As the New York Knicks are reportedly looking at hiring Taylor Jenkins as their next head coach, it's a development that should leave every Memphis Grizzlies fan with a big smirk on their face. Anyone who's been a Grizzlies fan for longer than a few weeks remembers how Jenkins was outed as head coach toward the end of this past season after struggling to manage the chaotic locker room in Memphis.
Now, he's being considered for a head coaching spot in one of the biggest media markets in the NBA? That's a wild thought. Let's be clear here that I'm not trying to knock Jenkins' ability on the sideline. He was one of the main reasons the Grizzlies were able to grow from a young team with potential into one of the more dangerous contenders in the Western Conference in pretty short order. He's clearly got a lot of knowledge and skill when it comes to leading a team.
But the thing is, once expectations grew and controversies entered the situation, he wasn't able to handle the pressure. And that's fine, because a lot of people, most people in fact, probably wouldn't have been able to work out the Grizzlies' situation perfectly.
The Knicks are trying to hire Taylor Jenkins
But the idea that he could leave this situation in Memphis and immediately find success in a place as hard to thrive as New York seems a bit comical. Tom Thibodeau is one of the most grizzled coaches in this league, but the organization was clearly ready to move on from him, even after their first conference finals appearance in a quarter century.
Expecting Jenkins to be able to fill that void seamlessly seems a bit far-fetched, doesn't it? If Memphis' situation presented too much of a challenge for Jenkins to handle, it seems reasonable that New York wouldn't exactly be a walk in the park for him either.
This is also going to come across as amusing to Grizzlies fans for the fact that the firing of Jenkins was something that many within the fanbase viewed as a necessary step forward when it happened. He wasn't able to bring this team from the level of a consistent contender all the way up to the top line of competitors in the Western Conference.
Now, Knicks fans may be about to experience the same situation if New York does decide to hire Jenkins. For Memphis, it feels like this news probably only serves to prove their decision to move on from Jenkins correct.