The New York Knicks have begun their coaching search to see who will be their next full-time guy. Kurt Rambis, who finished the year as the interim head coach, is still considered the heavy favorite, but Knicks president Phil Jackson has at least said he would conduct other interviews.
Many fans were outraged when Jackson said the interview process would only involve people he knows because they think it is a ploy to just promote Rambis to full-time head coach. While many around the situation expect Rambis to be the coach heading into next season, Jackson did at least reach out to Luke Walton, who played for him when he was coaching the Los Angeles Lakers.
While Walton did receive a call, it appears that he is not interested in taking the job at this time. It is unclear if Walton and Jackson will talk again, but at this time Walton likes where he is at with the Golden State Warriors, and that shouldn't surprise anyone. The Warriors just broke the NBA record for wins in a single season, and Walton played a major role in that as he coached the team to a 39-4 record over the first 43 games while head coach Steve Kerr was dealing with back issues.
Leaving the Warriors for an unstable situation like the Knicks would not seem to be the best career move for Walton, and his father Bill agrees. Bill Walton was on ESPN's "First Take" about a month ago and said that his son is in the perfect situation right now, and he shouldn't leave because head coaching jobs are open for a reason. Being a head coach is Luke's ultimate goal, but he is just 36 years old and will likely be coveted for many years to come so he can pick and choose which job he wants in the coming years. For now he can continue to be the associate head coach in Golden State and enjoy all of that success and stability.
As for where the Knicks might turn now that Walton seems to be out, obviously Rambis is on the top of Jackson's list, but there was a report that former Cavaliers coach David Blatt could be an option too. Blatt doesn't exactly fit into Jackson's triangle offense or his proclamation that the search would only involve guys he knows, but Knicks general manager Steve Mills did play with him at Princeton. Knicks fans will likely be glad to hear that the Knicks may be at least considering coaches that don't run the triangle offense, but it may just be blowing smoke as all signs still point to Rambis as the favorite for the job.
