Steve Kerr and Phil Jackson are already being touted as a perfect match. With Jackson now in charge of the Knicks’ basketball operations and Kerr looking to transition from the broadcast booth to coaching, there have already been reports indicating Jackson will offer New York’s vacant head coach position to his former player and Kerr will accept. It may not be that simple.
According to Howard Beck of Bleacher Report, Kerr has his eye on several other potential coaching vacancies and would prefer to join a West Coast team if given the opportunity. Kerr lives in San Diego and his daughter attends college at the University of California at Berkeley. Beck believes that Jackson would hire Kerr if he wanted the job, but he’s not convinced that is the case.
As Pro Basketball Talk noted, there are several current and potential openings that would be closer to home for Kerr than coaching in New York. The Utah Jazz fired head coach Tyrone Corbin this week and the Los Angeles Lakers could be moving on from Mike D’Antoni. However, Kerr is being touted as a Jackson protege and the Lakers chose not to bring Jackson back, so that wouldn’t make much sense.
Mark Jackson is another coach who could be on his way out, despite the fact that he has led the Golden State Warriors to the playoffs and the franchise’s best record in 22 years this past season. Jackson has yet to receive a contract extension and has developed a reputation for being someone who is difficult to work with.
Phil Jackson is reportedly planning to talk to several coaching candidates for the Knicks, including college coaches Fred Hoiberg and Kevin Ollie. Ultimately, Kerr is still very much the favorite.
