Knicks Rumors: New York Should Wait for Offseason to Pursue Jerry Sloan

The New York Knicks should pursue former Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan, but they should wait for the NBA offseason to do so         

Right now the best thing they can do is avoid the headlines and just focus on basketball. Sloan is a great coach and a great leader, and he'd be worth all the trouble, but the Knicks would be wise to wait for the offseason.

If you're not sure where this is coming from, there have been rumors that Sloan would be interested in coaching the Knicks, and these were actually before head coach Mike D'Antoni resigned. This rumor came from Sam Amick of SportsIllustrated.com:

"

While retired Lakers and Bulls coach Phil Jackson has frequently been named as a possible successor to D'Antoni, sources close to retired Utah coach Jerry Sloan say he would be interested in the position. Sloan retired abruptly in February 2011, and was pursued by a number of teams during the summer before resisting the recruiting efforts. In an interview with SI.com in early January, he said he was considering a return.

"I think if the right situation came along, whatever that is," he said. "I don't know what the right situation is. We'll have to wait and see, I guess.

"[Returning to coaching] is a decision where, if somebody talked to me, I'd review the situation like anybody else and take it from there."

"

There's something to be said about consistency in sports. If anything, these Knicks have been an excellent case study on both coaching style and team chemistry.

They are undoubtedly a frustrating team. At times they've shown the ability to be a top team in the Eastern Conference, while at other times they've look confused and dysfunctional.

They're 19-24 right now and six games behind the Philadelphia 76ers in the Atlantic Division. It may seem crazy, but there's still enough time to make a push for the playoffs and at least salvage this very mediocre season at best.

They need consistency to be able to do that, though, so that's why they should wait to go after Sloan.

Bringing in a new coach with a new mentality, a new offense and a new personality is not what this team needs right now, unless the Knicks want to just scrap this year and start looking forward to the next.

Interim coach Mike Woodson has good NBA experience, and he just led them to a 42-point win as his first game as the head man. He can keep the ship steady for the time being, and perhaps the Knicks can do something.

There's no doubt in my mind that eventually a coach like Sloan would be the right guy for the Knicks in the long term. He's got a ton of experience in both coaching and winning, and his style would be perfect for a team that needs a strong leader.

That being said, the last thing they need right now is yet another change.