Carmelo Anthony Reportedly Wants Tom Thibodeau as Knicks Head Coach

The disconnect brewing between Carmelo Anthony and team president Phil Jackson appears to extend to the New York Knicks' next head coach, as the star forward is reportedly pushing for Tom Thibodeau.

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reported the news, writing Jackson "seems to have no interest" in the strong-willed Thibodeau. According to Isola, Jackson's preferred choice is interim coach Kurt Rambis, who took over in February after the firing of Derek Fisher.

A longtime friend of Jackson, Rambis is seen as almost a conduit to the Zen Master's organizational philosophy. Rambis' base offense is Jackson's beloved triangle, and Rambis has gone out of his way to criticize Fisher's lack of commitment to the scheme, as relayed by Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News:

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We didn't fully immerse ourselves into practicing (the triangle while Fisher was coach), developing it, learning how to work with it, going through the breakdown drills to execute it properly. We kind of skirted over things. So the real learning process of it didn't have enough time to take place. We also didn't allow the players the kind of time that it needs to allow them to get comfortable with it.

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Rambis, who has not received official word of whether he'll return, also indicated the Knicks will target players who fit within the triangle in free agency.

Anthony has taken a less enthusiastic approach. He said he was "tired of saying the word triangle" Tuesday and seemed to indicate the Knicks should look for talent over system fit, per Bondy:

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I think all good players can adapt to whatever system it is out there. I don't want the players that we are trying to go after to put too much into the actual thinking of the system. If you're a ballplayer, you're a ballplayer. You come to work, you play hard, you be part of what we have going on here. Then, just like any other system, you have to learn.

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Anthony did agree with Rambis' assessment that Fisher did a poor job of teaching the triangle. He categorized it as a "a total disaster as far the process goes."

Thibodeau, 58, will likely be the most sought-after coach on the open market this summer. He led the Bulls to a 255-139 record in five seasons, each ending with a playoff berth despite a rash of injuries across the roster. While not known as a triangle coach, Thibodeau did have some elements of the offense in his scheme in Chicago.

The real issue here is likely one of personality. Thibodeau feuded with Bulls management throughout the latter part of his tenure. It was more interpersonal relationships than performance that led to his dismissal. Jackson and Thibodeau would seem like an oil-water mix given their diametrically opposite personalities.

If you're betting, it's probably more likely that Anthony leaves this summer than Thibodeau arrives.

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