The New York Knicks are reportedly negotiating a new contract with Kurt Rambis for a position on Jeff Hornacek’s coaching staff.
Before the hiring of former Phoenix Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek, interim New York Knicks coach Kurt Rabmis, was a favorite to maintain the position going forward. He received plenty of criticism during his time taking control, finishing his stint as head coach this season with a 9-19 record, but was seen as a serious candidate to take the full-time position given his connection to team president Phil Jackson.
Now, though, despite the criticism he endured, it looks like Rambis will be finding a new role on the Knicks’ coaching staff.
As ESPN’s Ian Begley has reported, the decision to work on a new contract for Rambis to stay was completely down to Hornacek:
"The New York Knicks are in negotiations with Kurt Rambis on a new contract for a position on Jeff Hornacek’s coaching staff, league sources told ESPN.Rambis was given serious consideration for the Knicks’ head-coaching vacancy, but the club ultimately decided to hire Hornacek, leaving Rambis’ future with the team in limbo…Sources say Hornacek ultimately made the decision to hire Rambis. “Nothing is being forced down Jeff’s neck,” one source with knowledge of the dynamic said, in reference to the idea that team president Phil Jackson would force Hornacek to hire Rambis."
While some may think it’s awkward for the Knicks to bring back Rambis, who was heavily criticized as a possible long-term option at head coach, it does make sense for the team to take him out of the lead role and keep him in the coaching staff on the bench. As Hornacek adjusts to his new team and continues to implement Phil Jackson’s beloved triangle, Rambis’ knowledge of the system should be beneficial in maintaining some consistency and understanding of the play style as the team progresses.
Marc Berman of the New York Post has added that Hornacek intends to bring on members of his Suns coaching staff, too, and wants to assemble a strong focus on defense:
"Hornacek undoubtedly will bring in a handful of his own guys, with one strong possibility former Suns assistant Jerry Sichting…“I’ll show you my phone — 800 phone calls are on there,’’ Hornacek said. “There’s a lot of great coaches out there, a lot of great coaches who focus on defense. I’m very comfortable we’ll have a great staff. We want to bring in a lot of different thoughts.”"
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With Kristaps Porzingis, Knicks fans can be optimistic and have the talent of Porzingod to hang onto. However, with no draft picks in 2016 and not much appeal for notable free agents after a measly 32-50 record in 2015-16, next season won’t suddenly be drastically better, no matter who coaches.
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