Phil Jackson Prefers Kurt Rambis As New York Knicks Head Coach

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Knicks got off to a decent start to the 2015-16 NBA season with the struggling franchise giving a glimmer of hope that president Phil Jackson may have finally turned things around.

Unfortunately, with the season coming to a close for the Knicks, things appear to be back to normal. New York is sporting a 31-47 record as of Wednesday and will miss the playoffs once again. Although rookie Kristaps Porzingis has proven to be a valuable asset and potentially the future face of the franchise, the Knicks still has ways to go before things can get on the right track.

The first order of business of Jackson and company in the offseason will be dealing with the head coaching position. Derek Fisher was fired suddenly earlier in the season leaving the team with Kurt Rambis as the interim coach, and it seems as though Jackson is content with keeping him on long-term, via Marc Stein and Ian Begley of ESPN:

Sources told ESPN.com that Rambis, who has served as the Knicks’ interim coach since Derek Fisher was fired Feb. 8, is the preferred choice of team president ‎Phil Jackson, who sources say is pushing for a new multiyear deal for Rambis despite New York’s 8-16 record since the coaching change.

Since the firing of Fisher, rumors have surfaced about Jackson’s desire to go after current Golden State Warriors assistant coach, Luke Walton. Jackson thinks highly of Walton, as do the Los Angeles Lakers organization, but the former head coach may feel as if Walton is unattainable or Rambis is simply a better fit for the time being.

Along with Rambis potentially being retained as head coach, the Knicks will have a lot of work to do in the NBA offseason. New York will try to make a splash in NBA free agency with hopes of landing a big-name like Kevin Durant or at least more pieces to surround Carmelo Anthony and Porzingis.