New York’s search for a coach to replace Tom Thibodeau continues without a clear frontrunner.
The Knicks and Mavericks coach Jason Kidd had some level of flirtation, but when New York reached out on Wednesday and asked Dallas for permission to speak with Kidd, they were rejected, according to multiple reports (Shams Charania of ESPN was first).
New York also reached out to Houston about speaking with coach Ime Udoka and Minnesota about coach Chris Finch, but was rejected by both teams, Charania reports.
That sets the Knicks back to square one. They fired Thibodeau — the coach who took the team to its first Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years — without a replacement lined up or even a clear plan of succession. While New York can argue that Thibodeau took this team as far as he could, that only holds up if the next coach is an upgrade.
The field for that next coach has narrowed. Kidd is out, as are the current head coaches of other teams. Former Villanova Coach Jay Wright took himself out of the running (as did UConn coach Dan Hurley, although there was no interest from the Knicks in his case anyway). The Knicks are seeking someone with NBA head coaching experience, which eliminates former Thibs assistant and current Cavaliers assistant coach Johnnie Bryant from consideration.
Taylor Jenkins, the coach fired by the Memphis Grizzlies late in the season, is a name some sources have told NBC Sports to keep an eye on. Another name being floated is James Borrego, who did a good job improving a limited roster in Charlotte when he coached there, but not enough to keep his job. Michael Malone, the fired Denver coach, is the biggest name and he has won a ring, but he is very Thibodeau in style — his clashes with also-fired GM Calvin Booth were over Malone not playing and trusting his bench, wearing his starters down, and not developing young players enough (although he could point to Christian Braun).
While New York does not want to be rushed into a decision, it would be good to have a coach in place to add input before the NBA draft and especially before NBA Summer League in a month.
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