The old Jets general manager has a chance to lend a helping hand to the new Knicks president.
The worlds of former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum and Phil Jackson are about to collide in an odd twist to the Knicks coaching search.
Tannenbaum became an agent one year ago, joining Priority Sports and Entertainment. Tannenbaum represents Knicks head-coaching candidate Steve Kerr, now with TNT and the heavy favorite to be Jackson’s next head coach.
Tannenbaum, who was with the Jets for 15 years, the last seven as GM, now runs the New York branch of Mark Bartelstein’s Chicago-based agency.
Bartelstein, one of the NBA’s top agents, represented Kerr as a player when he won five titles, three with Jackson in Chicago. In the NBA, however, player agents can’t represent coaches and GMs.
Tannenbaum represents coaches, GMs and TV/radio talent. Kerr is currently working the playoffs for TNT as a longtime partner of Marv Albert.
Tannenbaum knew Bartelstein from NFL negotiations, though Bartelstein specializes in the NBA. Bartelstein reached out to Tannenbaum after he was fired by the Jets after the 2012 season to see if he wanted to change careers. Tannenbaum started with the Jets in 1997 as director of player contract negotiations and is considered a top-flight negotiator.
“It’s a really unique opportunity, and I’ll be working with good people,” Tannenbaum said last April. “I’m hoping to bring a different perspective to the job. Nobody knows better than me the ups and downs of running a team, and I think I’ll be able to share those experiences in my new role.”
Tannenbaum, who has a law degree from Tulane, had done some TV work with NFL Network before going to the other side.
“I went through three head-coaching searches,” Tannenbaum recently said, “so that gives me a unique perspective.”