Knicks: Ideal Candidates to Co-Coach with Phil Jackson
1. Luke Walton
The No. 1 option to split coaching duties with Phil Jackson is a man who has spent time as a player under Phil Jackson. Luke Walton, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 2003 to 2012, won two championships as a role player in Jackson’s Triangle Offense.
This season, Walton emerged as a big name on the coaching front by leading the Golden State Warriors to a record of 39-4 during Steve Kerr’s recovery from back surgery.
Walton is still a rookie from a coaching perspective, and his 39 wins in 43 games don’t actually count due to his interim tag. Nevertheless, he’s firmly solidified himself as one of the top options for a vast majority of coach-hungry NBA teams.
The hurdle for New York, per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles, is that Walton isn’t keen on leaving the Warriors in the beginning stages of a dynasty.
"Golden State Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton will get a long look this offseason, but Walton is in no hurry to leave the Warriors. Not when they seem poised to contend for titles for years to come. After the job he did filling in for Steve Kerr at the start of this season — when he went 39-4 while Kerr recovered from back surgery — Walton can afford to be just as picky as Kerr was in choosing his first head coaching job."
In other words, Walton isn’t too concerned with making an immediate jump to full-time head coach—and that’s exactly why he’s the No. 1 option.
Being able to split coaching duties with Phil Jackson, thus maintaining both head and assistant coach positions, would make life significantly easier for Walton. He could be Jackson’s up-close understudy for 41 games out of the season, and would somewhat independently put those lessons to use for the 41 on the road.
Come 2017-18, Walton would ideally be ready for his first career stint as full-time head coach.
It’s hard to make a case that leaving Golden State would be wise, but coaching with Jackson is as appealing an opportunity as they come.