Former Cavaliers coach David Blatt, who has been holed up in Atlanta, has told confidants he believes there’s “some interest” from the Knicks in him for their head-coaching job.
The Post reported in Tuesday’s paper that the Israeli coaching legend is expected to get an interview, partly based on his close friendship with Knicks general manager Steve Mills, but also because of his history of “adaptability,’’ after having coached all over the globe.
Knicks president Phil Jackson, who finished up his triangle offense workshop Wednesday, is insistent on running what’s known as “the triple-post” offense and Blatt could be a solid candidate to employ it, especially with Kurt Rambis as his offensive coordinator. Blatt is also known to stress pressure defense — something Rambis had tried to instill during his 9-19 stint as interim head coach. Rambis still is being strongly considered to have the interim tag removed.
Partly due to a cool relationship with LeBron James, Blatt was fired in January after leading the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in his first season and the best record in the Eastern Conference in his second.
“He didn’t come in and say, ‘We’re going to run what I did in Europe,’ ” one NBA personnel director who has spoken to the Cavaliers told The Post. “He was adaptable. He knew he had to adapt to the NBA, not the other way around, and adapt to LeBron, cater to LeBron. I don’t think he got enough credit for his adaptability. He’s not the bullheaded my-way-or-fire-me guy.’’
Blatt and Mills shared the backcourt at Princeton in the late 1970s and employed the famous Princeton offense.
“He’d be absolutely willing to run the triangle,’’ the NBA personnel director said. “There’s not great similarities between the two, but it is in the fundamental notion of ball movement, taking what the defense gives you.”
In an interview after being hired by Cleveland, Blatt said: “There are two schools of thought in coaching, and neither one is more right than the other. There are coaches that have their system, and they are gonna use that regardless of what the team makeup is. And there are coaches that are adaptive, and take their roster, and play according to their skill set. I’m more from the adaptive school, with a few principles that are consistent throughout my career.”
Blatt is living with a close friend in Atlanta while his family remains in Israel. His hiring would be viewed as popular with a large segment of Israeli Jews who live in New York City, but he’s not considered the favorite.
Many league front-office types believe Blatt got a raw deal and was in a tough spot as a first-year NBA coach, paired with James.
One NBA scout said: “All indications were he is an excellent coach. He got a bad break in Cleveland.” The scout then quipped, “But it would probably squash any hope of LeBron coming as a free agent.’’
Blatt was hired before James made a commitment to return to Cleveland. It was even before Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, Blatt’s biggest fan, thought he had a legitimate chance at James.
“He probably wouldn’t have been hired had they known — a first-time NBA coach for a LeBron-led team,’’ the personnel director said. “It was an awkward pairing to begin with. LeBron didn’t embrace him. Tyronn Lue was runner-up and he impressed guys with his acumen. The 800-pound gorilla in the room was players turned to Lue when they had questions.’’
Meanwhile, former Knicks assistant and fan favorite Tom Thibodeau agreed to a five-year, $50 million pact with the Timberwolves for a dual role as coach and team president. Former Knicks GM Scott Layden reportedly would handle some GM duties.
Thibodeau and Layden were close when they worked together with the Knicks.
The Post reported in February the Knicks would not pursue Thibodeau and they did not make an inquiry after Jackson became concerned about Thibodeau’s feud with Bulls brass when he was Chicago’s head coach.