If he’s just going through the motions of a coaching search until he hires Kurt Rambis, Phil Jackson is at least keeping up appearances.
The Knicks president met with the other known candidate for the job, former Cavaliers coach David Blatt.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports:
David Blatt met with New York president Phil Jackson about Knicks' coaching job on Monday, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) April 27, 2016
I actually think Blatt would make a decent choice for the Knicks. After his stint in Cleveland, he’s probably hungry for support from a team’s powerbroker – and Jackson seems intent on getting deeply involved in coaching. More than most, Blatt could welcome that.
Blatt’s offensive system, which he barely got to run once LeBron James asserted control, shares enough similarities to Jackson’s triangle. They could find common ground. Jackson could teach Blatt how to better communicate with players, and Blatt’s Xs-and-Os acumen could fill in for Jackson’s gaps.
But Blatt never played for Jackson, never worked for Jackson, never coached the triangle. He’s probably too far outside the tiny box to get this job – though an interview could at least open the door for Jackson to see a bigger picture.
