JERUSALEM (JTA) — David Blatt, the former NBA and Israeli basketball coach, will not stay on as a consultant for the New York Knicks.
Blatt’s consulting agreement with the team, which was for the 2019-20 season, has expired, the New York Post reported, citing an unnamed NBA source. The original schedule for the regular season ended last week, but games have not been played for more than a month due to the coronavirus.
Blatt has been reviewing prospects for the upcoming draft, the Post reported.
He was hired in December by former Knicks president Steve Mills, who played college basketball together at Princeton and remained friends through the years. The Knicks have failed to reach the playoffs since the 2012-13 season, and fired their coach earlier this year.
In March, Leon Rose was named the new president of the Knicks. He likely will bring on his own consultants.
Blatt, who coached the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in 2015 but was fired the following season, stepped down in October as head coach of the Greek Olympiacos team.
In August, Blatt announced that he has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
Blatt guided Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv to the EuroLeague championship and a number of European teams before being hired by the Cavs.
A dual Israeli and American citizen, Blatt previously has expressed a desire to pursue a diplomatic career, Israel’s Kan national broadcaster reported.
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