Knicks Notes: Knox, Hammon, Coaching Search

New Knicks president of basketball operations Leon Rose is “not sold” on 2018 lottery pick Kevin Knox, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post, who says that Rose badly wanted to see the young forward in action over New York’s final 16 games. With the team not part of the NBA’s 22-team restart plan for this summer, Rose won’t get that opportunity.

Despite not necessarily being all-in on Knox and not getting the chance to evaluate him down the stretch this season, it seems unlikely that Rose will look to move him this offseason. The team would be selling low if it traded Knox now, and there’s a chance that a new head coach could get more out of the 20-year-old.

Still, it’s worth noting that the Knicks will have to make at least one key decision on Knox later this year. He has a fourth-year option for 2021/22 worth $5.85MM that would typically have to be exercised or turned down by October 31. It’s not yet clear when that decision will be due now that the NBA’s calendar is undergoing some changes.

Here’s more on the Knicks:

  • Although Spurs assistant Becky Hammon has been identified by multiple outlets as a name to watch in the Knicks’ head coaching search, a source tells Berman that she appears unlikely to interview for the position.
  • In a separate story for The New York Post, Berman notes that six of the nine candidates identified so far as probable interviewees in the Knicks’ coaching search are clients of Creative Artists Agency, Rose’s old firm. It’s not clear how many of those coaches are legit candidates for the job. “It seems obvious this is a great way to get their names in the pipe line and give them some exposure for the next cycle,” a coaching source told Berman. “Time is on their side.”
  • Of the assistant coaches interviewing with the Knicks, Ime Udoka of the Sixers looks like one of the strongest candidates, having interviewed for multiple head coaching jobs in the past. Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic takes a closer look at Udoka’s résumé, examining how he’d fit in New York.
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