By now we all know that the Knicks lost out on a ludicrous bidding war for a man who'd never coached. So what now? The papers are reporting that the Knicks will look outside Phil's circle and could bring in someone like Mark Jackson. That's not what I think they should do. Instead, I think Phil should find some young coach -- maybe from a collegiate mid-major -- or an NBA bench and make him his apprentice. That's all the new coach is going to be anyway. I think a younger coach will be less set in his ways and, honestly, if a coach can't learn the triangle relatively quickly, how should the Knicks be expected to (are they expected to?). So, I think the Knicks should pluck someone from the mid majors - the kind of guys who's made a run and will eventually be plucked to coach a bigger school. Jump on someone like that. Not a retread.
I'd also be kind of interested in Luke Walton. I know he's a bit of a stoner, but he already knows the triangle and comes from about as fundamentally sound a basketball background as exists on earth. So I'd pick someone like that.
And I wouldn't worry about finding someone with a name, or gravitas, because they will all come with egos and make Phil's job harder.
It also came out that Ray Felton was told he was going to be traded during his exit interview. This I'd like to see.
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I am hoping for a Fred Hoiberg
He might be a good pick.
ESPN NY mentions Hoiberg, although he supposedly rejected the T'Wolves and they have more talent.
Whatever they do, they cannot give up non-monetary compensation for a coach, like Brian Shaw.
The real problem continues to be the talent deficit and their idiotic trading of draft picks that could be used to replenish it.
I think they may have to waive Felton to move him.
They're probably throw him in with Chandler.
I'm surprised they didn't try to void his contract because of the gunplay,.
This is not sour grapes, because I couldn't care less if Kerr was hired in NY, but the more I read about the GS situation, it could be full of landmines:
"Guys are going to look at it from a race standpoint," the player said. "It shows what this was all about when they cut him as quick as they did. Guys question, 'Is this really about winning or is it about the way you want the place to look like?' "
And then:
"There aren't any idiots in that locker room," the player said. "We have solid guys, great guys. I'm not saying he won't be able to win the team over. But that will be his biggest challenge. Can he take us to a place Coach Jackson couldn't? We were one basket away from going back to the semifinals a second year in a row. That means Steve has to get us to the conference finals or the finals. Guys are going to be very conscious of that.
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So maybe Marv Albert's song and dance (pun intended), family considerations, and despite what his agent say, big big money, convinced him that NY wasn't for him, but there could be issues in GS as well.
Personally, I think Derek Fisher would make a great coach and apprentice.
Felton will be packaged with an expiring for a player with a bigger deal. Getting him off the team is addition by subtraction, I have never seen a player complain more to the refs in my entire life.
The problem with that is they are apparently trying to accumulate cap space, so they aren't really in a position to trade an expiring contact just to move Felton and his relatively (in NBA terms) small contract.
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