What's Up With The New York Knicks

Just when you thought things couldn't get any stranger with the New York Knicks, they may have. I mean think about it. On January 21st the Knicks were 22-22, and right there in the thick of things in the playoff hunt in the East. Then the wheels have fallen off. Th team has now lost six straight games, and lost ten of their last eleven. New York's lone win in their last eleven games came on January 29th, a 102-84 victory over the Phoenix Suns at the Garden. What was once a positive outlook for the Blue and Orange has turned sour quickly. It cost Derek Fisher his job, Kurt Rambis is coaching the team the rest of the season. To make matters worse, Phil Jackson may also be on his way out the door too.

First, let's start with the coaching shakeup. Derek Fisher had no luck whatsoever here in New York. He went 40-96 as head coach of this basketball team. There were times where you could see the struggles of Fisher making the transition from player to head coach, he had never had any coaching experience before getting hired as Knicks coach before last season. His first year on the job wasn't a good one, New York finished the year 17-65, the 2nd worst record in the East (Philadelphia had the worst). A lot of it had to do with the Knicks had a bad team, and were also trying to implement the new Triangle Offense. So ok you put that to the side. This year, the Knicks get a little bit of talent in the mix and looked like they could be a contender for the final playoff spot. But the wheels fell off and now Fisher is out of a job. There are other factors that had to have gone into the decision I'm sure, but the fact that the team has slumped as bad as it has the last two weeks was good enough reason to let Fisher go.

Kurt Rambis takes over, and the losing continues. Now what do you do if your the Knicks? Rambis will finish the year out running the ship. Depending on how well he does, he may stay on as coach. There are other options on the market as well. If that doesn't work out, I've heard a few other names thrown out there. Names like Luke Walton (current Warriors assistant), Brian Shaw (Ex-Nuggets coach), Tom Thibodeau (ex-Bulls coach), and Mark Jackson just to name a few. Lets be honest, out of who is listed, Tom Thibodeau may be the best fit to coach this team. His five year run as the boss in Chicago shows he can run a team. He made the playoffs every year in Chicago, it didn't result in a title, but still he has the tools and the knowledge to be able to make this thing work. I feel most comfortable with him running the show. The question is, will the triangle stick around?

Reports have come down that Phil Jackson may even consider scrapping the Triangle with the Knicks. Not a bad idea to be honest. Something clearly isn't working with this offense. Its either the system isn't right for this team, or the talent isn't here to make this system work. And besides Phil Jackson may not even still be here next year to see if it works out.

Rumors are floating around that there is a possibility that Phil could be heading back to LA. According to a story in the NY Daily News: "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 [Tom] Thibodeau for the Lakers job in the spring, and who knows: Jackson and Walton could be reunited there.” So yeah there's that. Phil does have the option to leave the Knicks at the end of this season, its written in his contract. I give him credit for trying to change the culture here in New York. But the settings and time wasn't right I guess. He could still stick around and see this thing through but who knows. Phil hasn't been making headlines and noise this year in the media like he did last year. This could be a reason why.

There's no way of knowing now what the future really holds for the Knicks. Either way its still a three ring circus!