Kenny Smith: How TNT job has set me up for Knicks success
Kenny Smith may be a long-shot candidate for the Knicks’ coaching job, but he doesn’t sound like one — saying he believes he’s “ready’’ to leave Charles Barkley and run the Knicks.
The TNT broadcasting mainstay, who won two NBA titles as a Rockets point guard, said his Knicks interview Friday was “fun,’’ and that he is awaiting word on whether he’s going to be a finalist.
Smith, who has no coaching experience, said he believes his analyst gig on “Inside the NBA” has “prepared’’ him to be head coach because of the “reservoir of information’’ he has gained.
“The 18 years on TNT has prepared me for a lot of opportunities, and coaching is one of them,’’ Smith said Tuesday on SiriusXM Radio.
“The preparation and reservoir of information, relationships from players to coaches, assistant coaches, from being in college basketball, doing the Final Four, AAU teams. Every element has prepared me for more direction.”
The previous TNT broadcaster with no coaching experience who jumped from the booth to the sidelines did well — Steve Kerr, though he was a general manager first. Smith interviewed for the Knicks’ GM job in 2008.
Smith seems ready to get away from Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and Barkley and end his stint on the uproarious TNT show.
“Coaching is definitely on the aspiration list,’’ Smith said. “I did meet with the Knicks, and it was a lot of fun. They still are vetting their process. I’m just sitting back.”
Smith, known as “The Jet,” claims NBA executives have sought his opinion. It’s unclear if Knicks president Steve Mills or GM Scott Perry has done so in the past.
“I know that in terms of basketball, I’m ready because of 18 years of what went on in this game, having relationships and GMs calling you for opinion off the record,’’ Smith said. “All those kind of things prepare you for those moments.”
As a former point guard, Smith could be attractive — even as an assistant coach — because the Knicks are attempting to move on with three 25-and-under point guards in Trey Burke, Emmanuel Mudiay and Frank Ntilikina.
In an interview with The Post during All-Star weekend, Smith considered Burke a backup type. He added he believed Mudiay and Ntilikina ultimately could share the backcourt in a tandem because of their size.
Mills and Perry flew to Europe on Tuesday to meet with Istanbul coach David Blatt and also scout European players. A source confirmed they will scout Spanish league swingman Luka Doncic, a consensus top-three pick in the lottery. The Knicks, seeded ninth in the lottery, have a 6.1 percent chance of landing a top-three pick. The lottery will be held in Chicago on May 15.
Blatt, a former Cavaliers coach who feuded with LeBron James, played four years with Mills at Princeton, and the two are close friends.
The Knicks have interviewed Smith, Jerry Stackhouse, David Fizdale, Mike Woodson, Mark Jackson and Mike Budenholzer. They also will meet with Spurs assistant James Borrego upon their return this weekend.
Craig Robinson, the Knicks player developmental director who also played with Blatt at Princeton, did not make the trip to Europe.