Knicks Rumors: David Blatt Not Really Being Considered

Recent New York Knicks rumors make it seem like the head coaching search is a sham, as David Blatt was never really considered and Kurt Rambis stands alone in the search.

New York Knicks rumors have been running rampant in recent days. There have been rumors about how they would go about improving their roster, with trades now being considered. The one today is about the head coaching search, if you can even call it that.

Earlier in the week it was reported that former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt was being considered for the job. Blatt has ties to the Knicks organization, as he played at Princeton with general manager Steve Mills. It was encouraging to see anyone being linked to the job, as Phil Jackson has been steadfast in his desire to have Kurt Rambis be named the head coach full time and have the interim tag removed.

That seems to be the course of action, as Blatt does not seem to be in the running anymore. In fact, it does not seem like Blatt ever was being considered. According to sports columnist and former NBA TV sports analyst Peter Vecsey, Blatt was never being considered for the Knicks job. He, with the search in general, was being used as a smokescreen as Rambis is the only one truly being considered for the job.

This is news that all Knicks fans had a feeling was happening, but were hoping with all their heart that it wouldn’t be true. This will also be disappointing for Carmelo Anthony, who was hoping that the Knicks would open up a legitimate head coaching search.

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There were also rumors that Anthony was hoping Tom Thibodeau would land the head coaching job. It seemed like the feeling was mutual for Thibodeau, who made it clear earlier in the year that the Knicks’ job is the one that he coveted. Vecsey also mentioned that Thibodeau’s representatives reached out to the Knicks, but Jackson showed no interest in the Chicago Bulls’ former head coach.

Despite Anthony’s wishes, and the fans hoping something would change, the writing has been on the wall for a while; everything has pointed to Rambis taking over full-time at some point.

Jackson heaps a ton of praise on Rambis, even if most people cannot understand why. Jackson spoke highly of Rambis’ ability to get the Knicks to play the triangle offense, saying recently, “They had an immersion in the triangle. When Kurt started coaching the team, they started executing it with more structure. We saw some progress, but we have to make the next step.”

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While Jackson may have seen progress in the system that he wants ran, the results didn’t come where it matters most; the win-loss column. After taking over for Derek Fisher, who was fired on February 8th, Rambis led the Knicks to a 9-19 record.

That is actually an improvement on what he did in his last head coaching job, as he spent two seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves and won only 32 games. In addition to the quotes Jackson provided making it seem like Rambis is head and shoulders ahead of everyone else for the job, he actually joined Jackson this week when he met with players.

Jackson met with some Knicks plays to discuss the triangle offense, almost as a workshop to help them learn. Rambis was there for the meetings, which gives two indications. The first being the triangle offense is going nowhere, despite the struggles that the Knicks have had running it. The second being that Rambis is the guy Jackson wants.

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Interim coaches are rarely, if ever, seen and heard from this much once the regular season ends, but we keep seeing Rambis involved in everything the Knicks are doing. Sometimes it pays more knowing someone in a high spot, as Rambis does with Jackson, than actually providing results on the court.