NBA Rumors: Carmelo Anthony Prefers David Blatt Over Kurt Rambis As New York Knicks Coach
From the archive: published May 11, 2016, 10 years ago. Details may have changed since.
NBA rumors are swirling around Carmelo Anthony. The New York Knicks star is waiting for management to hire a new head coach. Though he hasn’t been officially consulted, Anthony has not been shy about telling the media about his opinions on the matter. According to the New York Post, Carmelo would much rather that team president Phil Jackson choose David Blatt over Kurt Rambis. Anthony feels that Blatt would be a much better choice for Kristaps Porzingis.
When David Blatt was fired by the Cleveland Cavaliers during the middle of the regular season, many in the NBA wondered if he would ever receive another chance to be a head coach in the league. Some felt that he was not able to handle star players such as Kyrie Irving, LeBron James, and Kevin Love all that well. Something like that might scare off general managers because they are busy trying to secure star players on their roster.
With so few candidates interviewing with the team, the fact that the New York Knicks interviewed David Blatt says a lot about how they feel about the international coach. The team has been criticized about their search for a head coach. In fact, team president Phil Jackson is on vacation at a time when other franchises are scrambling to fill their vacant head coaching position. Many were hoping that Jackson would have locked someone down by now.
Long known as a selfish player, it shows a lot of maturity that Carmelo Anthony is thinking about Kristaps Porzingis when it comes to the next head coach of the New York Knicks. The candidate needs to know the NBA, so he can help the veterans win more games than the 32 victories the Knicks notched this season. The head coach also needs to be able to develop Porzingis, which makes David Blatt a good candidate because of his career in Europe.
Phil Jackson marches to the beat of his own drum, so he’s going to hire a new head coach for the New York Knicks whenever he’s ready. Much to the chagrin of Carmelo Anthony, Jackson is probably very much unlikely to see feedback from his star player. This might be what convinces Anthony to waive his no-trade clause.
