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The Knicks’ front office has Interviewed (or is planning to interview) 11 candidates for the head coach position...so what’s one more dude for the list?
Come on down, Chris Fleming: You are number 12!
Chicago Bulls’ lead assistant Chris Fleming - an innovative offensive architect - will interview for the New York Knicks head coaching vacancy on Thursday, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 8, 2020
Fleming is a New Jersey guy, which makes him OK in my book. He coached in the German Bundesliga, winning four German championships and three German Cup titles with Bamberg. He was named Bundesliga Coach of the Year in 2011.
Fleming started his NBA career with the Spurs’ Summer League squad in 2014, and he worked for the Nuggets and Nets (under fellow Knicks head coach candidate Kenny Atkinson!) before getting the head assistant job for the Bulls.
OK, but the Bulls are the Bulls, right? They were terrible this season, yes? Indeed, they were ranked 29th in offensive efficiency. But, as Mike Vorkunov points out, that is probably due more to a lack of talent than Fleming’s schemes.
Fleming comes with a reputation as a smart offensive mind. While Bulls had the 29th-ranked offense this season they actually averaged the 5th-most wide-open shots per game (but hit them at the 9th-worst rate in the NBA). https://t.co/40lD5qR8f0
— Mike Vorkunov (@MikeVorkunov) July 8, 2020
Sadly, the Knicks also don’t have any shooters of note. But if they’re going to miss shots, they might as well miss open shots!
Good luck, Chris Fleming! I already like you more than Jason Kidd, who interviewed with the Knicks last week.