The New York Knicks will hire Steve Kerr to be their next head coach, but they’ll have to be patient.
According to Marc Stein of ESPN, the deal will be signed once the first round of the NBA playoffs is completed, which should be by early May.
MT @ESPNSteinLine: ESPN sources say #Knicks trying to complete a deal to hire Steve Kerr as new coach after first round of playoffs is over
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) April 29, 2014
Jackson wants the new coach to be at Madison Square Garden early next month, according to the report. The Knicks are the overwhelming favorites to hire Kerr, who played point guard under Jackson when he was coaching the Chicago Bulls.
“We will keep talking,” Kerr said Sunday before Game 4 of the Toronto-Brooklyn playoff series. “There is a lot to cover on both sides. This was the first time we’ve talked about the job. It just opened up last week. We got a lot of things to discuss.”
The two sides met twice over the past two weekends, and while it is looking like it’s a sure thing, there could be some competition for Kerr.
The Golden State Warriors could make a push for Kerr if the team opts to part ways with coach Mark Jackson. Kerr has a strong relationship with Warriors owner Joe Lacob and his son, Kirk Lacob, as well as team president Rick Welts, who worked with Kerr while the two were with the Phoenix Suns.
However, Mark Jackson is coming off a 50-win season and his Warriors currently lead the Los Angeles Clippers in their first-round playoff series. Any speculation the team is looking to cut ties with Mark Jackson is just that: speculation.
Kerr refused to make further comments about the likelihood he will accept the Knicks job during the TNT broadcast, but told ESPN the two exchanged ideas during the meetings and there were a lot of shared views.
“I know Phil (said) we shared the same space, which I think is well said. We share a lot of the same philosophies. I learned a lot of my basketball from him and Tex Winter.
“It is safe to say that we have a lot of the same ideas. As far as getting into the details of the triangle and that sort of thing, I am not going to expand on that. Obviously there is a strong connection between us and our beliefs.”
The big personnel decision that must be made if and when Kerr is hired is how to proceed with impending free agent Carmelo Anthony. If and when a deal is completed, Kerr is expected to join Jackson as the lead recruiters in trying to convince Anthony to remain in New York.
