Barring some sort of unforeseen event, it appears that Steve Kerr is going to become the next head coach of the New York Knicks. According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, the Knicks are working to complete a deal with Kerr that would go into place after the first round of the playoffs.
Phil Jackson is reportedly hoping that hiring Kerr sooner rather than later will make it easier for TNT, as the network would be letting one of its top NBA analysts go after only the first round of the playoffs. Jackson is said to have made “significant progress” in his quest to convince Kerr to become his first coaching hire since taking over as president of Knicks basketball operations.
Kerr admitted over the weekend that he has spoken to Jackson about the job.
“We talked about the coaching position and we’ll keep talking,” Kerr told the Daily News on Sunday. “I’ve made it pretty clear the past couple of years that I’d like to get into coaching, and now it’s sort of out there. It’s like anything else, you have to explore it and that’s what we’re doing.
“It’s the Knicks and Phil Jackson, my coach. I would be crazy not to look into it.”
There has been speculation that Kerr could be waiting to see if any West Coast job openings become available (like the Golden State Warriors if Mark Jackson is fired), but that seems less likely by the day. It’s difficult to get a head coaching job in the NBA without any experience. Kerr would be crazy not to take advantage of his close connection with one of the greatest coaches of all time.
