Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau reportedly covets the job but it won’t simply be handed to him for several reasons.
A source close to Thibodeau told ESPN reporter Ian Connor, “The Knicks are the job he’s always wanted. He would crawl to Madison Square Garden.” Not only is Thibodeau dying to coach the Knicks, he’s also a big fan of Knicks star Carmelo Anthony. Thibodeau coached Anthony while apart of Team USA and once said, “We laugh sometimes about what some people say about Melo. The guy’s a killer.”
Thibodeau is the best coach available and it would seem like a no-brainer to hire him but alas things aren’t that easy for Knicks fans. Phil Jackson is the team president and has made it clear he wants the team to run the triangle offense, Thibodeau has his own coaching style. Another issue is Jackson wants someone he’s familiar with, hence why he hired Derek Fisher (a former player of his who would follow orders). Two other former players of Jackson are being considered, Luke Walton and Brian Shaw.
Luke Walton is expected to be pursued by several teams this offseason. He led the Warriors to a 39-4 start while Steve Kerr was sidelined with back problems. For me, that’s too small a sample size with a monster team. The Knicks would be a totally different ball game. The other choice, Brian Shaw was a flop during his time as the Nuggets head coach going 56-85 and implementing weird policies.
For once Knicks, don’t screw this up…
