Kurt Rambis was moved up from assistant coach to head coach after the New York Knicks fired Derek Fisher. It has been his audition and now sources say the Knicks are giving him strong consideration to make him their full-time head coach.
Sources told ESPN.com that Rambis, who has served as the Knicks’ interim coach since Derek Fisher was fired Feb. 8, is the preferred choice of team president Phil Jackson, who sources say is pushing for a new multiyear deal for Rambis despite New York’s 8-16 record since the coaching change.
Rambis worked two stints as an assistant coach to Jackson with the Los Angeles Lakers, joining him for four of his 11 championship rings, and has grown very close to Jackson thanks to that longstanding relationship. Sources say Jackson, who took his post with the Knicks in March 2014, has had a much more frequent presence at Knicks practices at home since Rambis took over.
With Jackson, 70, insisting that he can no longer handle the day-to-day rigors of coaching, sources say he sees Rambis as the coach best suited to not only run the triangle offense he favors but also manage the team using Jackson’s long-held principles.
Knicks fans have appreciated the positive moves Phil Jackson has made, most notably drafting Kristaps Porzingis but if he remains dedicated to the triangle and someone familiar to him to the point where he keeps Rambis full-time, it will enrage Knicks fans (myself included).
