NBA Rumors: Phil Jackson Coaching New York Knicks Next Season

New York Knicks president Phil Jackson wants to speed up his rebuilding process. The fan base has suffered long enough. Jackson got a bit of a head start when Latvian rookie Kristaps Porzingis became an NBA-ready player much sooner than anyone thought. The Knicks took a step back with Derek Fisher, though. According to ESPN, Jackson might be able to speed things up even more by taking over as the head coach next season.

When Phil Jackson took a gamble on Kristaps Porzingis in the NBA Draft, New York Knicks fans laid into the two of them. They booed mercilessly. Some didn’t want to wait the two to three years that it would presumably take for him to be able to play in the National Basketball Association. Some even labeled him as another European bust. Porzingis didn’t listen to the critics and became an instant sensation, earning his way into the hearts of fans and the media because he’s the second best rookie behind Karl Anthony Towns.

While Kristaps Porzingis was a step forward for the New York Knicks. Derek Fisher was a step backwards. Phil Jackson had envisioned his former point guard as being the guy to lead the Knicks back to the NBA Playoffs. Instead, Jackson proved that he wasn’t fully committed to being a head coach. There were far too many things going on off the basketball court. Phil really had no choice, so he ended up firing Fisher before the season ended.

Once Derek Fisher was removed as the head coach of the New York Knicks, Phil Jackson installed Kurt Rambis as the interim head coach. At the very least, Rambis understood the Triangle Offense, and he was more than willing to communicate with Jackson. There were times where Fisher would respond to Jackson’s text messages with one-word responses. Rambis is a decent coach, but he’s not someone that will excite the Knicks fan base.

Phil Jackson is a big fan of Kurt Rambis, probably more so than New York Knicks fans want him to be. If Jackson were to take over, there are talks that he would only be the head coach when the Knicks play home games at Madison Square Garden. If that were the case, then Rambis would be the head coach when the Knicks are on the road. Jackson is said to be doing a lot better health-wise, but he might not want to overexert his body by traveling all the time.

A lot of teams in the NBA might be opposed to their head coach only being available for home games. However, the New York Knicks might be willing to accept such a situation because it would mean that Phil Jackson does not leave for the Los Angeles Lakers. There have been rumors floating around that Jackson would trigger a clause in his contract that would enable him to break free from the Knicks and return to the Lakers.

Los Angeles Lakers vice president Jim Buss stated that he would vacate his position with the franchise if the team was not competitive again at a certain point in time. We are nearing that deadline, so Buss might be forced to keep his word and resign. If that position opens up, then Lakers president Jeanie Buss might be inclined to bring in Phil Jackson to fill the spot, especially since she is dating Jackson.

Phil Jackson taking over as head coach of the New York Knicks would create quite a buzz. It would be one of the biggest stories in the NBA. His legacy would grow if he could resurrect the Knicks.