The New York Knicks are opting for a patient approach in their coaching search to find a replacement for Tom Thibodeau after the team parted ways with him following a run to the Eastern Conference finals. It’s been long reported that the Knicks would do an exhaustive approach, one that involved contacting several teams to ask about interviewing their coaches, including the Houston Rockets (Ime Udoku), Dallas Mavericks (Jason Kidd), Minnesota Timberwolves (Chris Finch) Chicago Bulls (Billy Donovan) and Atlanta Hawks (Quinn Snyder). All of those teams denied New York’s request, though Kidd has still been of interest to the Knicks, according to Frank Isola.
Outside of coaches the Knicks haven’t gotten permission to talk to, there are other candidates on their radar. They’ve brought in Mike Brown, Taylor Jenkins, Pelicans assistant James Borrego and Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori. Brown has received a second interview with the team, according to New York Post’s Stefan Bondy, and is one of the two leading candidates along with Jenkins.
Brown most recently coached the Sacramento Kings for three seasons, where he led them to their first playoff appearance in 17 seasons. He won Coach of the Year that season, however, just 31 games into the 2024-25 season, the Kings parted ways with Brown after a 13-18 start. Prior to the Kings, Brown has put together an extensive coaching resume, including a head coaching stint with the Cavaliers, and serving as an assistant with the Wizards, Spurs, Pacers and Warriors.
Brown is a defensive-minded coach, and while the Kings struggled to be an above average team on that end of the floor, their defense was amongst the best in the league. If he were to get the job with the Knicks, he would certainly have the necessary players to install a top-ranked defense in the league, and could perhaps bring some more creativity offensively, something New York lacked last season.
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Brad Botkin
Jenkins is another candidate that comes with recent head coaching experience, where he led the Memphis Grizzlies for six seasons before being fired shortly before the playoffs this past season. Borrego, while currently an assistant with the Pelicans, was previously the coach of the Charlotte Hornets for four seasons. Though Charlotte never made the playoffs under Borrego, they were still some of the more successful years for the Hornets in recent memory.
Nori is the only candidate without any head coaching experience, save for a few games where he’s been asked to step into Finch’s shoes while Finch was sidelined with an injury during the 2024 playoffs. However, he’s one of the top assistants in the league, and despite lacking experience, perhaps Nori would be able to bring a fresh approach to a Knicks team that hopes to make another deep run in the postseason next year.
Regardless of who the Knicks hire, expectations will be incredibly high from Day 1. This is a team built to win right now, and could very well make the NBA Finals next season, especially with the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers both dealing with extended injuries to their star players next season.