Phil Jackson put the media on blast Monday morning in regards to his potential coaching search with the New York Knicks.
Press accounts of coaching actions are untrue. Nobody has been asked nobody said no.
— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) April 18, 2016
The line “Nobody has been asked nobody said no” must be in direct response to the rumor that Jackson interviewed Golden State Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton for the Knicks head coaching job.
And in case you’re wondering, there was a reported resolution to that reported interview. Walton apparently (if the interview happened) does not want the job, and really it’s not surprising (if he did indeed say no).
At this point it’s impossible to know if Jackson is the fibber in this story or if it’s the media being used.
As we see in all other major professional sports, rumors are part of the NBA business. Teams and agents both use the media to gain an advantage over one another, and as an added bonus for the sport itself the public continues to get its desired fodder of rumors and gossip.
Perhaps Jackson really does want his current interim head coach, Kurt Rambis, to stay on and take on a permanent title next season. Perhaps he’s just irritated that news of the reported interview with Walton got out and that he said no.
Whatever the case may be, we’re not going to hear the end of these types of reports until the Knicks actually make a move and either hire a new head coach or remove the interim label from Rambis.