The obvious question for the Knicks now is ‘Who is Tom Thibodeau‘s replacement?”
In the aftermath of Thibodeau’s shocking firing on Tuesday, speculation is already running rampant about who the Knicks will choose in the hopes of finally getting to the Finals in future seasons.
The Athletic staff compiled a list of names, in alphabetic order, that included Dave Bliss, James Borrego, Johnnie Bryant, Mike Brown, Taylor Jenkins, Darvin Ham, Michael Malone, Micah Nori, Chris Quinn, Sean Sweeney and even former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy.
Brown (Kings), Jenkins (Grizzlies) and Malone (Nuggets) were all dismissed from their head coaching jobs this season. Bryant, a former Knicks assistant to Thibodeau, is reportedly a finalist for the Suns’ head coaching position.
Stefan Bondy of the New York Post tossed in some names from the college ranks, including two-time national champion Dan Hurley, who declined the Lakers offer last summer to stay at UConn. Bondy also mentioned Alabama’s Nate Oats and Arkansas’ John Calipari into the mix.
Former Villanova coach Jay Wright, along with NBA head coaching veterans Mike Budenholzer and Frank Vogel, were among the candidates that ESPN’s Zach Kram offered.
Here’s more on the Thibodeau firing and its implications:
- In the statement released by the team after Thibodeau’s dismissal, the stated goal was “our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans.” According to ESPN Tim Bontemps’ sources, that is indeed why the move was made. The Knicks decided a new voice was needed to lift this franchise to the next level. Bontemps pointed out that the team’s high-priced starting five was outscored from Jan. 1 through the end of the regular season and also struggled in the postseason until Mitchell Robinson was inserted into the lineup.
- The way the front office handled exit interviews after the season was different, Ian Begley of SNY TV reports (Twitter video link). The team’s top players were called in to meetings that included owner James Dolan, though the team’s president was the one who made the ultimate decision. Leon Rose had previously been a staunch supporter of Thibodeau but his feelings waned through this season. “Leon Rose obviously saw something different over the past year-plus that led him to believe that this is the right move for the franchise with James Dolan backing Leon Rose there,” Begley said.
- A source told NJ Advance Media contributor Adam Zagoria that New York would be a “good landing spot” for Malone, who has ties to the area. Malone was born in Queens, N.Y. and played point guard at Seton Hall Prep. His late father, Brendan Malone, was a Knicks assistant under Hubie Brown. However, Bondy tweets that Malone replacing Thibodeau is “not going to happen.”
- Thibodeau deserved another season, James Edwards of The Athletic opined, considering he was pivotal in bringing the franchise back to prominence. Edwards noted that the core group had just been pieced together this season. Now, there’s pressure to make sure the next head coach is the perfect hire or else the franchise could suffer major setbacks, Edwards concludes.
Jay Wright seems like the obvious choice… link to m.youtube.com
I think I mentioned Jay wright in a earlier post, but have at it
link to bleacherreport.com
NBA
Knicks’ Leon Rose Reportedly Made Decision to Fire Thibodeau, James Dolan Backed Move
Not happening
Jeff van Gundy would be fascinating. Jay Wright will negotiate a bag if he’s interested. Personally I like Mike Malone to land the plane
Rick Brunson is going to be the coach. How obvious can it be?
Did Hurley kill his NBA chances by declining the Lakers or was it his sideline antics this season
No way that Hurley’s shtick translates to coaching in the nba. No shot.
What I figured
I personally like change quite a bit and I’m all for the phrase,
“don’t be afraid to give up the good for the great.”
But wow Tom Thibodeau deserves a lot of credit here. The Knicks were nobody’s for how many years before he came aboard and brought them back to contender level?
There is absolutely no way the New York Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau, unless they have one name in mind who is available and ready to go.
I don’t know who that one guy is but he has to be a championship level dude. Jay Wright? Michael Malone?
There’s just no way this is a Phoenix Suns type interview process with 10 guys vying for the job. No way.
Ditto Jay wright
Yeah, they have to be focused on 1 guy.
Mark Jackson. Jk
Kinda liked the dude, but won’t happen, probably..
Exactly. If Jerry West tells the team to get rid of you, you’re pretty much toast. Done.
Mike Malone is the obvious standout but I like Mike Brown also wouldn’t be surprised with either Jay Wright, JVG or Taylor Jenkins.
Don’t mean to be too disagreeable but all of those names besides Jay Wright would be disappointing to me as a Knicks fan. I don’t know enough about Wright but the rest of those dudes are retreads and only Malone has championship pedigree. But Malone was just run out of Denver on a sharpened rail in shocking fashion because of an alleged toxic environment. I don’t think you fire Thibs to replace him with that.
