It was clear that Derek Fisher was not getting the job done and he would be fired eventually but shockingly the Knicks announced his release on Monday, in the middle of the 2015-16 season. Assistant coach Kurt Rambis will serve as the interim coach. While he’s auditioning for the job permanently, discussions have already begun as to who will be the Knicks next coach. Former Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau reportedly covets the job but it won’t simply be handed to him for several reasons.
NBA Report: Tom Thibodeau Would Love to Coach Knicks But They’re Looking at Luke Walton & Brian Shaw
NBA: JR Smith Reveals How Upset He Really Was When Phil Jackson Talked About His Personal Life
Phil Jackson didn’t have the most flattering things to say about former Knicks players Iman Shumpert and JR Smith during this past off season. The harshest criticism was saved for JR at the time, as Phil aired out some of the personal talks they shared when Smith was still with the Knicks. It came off strange at the time that Phil would reveal a private conversation to the media and judging by Smith’s comments yesterday about it, he felt the same way.
NBA: Phil Jackson Wished Michael Jordan Just Stayed Retired After 1998 Finals
I think everyone will agree with Phil Jackson on this one. Although Michael Jordan still played at a high level and was by far the best player on the Wizards when he came back in 2001, it obviously didn’t compare to the rest of his famed career. It’s hard to even see pictures of MJ in a Wizards jersey because you always want to relate the GOAT to one team. His former coach, Phil Jackson, shared his thoughts on MJ returning for a second time after calling it quits again in 1998.
NBA: Phil Jackson Says He Expects Kobe Bryant To Play Next Year, Just Not With The Lakers
Could we see a Phil Jackson/Kobe Bryant reunion in New York next season? Ok, I am getting WAY ahead of myself but if you give any prudence to Phil’s words today then that scenario could at least be a slight possibility. Phil was talking to the media today and mentioned that he believes this will in fact be Kobe’s final season with the Lakers but not necessarily the last season of his career.
NBA: Phil Jackson on Kobe Bryant: ‘I could feel his hatred’
By the time he first left the Lakers, Phil Jackson had a pretty broken relationship with Kobe Bryant. Jackson then published a book highly critical of Kobe, fracturing their relationship further. So just how bad did it get?
NBA: Duke’s Coach K Ethers Phil Jackson’s Triangle Offense: “The Triangle Didn’t Win Crap”!
Let us know how you really feel Coach K! I’m not sure how close of friends Coach K and Phil Jackson are, but it’s safe to say Phil is not going to be a fan of Mike Krzyzewski’s criticism of the triangle offense that Mr. Eleven rings continues to shove down the throats of Knicks fans and players.
