NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 14: Phil Jackson attends New York Knicks vs Toronto Raptors game at Madison ... [+]
Eventually, the New York Knicks will return to Madison Square Garden and be relevant again on the New York sports scene. And one day in the distant future, they may actually compete for their first title since 1973.
Who will be coaching them? That remains to be determined.
Various reports Wednesday listed former Minnesota Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau and former Brooklyn Nets coach Kenny Atkinson as the favorites, and the fact that Thibodeau was once represented by new Knicks assistant GM Leon Rose should not be discounted.
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 26: In this image provided by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), Gov. Andrew ... [+]
Of course, this decision does not need to be made any time soon as New York remains mostly shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic. And while Knicks fans wait, they have a new possibility to ponder: Would Phil Jackson ever return?
The former Bulls and Lakers coach and Knicks president is riding out the pandemic at his home in Montana, and anyone who has ever encountered Jim Dolan would tell you that the chances of a reconciliation between the Knicks owner and Jeanie Buss’ former girlfriend appears to be an impossibility.
But that has not stopped an offshore sportsbook from posting 150-1 odds on Jackson returning to coach the team that he led from 2014 to 2017.
The offshore sportsbook sportsbetting.ag has posted the following odds on who will be the Knicks’ next head coach:
- Tom Thibodeau -250
- Mark Jackson +250
- Mike Miller +500
- Jeff Van Gundy +1000
- Mike Woodson +1200
- Kenny Atkinson +1500
- Patrick Ewing +2000
- Becky Hammon +2500
- Pat Riley +7500
- Phil Jackson +15000
Would Jackson ever return? According to his longtime associate Charley Rosen, fans in New York should fuhgeddaboudit.
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 18: James Dolan and Phil Jackson attend New York Knicks press conference ... [+]
“I think it should be about 1 million to 1,” Rosen said Thursday. “Knicks fans and the media were all over him when he got fired. He has had two knee replacements, one knee replacement and a heart stent. There’s no way he’s going back to coaching. No way whatsoever.
“His five kids, 13 grandkids and his ex-wife are spending time with him in Montana. He doesn’t need the money or the aggravation.”