Knicks need a forward-thinking coach with a new perspective who is willing to adapt on the fly. Not sure if you can say that about any of those guys (aside from Wright, who again, I know little about).
Yeah wasn’t exactly my recommendation more of a guess at who they go for.
Agree with you on Malone.
Jenkins I still think could do a decent job. He sorta nurtured that Grizzlies them from a 10/11 seed to best in the west obviously of the back of Ja but think he could get performances from Mikal, OG and the depth.
I’m a big Mike Brown fan for similar reasons plus he’s a coach that works his players hard in training, he breeds good competitors that play a good style of basketball
I think I mentioned Jay wright in much earlier post, but have at it
Oh, OK. Pardon me if I have the same idea you do, but you said it first. I came to this article 1st as it was on the top of my newsfeed.
Good call. You me and 100 others are thinking it could be Jay Wright as part of the conversation.
Though he appears to be an intelligent choice, the timing of this firing says, as others have mentioned, they have one guy in mind and they don’t want to lose him. Is that Johnnie Bryant? Who knows.
I’m thinking championship kind of guy. Michael Malone?
If Jay turns it down, they reach out for the Pope.
Thibs getting fired was surprising and not surprising at the same time.
Hey…this is stunning…The Sixers need to be all over Coach Thibs!!
Like tibs in Philly.
I can just see the scowl on Thibs’ face when Podcast P uses up 18 seconds of the shotclock only to hoist up a disputed three ….. or Jojo flopping every other possession, when he does play.
Lol.
No one can scowl like mr Thibs , it’s a french thing
Very strange to hear New York fans and media argue that the coach “deserves another chance”. The CBA prevents any team, no matter how wealthy, from having a roster this expensive for more than 3 years.
Knicks ownership went all-in last summer with Towns, OG, and Bridges (5 first round picks). The 1st year is done, and only 2 years remain before the CBA shuts the window.
Nobody who saw the Detroit or Indy series thinks this version of the Knicks can be a Championship contender next year. The Knicks had to try something different.
Trying something different ought to involve tweaks to the roster. A different coach with the same roster might not get a better result.
To me the serious contenders would have to be Malone, Jenkins and Jeff, now that he’s back on the court.. and throw in Borrego as well.
I don’t get the sense that Jay Wright wants to coach again.
The Knicks offense during the playoffs was mostly Jalen Brunson and KAT making great individual plays. It seems like there is more to unlock with this group. Thibs is clearly very good coach, but switching things up seems like a reasonable move to me.
That’s been the story of Towns entire career. That’s not on Thibs.
Interesting. Well I guess we are going to find out next season.
Isiah Thomas!!!
Darvin Ham would be such a Knicks move lol.
Thibs has 30 mill coming to him. Enjoy it and go surfing in the Caribbean ……
It’s been 25 yrs since Knicks did this well. Thibs is most responsible for bringing the Knicks back. The bench is his responsibility too. So Has to take blame on that. He didn’t deserve to be fired now. This has to be about Towns. Towns was a Rose client. I don’t think they are on the same page on Towns. So Thibs had to go. Towns is owed 170 mill Thibs is owed 30 mill ………. Knicks are not a contender yet. Rose better not blow the coaching hiring. Cause then Dolan will step in.
They surf in the Caribbean? But it’s hurricane season.
Never saw Point Break …. Its best time lol.
Thibs needs a long vacation in the sun ….
It was filmed in SoCal. But, anywhere you have a beach and the ocean…
Um, cannot picture mr T on a surfboard … nor can i picture him drinking coronas w/ snoop dog
I’m not big on college coaches. Too much at stake in NY right now. Michael Malone seems like best fit for me. Don’t follow coaches like I do players. Malone has won playing a team style of ball. He also has something to prove. When he won the chip he did it using his bench. I would like to see him in NY.
I like Malone, and would love to see him as Thibs’ successor too. But, understand, he uses an even shorter bench than Thibs. That playoff run to the championship was made using 8 guys (max), and 6 played almost 90% of the minutes.
Brad Stevens? Right out of school. Jay Wright is my guess (and for the obvious reasons). Malone wouldn’t be bad, but I’d love to see Todd Golden get in the mix. He is a damn good coach who knows how to manage his bench and make in game adjustments.
Brad Stevens seems far fetched, but maybe not that far fetched. I like college coaches, but not for NBA jobs carrying championship expectations upon arrival. Wright would make a great off season story.
He was using Brad Stevens as an example of a college head coach making the jump.
67 years old and he’s never been married.
Maybe see if Bill Bellichick’s girlfriend can hook him up.
