The NY Knicks are heading into an offseason of uncertainty with Carmelo Anthony possibly leaving for teams like the Houston Rockets, Miami Heat or Chicago Bulls and on top of that, Phil Jackson has to decide whether or not to fire head coach Mike Woodson and that could lead to Steve Kerr joining the organization, as sources have said he expects to get a job offer.
The Knicks are in a tough situation as Phil Jackson comes in, as they are basically locked in financially for the 2014 season and can't do much in free agency, but that leads to 2015 when the floodgates will be open. Jackson now has to decide how much the Knicks want Anthony, as he is expected to opt out of his deal this summer, which is his right to do and as a player that has never been a real free agent, he is hardly blame for doing that, even if he simply returns to the Knicks.
New York has the ability to give Anthony the most money and that is one reason why he may stay, while there were reports earlier in the offseason that the Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls are his top options if he does leave. Sources close to the situation said that Anthony wants to win and after the terrible season the Knicks had, he may leave even though Jackson has joined the organization. Anthony had another productive season in NY, but the team was terrible overall and one year after winning the division and over 50 games, they missed the playoffs and now everyone is worried Melo will leave.
Part of the rebuilding also centers around Mike Woodson, as he has been under attack all year and many expect him to get fired so that Jackson can add a coach he likes. According to Pro Basketball Talk, the NY Post reports that the Knicks will look to offer Steve Kerr their coaching job if Woodson is fired. Kerr knows Jackson from his time playing for him in Chicago and he knows the Triangle offense very well and while he has not been a coach before in the NBA, he was general manager for the Phoenix Suns.
Kerr was a great point guard during his career and sources told the NY Post that Kerr expects to get an offer from the Knicks and that if he does get an offer, he plans on taking it. Kerr has made a name for himself as one of the best NBA broadcasters and he has been working at TNT for some time and there also have been rumors that he spoke with Turner execs in case he gets the job during the playoffs when he is broadcasting this year.
Kerr lives in California and obviously getting the job means he would be in NY full time, but that hasn't deterred him from having interest. Kerr could be the remedy to the Knicks woes and if Jackson brings in the Triangle, he will want a coach that can handle it. The Knicks went just 37-45 this season and Anthony finished with 27.4 points per game.
According to a source close to the situation, Kerr "absolutely expects" to be offered the job. "And if he's offered the job, he's definitely going to do it," the source told The Post.
