Larry Bird, a former coach of Mark Jackson in Indiana, believes that the point guard is the perfect fit for the Knicks, according to the New York Post.

"I always thought he'd be a good coach, and he helped me out tremendously," Bird said. "When we had the lockout year, he kept guys together. He led the charge. He knew what was going on. He came over to me in the huddle and would tell me what play he thought we could run. Mark will be well-equipped to run an NBA team. I always knew he'd probably be a coach one day. (Walsh) won't be afraid to pull the trigger on a guy with no experience."

Walsh hired Bird to coach the Pacers without previous coaching experience, and he led Indiana to their first NBA Finals in 2000 against the Lakers.