The Knicks have forged a large web of their head teaching search following their Jap Convention Finals loss to the Indiana Pacers — a defeat that finally led to the choice to half methods with Tom Thibodeau after the franchise’s most profitable season in a quarter-century.
On Wednesday, the Atlanta Hawks (Quin Snyder) turned the fourth staff to say no the Knicks’ request, becoming a member of Dallas (Jason Kidd), Houston (Ime Udoka), and Minnesota (Chris Finch) in denying entry to their head coach.
And with Jordan Ott leaving Kenny Atkinson’s bench in Cleveland to take the Phoenix Suns job, the Knicks are actually the lone staff within the NBA with a training emptiness. However they’re in no rush to fill it, in response to a league supply.
The Leon Rose-led entrance workplace stays “singularly focused” on successful a championship. With no lively competitors for accessible candidates, the Knicks are ready to attend. They imagine a number of certified choices stay on the board — and with the 2024-25 season nonetheless in the course of the NBA Finals, the Knicks are utilizing the time to judge each doable path ahead.
With Ott off the board — and Snyder, Kidd, Udoka and Finch all unavailable — former Knicks assistant Johnnie Bryant stays a prime candidate. So are a number of skilled coaches who had been let go through the season, together with Mike Brown (Sacramento), Mike Malone (Denver), Mike Budenholzer (Phoenix), and Taylor Jenkins (Memphis).
Malone and Budenholzer (Milwaukee) notably received championships of their respective markets.
Amongst rising assistants, Dave Bliss and David Akinyooye — each members of Mark Daigneault’s title-contending Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder workers — are drawing curiosity across the league. Lloyd Pierce, a former Hawks head coach and now Rick Carlisle’s prime assistant in Indiana, is one other identify to look at. Royal Ivey, in the meantime, continues to construct buzz after serving to lead South Sudan to its first-ever Olympic look whereas serving as a lead assistant in Houston.
The Knicks may nonetheless pursue different presently employed head coaches, although with out important draft capital, they’re unlikely to entice a rival staff into parting with its lead voice.
Whoever the Knicks appoint as their subsequent head coach might be moving into an enormous void.
Thibodeau oversaw the fourth-winningest period in franchise historical past, compiling a 226-174 file throughout 5 seasons in New York. He turned the primary Knicks coach since Pat Riley in 1993–94 to ship back-to-back 50-win seasons and snapped a seven-year playoff drought, guiding the staff to the postseason in 4 of his 5 years on the helm.
The expectation isn’t for the following coach to match Thibodeau’s success — it’s to surpass it. The Knicks perceive that. It’s why they’re casting a large web, why they’ve reached out to coaches who had been by no means really accessible, and why they’re in no rush to make a rent. With no different staff within the league looking for a head coach, the Knicks are taking their time — decided to get this one proper.
Initially Printed: June 11, 2025 at 7:47 PM EDT
