Former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy isn’t sure if Phil Jackson would call him, but if he did, he said he’d be willing to bury the hatchet and talk hoops.
While stopping short of throwing his hat into the coaching ring, Van Gundy said he could “benefit’’ from a chat with the legendary coach he once called “Big Chief Triangle.’’
“If Phil Jackson ever wanted to talk basketball with me, which, listen, who knows if that’s true, but if he ever did, of course I would take the time because I’m sure I could benefit from the conversation,’’ Van Gundy said on Sunday’s Ian O’Connor’s ESPN radio show.
The Post reported in Friday’s editions Jackson has opened up his coaching search, exploring veteran coaches with no triangle experience following Steve Kerr’s snub. That’s why Mark Jackson has landed on the Zen Master’s candidate list. It seems farfetched Jackson would strongly consider Van Gundy, whom he once referred to mockingly as “Van Gumby.’’
In an interview with The Post Saturday, Van Gundy, who worked with Mark Jackson and Mike Breen on Sunday’s Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, said the Knicks have nothing to be ashamed of in losing out on Kerr.
Kerr signed a five-year, $22 million package. The Knicks’ last offer was four years at $17.6 million.
“There’s been an overreaction to what the Knicks did wrong,’’ Van Gundy told The Post. “Most people offered more years and more money would take that deal and then there’s other factors like being closer to home and having a team that’s readier to compete now. It was nothing the Knicks did wrong or failed at.’’
Kerr will fulfill his TNT obligations and do the Western Conference finals between Oklahoma City and San Antonio starting Monday. Kerr will have his Golden State press conference on Tuesday.
Ironically, Kerr and Derek Fisher, the new hot candidate, are both involved in the conference finals. Fisher, who is Oklahoma City’s reserve guard, could play into late June if the Thunder advance to the Finals and complicate matters.
The Knicks want to begin pre-draft workouts and do not yet have a coaching staff. They can use some of the training staff and assistant general manager Allan Houston.
Fisher hasn’t spoken on the topic since Kerr rejected Jackson, but told The Oklahoman in April when speculation first arose: “That is not in my radar or in my scope or anything that I’ve thought about, even coaching in general. I think I’ve been pretty consistent with not really having that decided in terms of what’s next, absolutely. I’m so committed to being a player that it’s even hard to see myself doing some other things in particular, coaching or something that puts me on the other side of the sideline so quickly.’’