That whole Throwback Thursday craze that’s taking over the social media world. Well, it appears to be happening in real life this week.
Former NBA head coach and current analyst Mike Fratello has apparently thrown his hat into the ring for the New York Knicks head coaching job.
No, seriously.
Speaking to WFAN’s Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts, the 69-year-old former head coach expressed interest in the vacant job.
He even went as far to indicate that he would be willing to run Phil Jackson’s triangle offense, a prerequisite for anyone being considered for the opening:
“If you look at the offenses around the league — and it’s a lot of the better teams — they have all taken pieces of the triangle, because parts of the triangle are inherent to offensive basketball,” Fratello said. “We overload one side of the floor, and the other side of the floor is obviously the weak side of the floor. San Antonio does it. Golden State has incorporated it. There’s a number of teams that have parts of the triangle that they use.”
Fratello last coached in the NBA for the Memphis Grizzlies from 2004-06, leading the team to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons prior to being fired early in the 2006-07 campaign.
With 16 years of head coaching experience in the Association, Fratello fits the bill of that knowing basketball mind Jackson might be looking for.
He also has experience going up against Jackson in the playoffs when Phil was dominating in Chicago and Fratello was playing second fiddle to the Bulls with both the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers.
His last experience on a basketball court was as the head coach of Ukraine’s national team from 2011-14.
Despite Fratello’s experience and past relationship with Jackson, this can’t be seen as a serious possibility.
A decade removed from coaching in the NBA, Fratello would, by definition, be considered a retread. That’s something most pundits believe Jackson isn’t looking for. At the very least, something he shouldn’t be looking for.
It’s still rather amusing to hear his name pop up after so many years in the background. Should Jackson and the Knicks take Fratello up on his hope of being considered for the job, there promises to be more criticism directed at the fledgling franchise.