Herring: The Knicks could hire a coach pretty soon

Last week, we know the Knicks met with Frank Vogel. Maybe that's all they did coaching-search-wise, maybe they did more than went unreported. This week, the gears might really start to turn. We've heard for a while that Phil Jackson and Steve Mills felt little rush to pick a coach since the team has little to do on draft night (as things stand) and no games scheduled any time soon.

But two of the three known candidates for New York's open position -- Frank Vogel and David Blatt -- are drawing interest elsewhere, and might pursue that interest if the Knicks drag their feet too long. Being patient until you feel sure is virtuous as long as it doesn't lose you opportunities. On that note, here's Chris Herring:

During the meeting, first reported by the New York Daily News, Vogel spent a portion of his interview suggesting he'd be able to use the triangle, or at least a number of its principles, on offense if he got the job. Vogel is known mostly for his defensive chops and his ability to work with the triangle system is likely to be a key consideration, given Jackson's desire to keep it in place going forward.

The Knicks, realizing that they may have to make a choice quickly since Vogel and former-Cleveland Cavaliers coach David Blatt are under consideration elsewhere, are nearing the end of their search and hope to have the process wrapped up within the next week or so, according to the person. New York could request secondary meetings with candidates in coming days.

So:

1. That meeting sounds kinda like the Blatt meeting, what with the "here's how I'd make your system my own, O legend of coaching" conversation.

2. If the Knicks finish the week -- this month, even -- with one of the two above gentlemen as head coach, I'd be very pleased. Or even someone else we haven't heard about, as long as he or she seems cool! My greatest Knicks fear is that they drag this process until mid-summer, then hire Kurt Rambis as head coach anyway, but with the reporting above and the increasing murmurs that Rambis isn't a "foregone conclusion" ... there's reason to believe a prompt and logically sound selection might be coming Not that there wasn't reason to believe before; reporting just didn't really point us that way. We shall see.