While the New York Knicks technically don't have a current head coach, there is one favorite likely to have the job for next season.
Kurt Rambis, who served as the team's interim head coach for the final 28 games of the 2015-16 season, has the inside track for the head coaching job in 2016-17. Rambis has known Phil Jackson for a long time, having previously served as Jackson's assistant for seven years with the Los Angeles Lakers. A proponent of the triangle offense, Rambis has the familiarity and background with the system, a trait that Jackson likes a whole lot.
Although Rambis does know the triangle well, the issue is that he's never been a successful head coach at the NBA level. Outside of leading the Lakers to the second round of the playoffs during the 1998-99 lockout-shortened season, Rambis has been a perennial loser as a head coach.
He holds a 65-164 career record and went a combined 32-132 as head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2009 until 2011.
Marc Berman of The New York Post has an interesting article discussing Rambis' tenure with the T-Wolves, where the team failed to improve while running the triangle offense.
RELATED: Kurt Rambis Blames Derek Fisher For Knicks’ Terrible Triangle Offense
The article also contains quotes from a Minnesota staffer who worked with Rambis during those two years. He talks about how the triangle system may end up dooming the Knicks down the road, as it did to the Wolves years prior:
“He didn’t have the veteran, experienced team that runs the system he wanted to run,” the Minnesota staffer said. “The style of system is not conducive to total rebuilding situations, as the Knicks are. Total rebuilding situations should emphasize maniacal, in-your-face defense and a simplistic offense and try to grind games out.”
The Knicks are similar to the Wolves of that time period in that they're extremely young and inexperienced. Outside of a few veterans such as Carmelo Anthony, Arron Afflalo and Jose Calderon, the team has logged that many NBA minutes yet. Perhaps most important of all, there really isn't anyone on the roster who's run the triangle proficiently with the exception of Sasha Vujacic.
While that could change this offseason as the Knicks rebuild their player personnel, Jackson's never-ending commitment to the triangle offense could spell further trouble for a franchise that hasn't achieved a winning season since he was hired.
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