Knicks Fire Entire Coaching Staff
It looks like Phil Jackson is starting from scratch in his new job of running the New York Knicks. Coach Mike Woodson and all of his assistants were let go on Monday. Let the rebuild begin.
What remains to be seen is whether the Knicks will try to hire a new coach to entice free agent star Carmelo Anthony to stay with them or a coach brought in to rebuild with youth such as Atlantic Division foe, the Boston Celtics did when they hired Brad Stevens from the college ranks. The Knicks could reload rather quickly through the draft is they can convince Anthony to stay. When he and Amare Stoudamire and Tyson Chandler were all on the court together, the team was not that bad. They finished the season strong enough to stay in the playoff race until the end.
The NBA Draft is absolutely loaded with talent this year, so with the Knicks in the NBA Draft Lottery, they could land a very good player. Make that should land a very good player. So who should they hire as their next coach? Here are some of the coaches who they might consider:
Stan Van Gundy– SVG is a good coach. He got a raw deal from Dwight Howard when he coached the Orlando Magic. But look at the Magic now. SVG may shy away from another situation like that with Carmelo, but if the Knicks re-sign him, there won’t be any of the “if I don’t get me way, I’m leaving” drama like there was with Dwight. He could get things turned around quickly.
Brian Shaw– If Jackson wants “his guy” in there, then Shaw would be an obvious choice. Shaw is the current coach of the Denver Nuggets though, so he may have to wait a while before he becomes available. But Denver did not do well this past season so it could happen sooner rather than later. Shaw played and coached under Jackson so he knows the “Triangle Offense” well.
John Calipari– Could they lure him away from the University of Kentucky? Maybe. The Knicks are one of a handful of jobs that could pry a coach out of Lexington. If Aaron Harrison and his brother Andrew Harrison enter the NBA Draft, then this might be a good time for him to exit while on top. Cal once coached the New Jersey Nets but was unsuccessful there. He might want one more shot at the pros. He could become the NBA version of Pete Carroll.
Kevin Ollie– The coach of the UConn Huskies just pulled off a surprise run to the National Championship. If Anthony leaves and the Knicks go with a youth movement, then Ollie would seem like the coach to lead them. Ollie played in the NBA for several seasons, so he knows the pro game well.
New York is a high profile job, so the Knicks should land a high quality coach. And the roster is not ttally without talent either if Anthony stays. The right coach could come in there and win right away.
