Apparently Knicks fans aren’t the only ones who think Phil Jackson would be a good hire for the team.
Former Lakers GM Jerry West agrees.
“I think it would be an unbelievably popular hire,” West, speaking hypothetically, told Karen Crouse of The New York Times. “It’s probably a shame if he doesn’t coach again.”
Jackson, 66, told the Times Monday that he twice turned down chances to coach the Knicks, for whom he played from 1967-78. Jackson won 11 NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls and Lakers.
With current coach Mike D’Antoni mired in a six-game losing streak and openly counting on Baron Davis to be the team’s savior, some Knick fans are ready for a change.
After Saturday’s 119-114 double-OT loss to the Denver Nuggets, fans chanted, “Fire D’Antoni” and “Phil Jackson.”
West told the Times he and Jackson had a chilly relationship during their shared tenure, which led to a three-peat of NBA titles from 2000-02.
“It was evident I didn’t have a relationship with Phil,” he said. “I respected him for what he did. He did the job he was hired to do.
“He’s done great work everywhere he’s been.”
