The New York Knicks are still without a head coach, and president Phil Jackson has yet to make any significant comments on the matter. With a handful of solid candidates on the market, including Frank Vogel, the Knicks do have some options at the moment. However, many expect interim head coach Kurt Rambis to land the gig full-time due to his familiarity with Jackson's triangle offense.
That may not be the ideal outcome for Knicks star Carmelo Anthony. Rambis went 9-19 as New York's interim head coach this season and has a .284 career winning percentage in the NBA. Anthony reportedly wants Jackson to interview several candidates before making a final decision, which is understandable. According to a recent report, Rambis is actually far behind former Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt on Anthony's supposed wish list.
"The source stated Anthony believes Blatt, because of his vast international experience before joining the Cavaliers, would be better for 7-foot-3 Latvian phenom Kristaps Porzingis than would interim coach Kurt Rambis," according to the report. "The source said Anthony feels Blatt could develop Porzingis into an All-Star quicker with his international touch."
Jackson may meet with other potential head coaches in Chicago today at the NBA's 2016 pre-draft camp. In addition to Rambis and Vogel, ESPN's Jeff van Gundy, San Antonio's Ettore Messina, Miami's Dave Fizdale and other such names have been mentioned in connection to coaching vacancies around the league this offseason.
Blatt was fired on Jan. 22 and did not have a good relationship with many of Cleveland's star players, including LeBron James. James and Anthony are close friends, so it's probable that they have discussed Blatt at some point. Before joining Cleveland, Blatt was a celebrated international coach with a .599 winning percentage overseas and one Euroleague Championship. To the coach's credit, he did reach the NBA Finals in his first season and was fired with an Eastern Conference leading 30-11 record this season.
The longer New York's coaching search drags on, the less viable options Jackson will have to choose from. Expect more movement on a decision in the coming days.
Follow Brandon Katz at @Great_Katzby
