Rick Fox, who threw his hat into the Knicks coaching ring last week, said on a radio show Monday he has spoken to his former Lakers coach Phil Jackson about the job.
“Yeah … I’ve been a candidate for a while and what I’m comfortable communicating is that there’s really nothing for me to do,” Fox said on NBC Sports Radio. “Phil has expressed his interest, and the patience for him discovering who is right for that job is left in his court.”
Derek Fisher, Fox’s former Lakers teammate, is the top candidate and was expected to have serious talks with Jackson this week. If anything, Fox could be considered for Fisher’s staff. The LA Times reported Saturday the Lakers have decided they won’t pursue Fisher as a head coach.
Jackson said he was intrigued with hiring a coach in New York with “a clean slate.’’ Fox would fall into that category and has been lauded in Jackson’s books for being a smart player.
“Phil Jackson obviously is with the Knicks now, and I’ve been speaking with him for about four months about that very situation,” said Fox, an NBA TV broadcaster. “I love supporting him and his vision for what’s going to go down in New York, and we’ve had those discussions and so he knows I’m open to working with him and doing something as exciting as resurrecting the chances of the Knicks returning to glory.”