5 head coaching candidates for the Knicks

The New York Knicks' dismissal of Derek Fisher on Monday perhaps came as something of a surprise, but not a total shock. While the Knickerbockers' 23-31 record is probably not far off what most expected from them through 54 games, president Phil Jackson told reporters Monday he didn't like what he was seeing recently in late stages of games.

While newly minted interim coach Kurt Rambis said the goal still remains to make the playoffs this season, Jackson's decision to remove Fisher is likely more about the next few seasons.

With that in mind, here are five candidates to ultimately take the full-time bench boss job (Rambis will remain coach for the remainder of this season, according to Jackson).

Tom Thibodeau

Thibodeau is a defensive guru with no real connection to the Jackson coaching tree. However, that doesn't mean he won't be on the Knicks' radar. Jackson strongly said at Monday's news conference he wasn't soliciting anyone for the job, but said "I respect Tom as a coach."

Jackson also added he wants a coach to have experience with the triangle offense, something Thibodeau doesn't - even though some Bulls fans wished he did when the oversaw occasionally offensively challenged, defense-first squads in Chicago.

All that aside, the fact remains Thibodeau is probably the biggest name in the available coaches pool, and New York likes big names.

Luke Walton

Nothing pads a resume like a 39-4 record while filling in for one's boss. While the Golden State Warriors' success can't be attributed solely to Walton in the 43 games he was their interim coach, the 35-year-old's terrific handling of the situation in Steve Kerr's absence has shot his stock up.

Factor in Walton's history with Jackson - as a player with the Los Angeles Lakers for seven seasons - and he becomes a distinct possibility to take over the Knicks. Walton reportedly has no plans to leave the Warriors until the season is over, at which time he's sure to have plenty of suitors.

Brian Shaw

Like Walton, Shaw played for Jackson. Unlike Walton, he also coached on Jackson's staffs. The longtime NBA guard became one of the league's most hyped head coaches-in-waiting during his assistant stints with the Lakers and Indiana Pacers, but his first foray into that field with the Denver Nuggets didn't end well.

After reports surfaced of Shaw clashing with troubled point guard Ty Lawson, he was fired after only 141 games - and a 56-85 record.

Kurt Rambis

For the rest of this season, he's the interim coach, but Rambis' history with Jackson is quite intertwined. The one-time Lakers player coached the legendary franchise in the lockout-shortened 1999 season, giving way to Jackson a year later.

The "Zen Master" later brought Rambis back as an assistant, which built up his pedigree for a highly unsuccessful 27-132 stint as head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2009-2011. Jackson then brought him to New York as an assistant to Fisher last summer.

Phil Jackson

Jackson said Monday he hasn't entertained taking the Knicks' coaching reins "for one second." While he also added he's physically unable to do so right now, the idea should never completely be put to bed.

Jackson, 70, once returned from a one-year sabbatical to coach the Lakers, and was prepared to come back for a third stint when late owner Jerry Buss chose Mike D'Antoni over him in 2012 - much to the chagrin of Jackson and his partner, Buss' daughter Jeanie.

Jackson's managing of the Knicks remains quite hands-on, as Charley Rosen detailed for ESPN last year. At some point, certain people have a tendency to say, if you want it done right, do it yourself.

There are other candidates with ties to the Knicks, such as Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy, but different factors make both unlikely.