Latest On Knicks’ Head Coaching Search

The Knicks aren’t currently engaged in contract negotiations with any of their 11 reported head coaching candidates and haven’t made a contract offer to any of those candidates either, sources tell Ian Begley of SNY.tv.

However, New York’s goal is still to hire a permanent head coach by the end of the month, likely prior to the NBA season resuming in Florida next Thursday, Begley says. Sources tell SNY that there’s a “strong likelihood” the Knicks will have discussions with multiple candidates next week.

Although Tom Thibodeau has been cited as the frontrunner throughout the process, Begley observes that the latest updates on the search suggest the team hasn’t necessarily zeroed in on any one candidate.

Still, Marc Berman of The New York Post calls attention to one factor working in Thibodeau’s favor. New Knicks president of basketball operations Leon Rose has hinted that the front office may have a hand in filling out the new coach’s staff — Thibodeau has been averse to that idea in the past, preferring to hand-pick his own assistants, but trusts Rose and is open to front office input in this case, sources tell Berman.

Kenny Atkinson and Jason Kidd are among the candidates that the Knicks have not “crossed off the list” as of yet, Berman adds. Atkinson met with the team on Monday in what was believed to be his second interview, Begley notes. As our tracker shows, New York has also interviewed interim coach Mike Miller, former NBA coaches Mike Brown and Mike Woodson, and a handful of current assistants from around the NBA.

Despite the lengthy process, some people believe the Knicks have a top choice in mind and are simply doing their due diligence on every candidate before finalizing their decision, Berman writes.

“In trying to be thorough and doing everything perfectly, the Knicks are dragging it out to a new level,” an NBA source tells The Post. “I believe they know who they’re going to hire, always have. They just need to make sure.”

View Comments (9)