Former Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel. (Photo : Getty Images)
Reports are out that New York Knicks president Phil Jackson had interviewed former Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel last week as one of the team's potential candidates to become its new chief bench tactician next season.
The 42-year-old Vogel is the second head coaching candidate interviewed by Jackson so far after the 11-time NBA champion coach met with former Cleveland Cavaliers boss David Blatt last month, according to ESPN.
Aside from Vogel and Blatt, interim head coach Kurt Rambis is also one of Jackson's long term options and is said to be the top priority of the Zen Master at the moment.
After Vogel's contract with the Pacers was not extended at the end of this year's regular season, several NBA teams have reportedly sought out for his services, such as the Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, and Orlando Magic.
However, the offer from Jackson may be the biggest one yet for the 2014 NBA All-Star Game head coach as the chance to lead the Big Apple squad is considered by many as one of the most coveted positions in the league.
Vogel and Jackson have worked together before, during the 20015-2006 season with the Los Angeles Lakers when the former acted as the Hollywood team's advanced scout while Jackson is still its head coach.
Jackson had been vocal about preferring someone who he had already worked with in the past, although he wants the Knicks to continue using the triangle offense system, something that Vogel is not quite familiar with.
Meanwhile, Fansided noted that it was general manager Steve Mills who "reached out to Vogel's representatives about the coaching vacancy" and the objective of their meeting was primarily "to gauge Vogel's interest in New York's coaching vacancy".
The article speculated that Vogel not accepting the coaching offers from Houston, Memphis, and Orlando are intriguing since he could easily agree to any of the said propositions. It further hypothesized that the former Celtics and Sixers assistant may actually be waiting for Jackson's bid and "the fact that Vogel hasn't been hired elsewhere may be a sign that the talks between he and Jackson were more than just exploratory".
Vogel is considered as one of the best young coaches in the league right now and it is no surprise that so many teams are trying to lure him to their side this summer. He had a record of 250-181 over five-and-a-half seasons in Indiana and have guided the Pacers to a 31-30 slate in the postseason.
