XXX’S & OH, NO!
Rambis mess latest disgrace
James Dolan probably misses the days when it was the won-loss record of a Knicks head coach that made him blush, not their Twitter accounts. As the Knicks try to distance themselves from the off-the-court shenanigans of Derek Fisher, here comes an embarrassing story about the Twitter account of interim head coach Kurt Rambis “liking” a pornographic tweet.
Ever notice how this stuff never happens in San Antonio, Miami or Golden State?
A Knicks spokesman went with the standard “his account was hacked” defense to put out the brush fire. Of course, in October the Knicks’ official position after Fisher missed the sixth practice of training camp was that he had received permission to fly to Los Angeles to visit his kids. His return was delayed due to equipment problems with the private jet. Who hasn’t used that excuse?
Matt Barnes quickly poked holes into that version of events so if you’re a betting man with any common sense you’d probably guess that Rambis was not hacked.
No biggie. If anything, Rambis is guilty of poor judgment. This is hardly a capital offense. He didn’t post anything graphic or use inappropriate language. It is plausible that Rambis inadvertently hit the “like” button on the tweet in question and then a mini-controversy ensues.
That it involves another coach hired by Phil Jackson does, however, reflect poorly on Jackson, who fired Fisher just two weeks ago. It’s also a bad look for the new coach whose job is to restore order and trust inside the locker room.
Fisher lost that trust after his rendezvous with Barnes’ estranged wife resulted in a physical altercation with an active player. There’s no turning back from that.
Rambis already has enough problems. Since replacing Fisher he’s lost three of four games, including Monday’s 122-95 loss to the Toronto Raptors. The Knicks are 24-34 overall, they’re free falling in the Eastern Conference and Carmelo Anthony is losing patience.
“My mood? Yeah I need to go home and just relax,” Anthony said. “Decompress a little bit.
“Regardless of the record, just losing. Accepting that…. it is hard to accept that. You can’t be satisfied with losing basketball games.”
“I need to go home and relax,” a frustrated Anthony said after the Knicks lost for the 12th time in their last 14 games.
With a playoff berth seemingly out of reach, Rambis’ best chance of getting the interim tag removed is to start winning games. Quickly. Let’s not forget, this team was 22-22 under Fisher before the season imploded so they are capable of putting together a winning streak.
Monday’s Twitter drama preceded a loss to a division rival that has become a thorn in the Knicks side. The Raptors own the Knicks’ 2016 first-round pick from the dreaded Andrea Bargnani deal. Toronto currently sits in second place in the Eastern Conference and they’ll get the Knicks’ lottery pick. Bargnani, it should be noted, was released by the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.
Jackson arrived long after that awful deal was made, so don’t blame him. And if reports are accurate, the Knicks president did the right thing by refusing to part with a 2018 first-round pick during last Thursday’s trade deadline. Good for him.
But player transactions are only part of Jackson’s job description. Hiring the right coach is crucial and thus far Jackson is failing.
Jackson sets the tone for this franchise and is responsible for establishing the culture. Where do you think Fisher got the idea to fly to Los Angeles to visit his girlfriend? That’s Jackson’s famous move.
As for having an active social media lifestyle, Jackson sets the standard among high ranking executives. He’s tweeted countless silly things in the past. None of them X-rated mind you but why is the Knicks president wasting one second on Twitter when he should be focused solely on his job. Dolan should be wondering that as well. Pat Riley doesn’t tweet. Same with Gregg Popovich.
Rambis would be wise to follow their example.