NBA Rumors: New York Knicks Hiring David Blatt

NBA rumors have been swirling around the New York Knicks. There are a lot of questions for the Knicks going into this offseason. Right now, the Knicks don’t have a coach for next season. Phil Jackson might not be sticking around. Carmelo Anthony stated earlier this year that he wants to have more involvement with recruiting free agents and the next head coach. For the Knicks, finding the right head coach will be key this summer. According to ESPN New York, the Knicks will be going after David Blatt.

Since Phil Jackson was hired, he was hell-bent on hiring a coach who would run the Triangle Offense. The first coach was Jackson’s former player, Derek Fisher. Fisher was a questionable hire because he had no experience as a head coach. Fisher had experience in running the Triangle Offense for Jackson when he was a player. Fisher was fired mid-season and was replaced by another person close to Jackson. Kurt Rambis knows how the Triangle Offense works from his time coaching with the Lakers.

David Blatt has been rumored to be a favorite candidate as the next New York Knicks head coach. This rumor seems a bit odd since Blatt doesn’t run the Triangle Offense. Blatt also has no connection to Phil Jackson. The former Euroleague coach could adjust his coaching style to fit into the Triangle. However, Jackson would likely prefer someone who already has experience in the Triangle Offense.

Earlier this season, David Blatt was coaching the Cleveland Cavaliers. That could explain why the New York Knicks seem to be interested in him. Blatt, by any means, isn’t a bad coach. He just didn’t fit the scheme LeBron James wanted. Blatt was good enough to lead the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals last season.

The New York Knicks signing David Blatt could help with the development of Kristaps Porzingis. Blatt coached overseas in Europe. He’s won a Euroleague Championship and multiple Coach of the Year Honors. Hiring the Boston native might help Porzingis because he is used to the European League style of play.

It will be interesting to see how David Blatt will handle Carmelo Anthony. When Blatt was hired by the Cleveland Cavaliers, he gave LeBron James a lot of freedom to run the team. That ultimately got the former Euroleague head coach fired mid-season. It will be interesting to see if Blatt will give Anthony as much freedom to do as he pleases.

If the New York Knicks decide they do not want David Blatt, the team will have plenty of other options available. Luke Walton will be high on a lot of team radars this summer due to the spectacular job he did with the Golden State Warriors while Steve Kerr was out. Walton is a former Los Angeles Laker, who played under the Triangle Offense under Phil Jackson. A lot of Knicks fan would love to get former Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau. He was a beloved assistant coach under Jeff Van Gundy. During his stint with the Bulls, Thibodeau has led them to the playoffs every year he was there.

The New York Knicks will be looking for a turnaround after a horrible season. Finding the right head coach will be a key factor in making that happen. Carmelo Anthony wants to be involved in the process of finding the new head coach. He is hoping to find someone that can run the offense more smoothly and help develop Kristaps Porzingis. That would go a long way towards bringing the Knicks back to respectability.