NEW YORK — Carmelo Anthony has twice now consciously not endorsed Kurt Rambis to become the Knicks head coach when he’s been given ample opportunity to give Phil Jackson’s first and only choice for the job an unequivocal thumbs-up.
That speaks volumes about where the Knicks are as they’re about to finish another losing season. They’re not on the same page, not close, when it comes to Rambis.
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Jackson has all but given the orders to have Rambis’ name set in stone to become the team’s 27th head coach. Despite being schmoozed in recent weeks by Rambis, Anthony has other ideas. He’s a fan of Tom Thibodeau — Thibodeau is close to ‘Melo’s agent, Leon Rose, but it’s more than just that.
The former Chicago Bulls coach is a proven NBA head coach with a 65 percent winning percentage. He was the No. 1 reason that Anthony came down to deciding between the Knicks and Bulls when he was a free agent in 2014. Beyond Thibodeau, there might be other coaches Anthony could endorse, as well, including former Warriors coach Mark Jackson. That remains to be seen.
But here’s the salient point. While Jackson has tried to run his fastbreak to install Rambis without opposition within the franchise, the team’s most influential player is putting the brakes on. First, several weeks ago, he said that there should be a search. Now, as Rambis’ ascension has taken on more steam, he wants to have a say in the matter.
“I would love to have some type of input when it comes to that,” said Anthony after the Knicks lost to Charlotte in the Garden on Wednesday night. “I think you have to. I think you have to have some kind of input or dialogue or whatever word you want to use. I think you have to have that. At this point it has to be some type of connection, some type of communication.”
So this could well come down to who has more power in the Garden. Jackson is the team president, with the record $60 million contract. He has 11 championship rings and plenty of gravitas. But Anthony also has the ear of team owner James Dolan, and Dolan is expected to be part of the coaching discussions that Anthony has now muscled his way into.
Although Dolan has mostly stayed out of the basketball end of the operations since Jackson took over in March 2014, who’s to say he doesn’t side with Anthony? Dolan can see what everyone else in New York, including Anthony, sees in Thibodeau. But just remember one thing: The Knicks need Thibodeau a lot more than he needs them. He’ll have his pick of the litter when it comes to getting back into the NBA.
Regarding Anthony’s views on the coaching position, it’s not that he doesn’t “trust Phil’’ anymore. If he was that bummed about where the Knicks are headed, he’d have already waived his iron-clad, no-trade clause and given Jackson the very short list of teams he’d approve a deal to for next season.
It’s just that Anthony knows a thing or two about Rambis, starting with the fact that no matter how Jackson tries to sell it and spin it, he would be elevating someone who has a 64-162 lifetime record, including his 8-17 mark as the Knicks’ interim. That’s the kind of record that make Knicks fans want to burn their season tickets. Melo also knows that Rambis can be snarky and condescending to players, as he’s sometimes shown since replacing Derek Fisher.
Being close to Jackson and talking on a daily basis, Rambis is operating under the assumption that the coronation is imminent and he’ll get his third head coaching position, after stints with the Lakers and T-Wolves. That’s the way he’s been talking, anyway.
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“A lot of it will be determined with where we move with players, what happens with players,’’ Rambis said late Wednesday night about the future. “I’ve looked at last year as Year 0. This is kind of Year 1. We knew it was going to be a process in trying to get the pieces that we wanted in order to move forward. But more than that, it’s about getting guys to have an understanding of how to play together. And what’s very hopeful to me is that they can be and they have demonstrated that they can execute what we want them to do on both ends. They can do it fantastically, they just can’t sustain it.”
Then Rambis talked about his close relationship with Jackson.
“I grew up playing basketball a certain way and it’s very consistent with what Phil believes and thinks,’’ he said. “So I don’t consider myself a puppet of his. It’s just a mindset of how we think the game should be played.’’
It’s All-Triangle, all the time. Fisher tried to tweak it during his season and a half in New York and that’s where he had run-ins with Jackson. Jackson won’t consider Thibodeau because he ran a different offense in Chicago when the Bulls had a top-10 offense, unreported as that fact is. It’s absurd, of course, for Jackson to rule out Thibodeau, but the Triangle is the end-all, be-all.
Except with Anthony, who, like many players in today’s NBA, views it with a healthy skepticism. But it’s not just that. When the Knicks have a chance to get a Tom Thibodeau, Anthony knows that’s an option they need to explore.
Slam dunks
— Phoenix is going to make a run at Villanova’s Jay Wright, who has emerged as the Suns’ top choice to become head coach, per NBA sources. Former Villanova coach Rollie Massimino has been advising Wright to avoid making the jump.
— A few weeks ago it seemed almost a lock that Stephen Curry would become the first unanimous MVP in NBA history. But Russell Westbrook’s strong play could result in the Thunder superstar stealing a first-place vote or two, and never underestimate the power of four-time winner LeBron James when it comes to garnering first-place votes.
— Buddy Hield’s poor showing in Oklahoma’s rout at the hands of Villanova in the Final Four won’t work against him in the draft. “Just one game,’’ said one long-time scout. “He’ll still go in the top 5-6. His value is high because he can make shots, with range.’’
— Now with Sam Hinkie out and Bryan Colangelo headed into Philadelphia to head the basketball operations as general manager, watch for the Sixers to be active trade partners around draft time. They’ll probably look to use some of their first-round draft picks to secure a proven playmaker.
