Sometimes the basketball congnoscenti will mock the Phil Jackson coaching tree as a withered oak in winter, assistants like Jim Cleamons, Kurt Rambis and most recently Brian Shaw with short head coaching tenures.
This while organizations wait years to reach deep into the organizations of Gregg Popovich or Pat Riley. Still, when Bulls managing partner Jerry Reinsdorf some years ago asked Jackson to recommend a head coaching candidate, Jackson didn't hesitate. "Steve Kerr," Jackson answered quickly.
Kerr, without any coaching experience, was Jackson's first choice when Jackson became Knicks president last year. But Kerr opted to remain closer to home, where his son still is in high school in southern California. The head coaching job opened with the seventh-place Golden State Warriors, who last season qualified for the playoffs on the last weekend of the regular season.