Carmelo Anthony is in favor of the New York Knicks hiring former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt to help develop young star Kristaps Porzingis.
According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, New York Knicks All-Star small forward Carmelo Anthony knows exactly who he wants to be the next head coach of the New York Knicks. While team president Phil Jackson is shamelessly in favor of removing the interim tag on Kurt Rambis, Anthony would prefer that the Knicks organization would hire former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach David Blatt.
With Anthony reportedly not wanting to opt out of his deal with the Knicks, he’s looking finally towards what is best for the Knicks as opposed to the team can do for him. Anthony very much likes playing with Latvian rookie big man Kristaps Porzingis and believes that Blatt’s experience in coaching foreign players with Maccabi Tel Aviv could allow Porzingis to become an All-Star caliber player faster.
Berman points out that Porzingis wasn’t all that crazy about how Rambis used him in the antiquated Triangle Offense that Rambis carried out to appease Jackson. Porzingis is 7’3″, has a great outside shot, and has an incredible handle for someone who young and of his stature.
Blatt interviewed for the Knicks’ job two weeks ago and seems like the guy most likely to replace Rambis if the Knicks do choose to go in that direction. Blatt won over 70 percent of his games with the Cavaliers in the last year and a half. He seems like a strong tactician and a player developer. It would make all the sense in the world for someone with his coaching skill set to bring Porzingis along.
Anthony seems to realize that his best chance to win an NBA Championship is to play alongside a Porzingis that elevates to All-NBA status by year three in the NBA. Not that it is any guarantee that Porzingis will become a top 15 player in the league by the end of the 2017-18 NBA season, but the potential fit with Blatt coaching the Knicks may be too good for Jackson to carelessly pass up.
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