Now that Derek Fisher has officially been named the new head coach of the New York Knicks, the five-time NBA champion and Phil Jackson will start to explore viable candidates for his coaching staff.
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The first potential assistant to get the call from the Knicks is Kurt Rambis. The Knicks asked for permission from the Los Angeles Lakers to talk to Rambis and it was granted on Tuesday, according to Mark Medina of L.A. Daily News:
With Derek Fisher officially introduced as the New York Knicks’ head coach on Wednesday, the Lakers have granted the Knicks’ permission to interview Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis about joining his staff, according to a league source familiar with the situation.
Rambis may be the first of potentially many former Lakers to join Fisher and Jackson in New York. Other names mentioned as possibilities for the Knicks are Rick Fox and Luke Walton.
Once Rambis is in the fold, if the Knicks elect to bring him in and Jackson’s former assistant is willing to make the move, the search to fill out Fisher’s coaching staff will likely kick into high gear. Fox and Walton could be the next to follow.
The real question from here on out is what do the Lakers do with their coaching search. Byron Scott continues to be mentioned as the fan favorite to land the job, but the team may be holding off the search until they can see what is possible in free agency.
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A rumor surfaced on Monday about the Lakers potentially waiting to see if they can land LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony in free agency this summer. Both players can opt out of their deals with their current teams in July, but it seems unlikely either superstar will land in Los Angeles.
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