New York Knicks president Phil Jackson. (Photo : Getty Images)
The New York Knicks coaching search has dragged on and the sentiment of the fans has graduated from disappointment to suspicion.
After letting the big names slide (Tom Thibodeau, Luke Walton, Scott Brooks among others) the Knicks are still a team without a coach while the Sacramento Kings, LA Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Washington Wizards are already shaping the direction of their franchises.
The Knicks are not used to being last when there's an open playing field and money is a factor. This is why they hired Phil Jackson in the first place-to make the franchise a prime destination not just for players but also coaches.
The search has been described as "comical" but not there are some conspiracy theories on the real reason why the search has not yielded any results. As CBS Sports columnist Ken Berger suggests, one cannot find something if they're not really searching. Or, as he suspects, the search is already over.
This theory seems plausible after the NY Daily News has reported that Phil Jackson has met with former Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel.
"Phil Jackson met face-to-face with with former Indiana Pacers head coach Frank Vogel last week, the Daily News has learned. The clandestine meeting, which is believed to have taken place in Los Angeles, also included Knicks general manager Steve Mills, according to a team source."
So the meeting has happened and still, no coach. Vogel is actually an unexpected gift-no one expected the coach of the Indiana Pacers to become available considering his solid, consistent performance reaching the Conference Finals twice. Knicks fans clamored for Phil to pounce on this opportunity.
It has been three months since the Knicks fired Derek Fisher and they had Kurt Rambis sit as an interim coach. The reason for the dissatisfaction among Knicks fans was that Rambis' coaching resume is unimpressive, to say the least. They naturally wanted someone with a better track record.
How about a coach who won 11 NBA championships with two different teams?
Ken Berger cites a "theory making the round in league circles" that Phil Jackson may want to "secretly coach" the Knicks with Rambis more of a figurehead on the bench.
"Well, not exactly Jackson -- but Jackson coaching behind the scenes with his friend and former assistant Kurt Rambis orchestrating it from the bench," Berger explained.
He elaborated: "It's a farfetched idea that's so unorthodox, Jackson and Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan might just go for it: Jackson as the de facto head coach behind the scenes, with Rambis on stage as the glorified associate head coach."
The article points out that James Dolan is a "contrarian" meaning he's willing to go out of the box. Also, Jackson may not yet be sure about his exact decision yet and he's just buying time.
There's a possibility that Jackson would cave and eventually hire Vogel or David Blatt, but Berger's point is, the possibilities are endless with Jackson and Dolan at the helm.
