The Knicks continue to search for their next head coach, but the candidates they were initially interested in are becoming unavailable one by one.
SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley reports that the Knicks formally reached out to the Houston Rockets for permission to talk to head coach Ime Udoka. However, the Rockets denied the Knicks, per people familiar with the Rockets’ stance.
It seems Houston is not ready to part with the coach who has turned the franchise around. In just his second year with the Rockets, the 47-year-old Udoka led the team to a first place finish in the Southwest Division and the organization’s first playoff appearance since 2020. This year, Houston was eliminated by the Warriors in seven games of the opening round of the NBA Playoffs. After finishing 41-41 in his first season, the Rockets improved to 52-30 and the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference under Udoka.
Udoka was one of three coaches currently under contract the Knicks were interested in. In addition to Udoka, Minnesota’s Chris Finch and Dallas’ Jason Kidd were the names the Knicks had interest in, per Begley.
While it seems the Mavericks are confident Kidd won’t leave Dallas, the Knicks were denied permission by the Timberwolves to speak with Finch, according to multiple reports.
Like Houston, the Timberwolves are not interested in allowing their coach to potentially go elsewhere after so much recent success. Minnesota had made the playoffs in four consecutive seasons, including back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances.
Finch has amassed a 209-160 record in the regular season since being hired midseason to replace Ryan Saunders in 2021. He also has a 21-21 mark in the postseason.
With Udoka and Finch formally off the table, and Kidd hypothetically unavailable, it’s unclear where the Knicks go for a head coach.
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