Rumor: Knicks may interview Spurs’ Becky Hammon for head coach spot

The New York Knicks seem to have a lot of candidates in their sights to be their next head coach, one being San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon.

In August of 2014, Becky Hammon became the second female coach in NBA history when she was hired by the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach. With her now paired with Tim Duncan, San Antonio has an embarrassment of riches all around when it comes to their coaching lineup. The league has taken notice of her talent, and a rumor recently sprung up about the New York Knicks being one of those teams.

It’s not an exaggeration to say the Knicks have been a bit of a dumpster fire for a long time now. Since they departed with Mike D’Antoni in 2012, they’ve gone through four different head coaches, all of which didn’t last more than two seasons.

You would think it would be an easy pass for Hammon if the Knicks come calling, but she does have some strong ties to New York. Hammon played her first eight seasons in the WNBA with the New York Liberty, making the All-Star team in three of them.

On the other hand, she also made three All-Star appearances as a member of the San Antonio Silver Stars and had her jersey retired by them in 2016. It’s clear that Hammon has strong ties to both cities, with a more prominent position being available in The Big Apple.

In looking at how both organizations have been run over the past decade, however, it should be an easy choice. Knicks Owner James Dolan has been a public relations nightmare for a long time now, in addition to making some bizarre personnel decisions over the years.

Becky Hammon is more than qualified to be a head coach in the league — just as qualified as former Spur Ime Udoka, Pat Delany and Chris Fleming, who are also among some of the candidates being considered.

Given that the Knicks almost never make the right call and will be interviewing between eight and 10 people for the job, however, Spurs fans can probably rest easy.