Scotto: Should Steve Kerr Coach the Knicks?

Steve Kerr is the consensus frontrunner to become New York’s head coach, but should he be?

Is Kerr the coach that will convince Carmelo Anthony he can win a championship if he re-signs with the Knicks?

How will veterans like Tyson Chandler and J.R. Smith, who both criticized Mike Woodson – even after Chandler won Defensive Player of the Year and Smith won Sixth Man of the Year under Woodson’s guidance  – respond to Kerr?

For better or worse, Phil Jackson is going all in on the Triangle offense, and hiring Kerr appears to be the first step in that transformation process.

Before broadcasting Game 4 between the Raptors and Nets as an analyst for TNT, Kerr spoke in a Barclays Center hallway about his candidacy.

Kerr made it clear that New York’s coaching position highly intrigues him.

“Oh yeah, how could it not?” Kerr said. “It’s the Knicks and it’s Phil Jackson, my coach. So I’d be crazy not to look into it.”

Kerr even acknowledged that Jackson is the main reason why the Knicks are looking at him to possibly fill the coaching vacancy.

“Let’s be honest, if Phil wasn’t there, nobody from the Knicks would have contacted me because I don’t have contacts within the organization,” Kerr said. “I don’t know anybody. This league is all about contacts and relationships. You sort of end up following your own people and that’s how relationships are made and that’s how jobs are sort of created. So that’s why this came about.”

Kerr and Jackson have attempted to reunite previously, but this appears to be their best chance to realize that vision.

Earlier this week, Jackson said he and Kerr first discussed the possibility of coaching a little over a year ago if the Kings were sold to Seattle. Ultimately, however, the Kings remained in Sacramento under new ownership.

After the possible reunion fell through, Kerr approached Jackson to discuss coaching again at the start of 2014.

“We had another conversation, a breakfast actually, in January of this year in which he wanted to talk about styles of coaching,” Jackson said. “It was purely a basketball philosophical discussion.”

Then, two weekends ago, the two had another meeting to discuss New York’s current coaching vacancy.

“We met Friday night, had dinner, talked again (Saturday) and we’ll keep talking.” Kerr said. “There’s a lot to cover on both sides. This was the first time that we’ve talked about the job. It just opened last week so we have a lot of things to discuss.”

The weekend conversations lasted “probably a few hours” according to Kerr, which speaks to the legitimacy of his candidacy to become New York’s new coach.

The common denominator between the NBA’s greatest 3-point percentage shooter and the league’s greatest coach is the Triangle offense and Tex Winter.

“I know Phil last week said we share the same space, which I think is well said,” Kerr said. “We share a lot of the same philosophies. I learned a lot of my basketball from him and Tex Winter. I think it’s safe to say we have a lot of the same ideas.”

While Kerr is the best fit from a philosophical standpoint, Jackson stressed he desires someone who has the moxie to be a coach in New York that can win games on the court and win the hearts of fans and the media in the process.

“We’re looking for a leader,” Jackson said. “Someone that can bring out the best in players. Someone that has a capability of encouraging his staff to meet the needs that players have so that they philosophically join in and buy into what we’re doing.”

“New York, I think, demands a personality,” Jackson added. “A person that the fans can believe in.” A person that has some confidence, has the charismatic appeal and has a forward looking idea about the game.”

Kerr was never a floor general and leader in the mold of Mark Jackson and Jason Kidd, two of the prototypes the league is predominantly looking for in a new coach. However, Kerr does have confidence and charisma, which is why he’s been an analyst for TNT.

Yet, since returning to broadcasting in 2010 after stepping down as general manager of the Phoenix Suns, Kerr set his sights on returning closer to the court.

“I love the game,” Kerr said. “I love working with players. It’s one of the reasons I’m broadcasting. I love being in the gym. When I was a general manager, I loved being on the floor. Unfortunately, I was only on the floor about 10 percent of the time, I was usually upstairs in a suit. I like working with players and I like team building.”

To achieve his ideal scenario, Kerr has used his time as a broadcaster to maintain previous connections around the league, build new connections and help determine his ideal niche.

“I’ve actually talked about coaching for the last couple of years,” Kerr said. “It’s just that nobody paid attention, which made perfect sense because there wasn’t a job that was talked about. But this seems to be kind of a big deal, this job, around the league.

To prepare for coaching, Kerr has met with people around the league, gone to training camps and spoken with coaches.

Kerr’s desire to coach has ultimately brought him to this possible opportunity with the Knicks.

Kerr could learn how to coach the Triangle from his own former coach and the man who has run the system to perfection. Kerr is the clay Jackson wants to mold in a system he has unofficially set in stone and the direction the team will pursue for the foreseeable future.

“If it’s something that feels like the right fit, it’s something I’m going to do,” Kerr said. “But, on the other hand, I love my job at Turner (Sports) and I’ve got a great gig. So we’ll see where it all goes.”

It certainly sounds like the ball is in Kerr’s court.

However, like Daughtry said in his single Home, “Be careful what you wish for. ‘Cause you just might get it all. You just might get it all, and then some you don’t want.”

Just ask Larry Brown, Lenny Wilkins, Mike Woodson, etc.

Michael Scotto is an NBA columnist for SheridanHoops.com. You can follow him on Twitter.