The New York Knicks will face critical decisions this summer, including the status of interim head coach Kurt Rambis, who took over after the organization parted ways with Derek Fisher.
And according to ESPN, Knicks president Phil Jackson is leaning towards hiring Rambis as full-time coach instead of looking for a new bench tactician outside of his coaching tree. In turn, Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony could eventually decide to bolt out of New York.
The Knicks are set to miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season, which is the main reason why Anthony is being mentioned in numerous trade rumors again. NBA analyst Charles Barkley recently said the Knicks and Anthony should part ways while the superstar forward still has a desirable trade value.
Jackson's decision on whether or not to keep Rambis in the next several seasons could affect Anthony's thinking. The 31-year-old superstar has expressed commitment to the Knicks and holds a no-trade clause in his contract, but the former Syracuse standout has also voiced out his desire to play under a seasoned mentor.
According to the ESPN report, Anthony expressed hoped last month the Jackson will consider coaches who are not expected to run the triangle offense, which gave the Hall of Famer 11 titles as a coach -- six with the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls, three with the Shaquille O'Neal-led Los Angeles Lakers, and two with the Kobe Bryant-led Lakers.
While Anthony did not name names, sources said that the All-Star wants the Knicks to take a serious look at former Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau along with Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson, who are both familiar with the Knicks organization.
However, from the looks of it, Jackson is determined to remove the interim tag on Rambis, saying that his former assistant, is capable of coaching the Knicks on a full-time basis. It is highly likely Rambis will be offered a multi-year contract as head coach unless team owner James Dolan steps in.
According to New York Daily News, Dolan already has a backup plan in mind in case Jackson decides to step down after the 2016-17 season or once his deal runs out a year later. The Madison Square Garden chairman is reportedly targeting Toronto Raptors GM Masai Ujiri, which means Dolan could still oppose Jackson's decision on Rambis.
