Phil Jackson has had an interesting few years in New York. He hired his freshly retired Derek Fisher as a first-time head coach, brought the triangle back to the NBA, broke children’s hearts drafting ‘Porzingod’ (and promptly won them back), and lost a lot of games along the way.
Now as we near the All-Star break, he has fired Fisher and replaced him Kurt Rambis. Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski is now speculating on the future of the Zen Master in New York:
“Golden State assistant Luke Walton is closest to a legitimately coveted candidate with ties to Jackson and the triangle – and he’s still largely unproven, too. Walton intrigues Jackson, but truth be told: Why would Walton come East without an assurance Jackson is committed to the long run in New York? There’s still a strong belief Jackson will eventually find his way to his fiancée Jeanie Buss and the Los Angeles Lakers. Walton will be competing with Thibodeau for the Lakers job in the spring, and who knows: Jackson and Walton could be reunited there.
Porzingis makes the Knicks job intriguing in the long run, but make no mistake: One way or another, Jackson will be gone before the next Knicks coach has cycled through New York. To think the next Knicks president/GM – Steve Mills or Isiah Thomas – will stay true to the triangle is absurd, and so hiring one more triangle coach is almost guaranteeing him Fisher’s fate.”
The Walton/Jackson Lakers marriage seems to make too much sense for both all sides. The Kobe era is about to over in Los Angeles and that leaves a huge hole in leadership with that team and organization. What could be better to fill in that hole than bringing back than the Zen Master and his padawan Luke Walton?
