It sounds as if you can cross one name off the list of potential New York Knicks head coaches.
According to ESPN’s Chris Broussard, Phil Jackson has told people within the Knicks’ organization that he believes Luke Walton will remain in his post as an assistant with the Golden State Warriors instead of coaching the Knicks.
It is unclear whether Walton is simply rejecting the Knicks or committing to Golden State despite the fact that there will likely be plenty of interest in him around the league.
Jackson, for his part, took to Twitter to deny that any talks had taken place with Walton or anyone else amid reports that the two sides had spoken over the weekend.
Press accounts of coaching actions are untrue. Nobody has been asked nobody said no.
— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) April 18, 2016
Interim coach Kurt Rambis is said to be a leading candidate for the position, with Jackson seeming to prefer hiring someone he knows well who is also familiar with the triangle offense.
Walton, on the surface, seemed like a perfect candidate for the Knicks. He’s been successful in an interim stint and he knows the triangle. However, he has a really good gig in Golden State, which will enable him to be fairly choosy as far as head jobs go. Plus, Steve Kerr has had some health scares and it stands to reason that Walton would be the obvious backup option there. The Suns are reportedly also interested, but we’ll see if Walton wants to give up his spot on the bench with the best regular season team in NBA history.
