The New York Knicks coaching search continues. The Zen Master has not made his final choice but he has narrowed it down to two of his former Los Angeles Lakers: Derek Fisher and Rick Fox.

It has been in the news for some time, and the only thing left is the final confirmation-but the Knicks have learned their lesson. No announcement has been made about "Fish."

From ESPN:

"Everyone felt that Kerr was a done deal too. Only Phil knows.

The Knicks' main fear, sources say, is if Fisher were to decide to keep playing. Provided Fisher opts for retirement, as most expect, New York is in prime position to hire the 39-year-old who has long been regarded as a natural leader. In addition to his role on five championship teams with the Lakers, Fisher served as president of the NBA Players Association and has long been regarded by Kobe Bryant as his favorite all-time teammate."

But a candidate from left field might end up with the nod. Rick Fox, a teammate of Derek Fisher on the Lakers three-peat under Phil Jackson from 2000-2002, has confirmed that he is a candidate:

Fox told The Erik Kuselias Show on NBC Sports Radio:  "Yeah...I've been a candidate for while and what I'm comfortable communicating is that there's really nothing for me to do."

"I know that Phil is as competent a coach as there ever was so that if you're a Knicks fan, to know that he's going to find the right person to work with in that capacity has to be comforting to those people and you just let it play out."

Phil Jackson obviously is with the Knicks now and I've been speaking with him for about 4 months about that very situation," said Fox, who works for Turner as well as SiriusXM NBA Radio. "I love supporting him and his vision for what's going to go down in New York and we've had those discussions and so he knows I'm open to working with him and doing something as exciting as resurrecting the chances of the Knicks returning to glory."

Both have no prior coaching experience and are suspected to probably just relay instructions or be the prime motivator. There were jokes that Phi Jackson would shift from Zen Master to 'Puppet Master' if they are hired.

Only someone with as much clout as Phil can sell the idea of having first-time coaches. He's usually been right, and the best case scenario would be Phil himself at the bench. Since that's not possible, an extension would be the next best thing.