Ready for my close-up
Smith: TV prepared me for coaching
WHO needs coaching experience?
Kenny Smith believes his lengthy time on television — and the resulting connections he established — makes him qualified to lead the Knicks. He hammered that point home in an interview Tuesday with SiriusXM NBA Radio.
“The 18 years that I’ve been on TNT has prepared me for a lot of things and coaching being one of them,” Smith said. “The preparation and the reservoir of information, relationships to players to everything. Players to coaches to assistant coaches — everything. From being in college basketball to the Final 4, AAU teams. Every element I’ve covered has kind of prepared me for more direction.”
Smith interviewed last week with the Knicks front office and declared the experience “a lot of fun.” The Queens native and Archbishop Molloy legend is considered a long shot among candidates that include Mark Jackson, Jerry Stackhouse, David Fizdale, Mike Budenholzer, David Blatt and others.
At least eight people have been interviewed or are scheduled for a sitdown.
Smith, who works alongside Charles Barkley and Shaquille O'Neal as a TNT analyst, is the only candidate with zero coaching experience. The last time the Knicks went that route they hired Derek Fisher (disaster).
But it’s safe to assume Smith, 53, won’t miss a practice after brawling with Matt Barnes at a backyard BBQ.
“As long as it’s basketball, it’s always going to be me. Coaching is definitely on the aspiration list. I did meet with the Knicks and it was a lot of fun. We’ll see. They’re still vetting that process,” Smith said. “So I’m just sitting back and in terms of basketball I know I’m ready because of the 18 years of what went on. That’s it. 18 years in this game and having relationships and general managers calling you for your opinion off the record and all those kind of things prepare you for these moments.”
Smith interviewed for the Knick GM job in 2008 and Houston’s head coaching gig in 2016. The Knicks are meeting with David Blatt this week in Europe, according to ESPN, and that trip will double as an overseas scouting opportunity for GM Scott Perry. Perhaps not coincidentally, Luka Doncic’s team, Real Madrid, is scheduled to play three games in Europe over four days starting today. Doncic, 19, is the best European prospect this year and a projected top-3 pick. The Knicks, who finished with the ninth-worst record in the NBA, have a 6.1% chance of landing a top-3 pick in next month’s lottery. So it’s a long shot, but there’s a chance they’ll have an opportunity to draft Doncic and it’s important to see him in person.
They’re far more likely to have the ninth or 10th pick (93.5% chance of landing either), and their needs are so vast it’s hard to predict what position the Knicks are targeting — especially before a coach is hired. Perry said they’ll prioritize talent over position. More than anything, the Knicks are short on athletic wing players and Michigan State’s Miles Bridges is rumored to be high on their list.
After interviewing Blatt, the Knicks are expected to meet with Spurs assistant James Borrego.