The New York Knicks fired Derek Fisher earlier this season for a multitude of reasons, but the main one was likely that the team was underachieving. The Knicks are 16 games under .500, and things haven't gotten any better since Kurt Rambis took over as the interim head coach so it would seem that they have a full-blown coaching search coming up this offseason.
That may not be the case, though, as team president Phil Jackson has a close relationship with Rambis and feels he is fully capable of running the team full-time. Nothing is set in stone yet, but it would seem that if Jackson has his way Rambis will continue coaching this team into next season.
Reports state that Rambis is Jackson's number one choice because of their close relationship and the fact that Jackson believes Rambis is the best option out there to run the triangle. This news is likely not very exciting to many Knicks fans because of Rambis' track record as a head coach and the fact that Jackson's last hire, who was also supposed to be ideal for running the triangle, did not work out.
Rambis was part of Jackson's staff with the Los Angeles Lakers when Jackson was the head coach there and has four rings because of that. Rambis also did have a successful short stint as the interim head coach of the Lakers in 1999 where he went 24-13, but that is about where the positives end.
Rambis has been a full-time head coach one time in his career, and that did not go well to say the least. From 2009-2011 Rambis coached the Minnesota Timberwolves to a record of 32-132 before being let go after just two seasons. Add on to that the fact that the Knicks have not played well in his time as their interim coach, and Rambis' track record is not pretty.
The most frustrating thing about this report for Knicks fans is likely the fact that there are big names out there that the Knicks could target to be their next head coach. Tom Thibodeau, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson all have Knicks ties and have had success as head coaches at the NBA level, but Jackson won't let go of the idea of running the triangle offense.
While the fans would almost certainly be unhappy with Rambis being given a contract, some of the players likely would be too. Carmelo Anthony has made it clear that he thinks that the Knicks should conduct a full coaching search and look outside the organization at candidates. It doesn't seem like that is what Jackson is going to do, though, and that could spell even more trouble down the road for the Knicks.
