The New York Knicks’ coaching search has been oddly quiet. That would probably point to the team wanting to bring back interim head coach Kurt Rambis on a full-time basis, but no one has any idea what Phil Jackson is going to do, mostly because he’s chilling at a lake house in Montana right now.
According to the New York Post, the team’s biggest star appears to have a preferred choice. Carmelo Anthony is apparently a fan of David Blatt, the former Cleveland coach who the Cavs canned midway through this season and interviewed with the Knicks a few weeks back.
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.
The source said Anthony feels Blatt could develop Porzingis into an All-Star quicker with his international touch. Blatt has dominated leagues in Israel and Russia, where he also was coach of the Olympic team, guiding the country to the bronze medal in 2012.
It’s an interesting line of thinking out of Anthony if this is what’s going through his head. Porzingis is the Knicks’ second-best player and his potential is unmatched on the team’s roster, so it makes sense that Anthony – who isn’t exactly getting younger – wants a coach who will speed up Porzingis’ development.
Odds are you’re somewhat confused by this because Melo is tight with LeBron James, and LeBron didn’t exactly have a good relationship with Blatt when the two were paired together in Cleveland. That’s a fair point, but it doesn’t seem like Anthony is too worried about the relationship between Blatt and Cleveland’s superstar.
As for what Jackson thinks about all of this, well, no one really knows – not even Anthony. The 13-year veteran is reportedly concerned the Zen Master will stick to the status quo and hire Rambis, who boasts a 65-164 (.284%) record in his career. If that’s the case, this news makes sense, as no candidate’s hiring would be more outside the box than Blatt.