“ our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans”
Maybe that’s the problem. The crucible that is the NYC media market and fanbase is too focused on an unachievable goal until the Knicks front office builds a sustainable roster. Thibs is a decent coach but will forever handicap whatever team he coaches for not developing bench depth and freely substituting. In the end, the Pacers were able to exploit this and their bench depth as a difference in the ECF.
Agreed. This was also reflected in a lot of the comments I saw from Knicks fans during the series. Just because NYC is much bigger than Indianapolis doesn’t mean that your team is better and losing to Indy is humiliating. The best team in the East just won the East. But take solace, Knicks fans! Last year Indy was the team that lost in the ECF.
Thib >>>>>> billy donovan. One reach ecf then fired,the other still safe even failed every years.once 1st round exit and missed playoff. Dolan is suck, jerry is worse.
While I’m surprised by Thibs being fired, he and Malone are coaches who have a short shelf life. They eventually wear out their welcome with players.
I could see Wright or Bryant being the hire with both choosing to retain Rick Brunson on their staff. They need someone who is already familiar with some of the players.
Short shelf life? I think Michael Malone coached the Nuggets for 10 years and Tom Thibodeau was with the Knicks for what, 8 years? I think that’s a VERY long shelflife as far as NBA head coaches go.
An NBA franchise is a business, big business. Like any business, ownership has to be focusing on their customers. With the specific goal of continuing & increasing the customer base, frequency, & interest in the product. After a playoff loss that leaves a bad taste in the mouth, the change in coaches diverts attention away from the immediate past & negative feelings about what just happened. This gives the fanbase something new to obsess about & even the casual fan a feeling of hopefulness, that from here on things will be new, different, & better.
Sounds like chat GPT, but true..
Good eye
Everyone would agree that it won’t be Van Gundy, it won’t be Calipari and it won’t be Darvin Ham, Jay Wright’s probably your favorite in Vegas right now, won’t be him neither…
Just asking because I don’t remember, but which coaches have won championships in their first season with a franchise?
It looks like Nick Nurse (2019) was the most recent one. So it does happen, but it is definitely a gamble in a year when the East will be wide open. They just made the ECF, so Finals would be the next step. Will a different coach be what gets them over that hump? We’ll see!
There have been more than one would think, and fairly spread out over NBA history. LAL have had at least 5, starting with Sharman and ending with Vogel. BOS had KC Jones. POR J.Ramsey. DET L.Brown. GSW Kerr. That’s all I can think of (other than Nurse).
Thanks for those refreshers. I remembered Larry Brown when I was walking the dog this afternoon, but would not have come up with the others.
I guess the reason I am interested is just that the Knicks were good this year. Firing the coach might work, but the East is there for the taking next year (heavy favorites for first round home court advantage are mostly set, right? Indy, Clev, NY, and then maybe one of Detroit or Orlando). If the idea is to institute a totally different scheme on offense, then you are losing the continuity benefits of just running it back (or better yet, trading KAT and keeping Thibs). But miracles happen and maybe they can change coaches and move from 3rd to 1st../or maybe 3rd is pretty good and Boston isn’t going to be competing next year and possibly they would have been better off just sticking with Thibs. Who knows?! But it feels like an unnecessary overreaction.
I agree. The team is simultaneously celebrating its ascension, and firing the guy who was the primary cause of it. The FO made some great moves, but most of those came after Thibs turned a G-league roster into a respectable NBA team, and relatively attractive to guys like Brunson and Hartenstein. All the resources should have been put into fixing the defense. Now they have to hire and acclimate a new HC before even getting started.
Brown replaced a very good HC. Rick Carlisle, in his first job, was fired after lifting DET from loser to playoff team over 3 years. We fired a very good HC. Problem is I don’t see a Larry Brown out there.
Thibs built this Knicks team. He is most responsible not Rose. Imo this is about Towns. And this issue is not going away. If you go with this team. You have to find a 4 who can help Towns on D. Hart belongs on bench as a sixth man.
Precious is a FA. So who will play there. If you go with this team. You have to fix the bench. So how are you going to do that if you are capped out. No coach is doing better than Thibs did unless you fix the bench. Rose didn’t do anything for Thibs. They waited on Mitch to come back. Then waited on him to get in game shape. A new coach will have the same problems. Even if you push to outscore teams. Then it you move Mitch. And that could be worse move ever. I really feel Thibs wanted to move Towns and go with Mitch. And thats why he got fired. Towns is Roses big acquisition. Besides your young players and picks. Mitch and Hart are the ones you can move. I really don’t see where they go if they keep Towns. Not easy solutions here
Sabonis, DeM DeR, Valanciunas
For ——
Towns, Bridges, Kolek