Phil Jackson Ridiculously May Coach New York Knicks' Home Games Next Season

Phil Jackson‘s pedigree as an NBA head coach is unquestioned, with 11 titles during terrific tenures with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. His step into front office leadership with the New York Knicks is still in the early stages, but Jackson’s hand-picked head coach Derek Fisher was fired this season and Kurt Rambis was named interim head coach.

Rumors of an eventual return to the Lakers have re-emerged recently. But if Jackson stays in New York, which seems to be assumed at this point, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com has passed along talk of him coaching Knicks’ home games during the 2016-17 season.

Jackson has previously pointed to health concerns and the rigors of travel as reasons why he would not return to coaching. But Shelburne also noted that Jackson has been traveling with the team more since Rambis took over, while citing recent weight loss that may have reinvigorated the 70-year-old.

Rambis is far from an accomplished coach, and dating back to his time as a Lakers assistant his attachment to Jackson remains the best thing on his resume. But having Jackson hanging over him in a greater capacity would not do Rambis any good, if he’s named the permanent head coach, and the players would surely have trouble when it came down to who they have to answer to if Jackson is coaching 41 games.

Outside the box thinking should be commended in most situations, but Jackson’s continued marriage to the antiquated triangle offense suggests he is not that kind of thinker. If he wants to be the Knicks’ head coach, Jackson should just take over on a full-time basis after this season. But bad decisions are prevalent in the Knicks organization, and if Jackson wants to coach the home half of next season’s schedule, owner James Dolan probably won’t offer any resistance.