Suddenly, the New York Knicks' drawn out coaching search has a timeline -- sort of.
Phil Jackson wants Knicks coach hired by mid-June, according to report
The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly cooling on hiring Derek Fisher, but Phil Jackson is aiming to close the New York Knicks’ coaching search by the middle of June.
The Star-Ledger-USA TODAY Sports
Knicks president Phil Jackson is hoping to close the books on making a head coaching hire by mid-June, before his visit to Turkey where he will attend one of his son's weddings, according to the New York Post. That would allow a new coach to get relatively settled before the June 26 NBA Draft, where the Knicks reportedly would like to purchase a second-round draft pick.
While Jackson has made it clear that Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Derek Fisher leads his list of candidates and was fined $25,000 for tampering after mentioning Fisher by name, Fisher said he will take his own time in discussing his future with his family.
Certainly, fans would begin to get antsy if a coach isn't hired by the draft. Team owner James Dolan told WFAN radio on Tuesday that he has stayed out of the coaching search and left it all to Jackson. Known as a meddling owner, it could be viewed that he's truly left Jackson free to run the franchise. At the same time, it's a wonder why he wouldn't want some say in making such a big decision.
The good news for New York is that Fisher, their main target, has limited options to go elsewhere, at this point. Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reports the other potential suitor for Fisher's services, the Los Angeles Lakers, are "cool" on their former point guard, though it seems they will at least reach out to Fisher in the coming days, reports USA Today's Sam Amick.
Jackson seemed all but set on hiring TNT analyst and former Phoenix Suns general manager Steve Kerr as the Knicks' coaching replacement for Mike Woodson. But when a deal seemed like a certainty, Kerr decided to leave the broadcasting booth for the opening with the Golden State Warriors, and the decision pushed New York's coaching search back. Now it's become a drawn-out process.
Such a process could easily conclude by the middle of June if Fisher determines his playing days are over and his family gives him the go-ahead to be mentored by his former boss in New York.
If not, it’s unclear which candidates the Knicks would turn to, or when their hire would happen.
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