Frank Vogel (Photo : Twitter)
The New York Knicks are still in the thick of their coaching search-or are they?
Doubts are now being raised on the sincerity of the Knicks' desire to hire a new coach-specifically Phil Jackson who has already declared before that his personal choice is interim coach Kurt Rambis.
When the Indiana Pacers let go of Frank Vogel (the contention is that he was not fired, just that his contract expired and he was not renewed), Knicks fans wanted Phil Jackson to jump on the opportunity.
Vogel would have been a match in New York, as the NY Post stated, "Carmelo Anthony recently said he's looking for a coach who understands matters from a player's perspective - and Vogel gets top grades in that area."
The problem is that there is now a new rival for Vogel's services. The Memphis Grizzlies fired their coach Dave Joerger who promptly signed with the Sacramento Kings. Reps from Memphis have already reached out to Vogel and even if Jackson aggressively pursued the former Pacers coach, the Grizzlies might be a better fit.
"The Grizzlies use a plodding, low-post offense with Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph that Vogel preferred in Indiana when he featured center Roy Hibbert," Berman stated. Since leaving Indiana, Hibbert has not returned to relevance despite a starting center position with the LA Lakers.
Berman noted that Vogel and even former Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt would be good fits for the team and they have already done interviews but Jackson has not made his choice-or perhaps he already has.
ESPN writer Ian Begley mentioned that owner James Dolan may have drawn the line in spending for a new coach. The price tag for coaches has stepped up when the Knicks paid $ 5 million to Derek Fisher in 2014. Recent hires were rumored to be $ 4 million for Dave Joerger, $5-6 million for Lakers' Luke Walton and $7 million for Scott Brooks with the Washington Wizards.
"Would Knicks owner James Dolan, who is already paying team president Phil Jackson and former Knicks coach Derek Fisher approximately $80 million in total, want to spend that kind of money on a new coach?" Begley asked.
Dolan may have put his foot down on further spending although he was the one who was not sold on Rambis. However, if the coaches' interviews did not impress him and did not promise a dramatic turnaround in results, Dolan may just let Rambis take the job. It was said that Brian Shaw was also a candidate, but he backed off because "Kurt Rambis was there."
David Blatt will reportedly interview with the Houston Rockets.
