Official Knicks Coaching Search Thread

[HEZI]

Knicks can call it whatever they want but it’s easy to see we are desperate. You wouldn’t be doing this if you had confidence in the coaches that are available, there would be no need for it. But when one of your top candidates is Mike Brown then yeah you have to do extra homework.

And they can’t afford to mess up this coaching hire, Thibs set the bar high so we know what expectations will be that’s why they aren’t really looking for a rookie coach and are mainly going after guys who have had success and gone further in the playoffs. Guys who have shown they can work with egos and star players. There is zero room for error with this hire so yeah they better do their homework because they know they can’t screw it up. The pressure is turned up to the max and if you don’t believe it is then you are just being naive

I get that Mike Brown may feel kinda in the retread category but he does have an almost .600 winning percentage in the NBA. His teams are genrally good . How much of that was the LeBron effect, sure that can be argued I guess. Which is why we should aim a bit higher. But I would think he would be better than Thibs overall.

Do you know why the Kings fired him? Because the players complained about his practices, rotations, stubbornness, inconsistency and so on.

[aq_ua]

Knicks can call it whatever they want but it’s easy to see we are desperate. You wouldn’t be doing this if you had confidence in the coaches that are available, there would be no need for it. But when one of your top candidates is Mike Brown then yeah you have to do extra homework.

And they can’t afford to mess up this coaching hire, Thibs set the bar high so we know what expectations will be that’s why they aren’t really looking for a rookie coach and are mainly going after guys who have had success and gone further in the playoffs. Guys who have shown they can work with egos and star players. There is zero room for error with this hire so yeah they better do their homework because they know they can’t screw it up. The pressure is turned up to the max and if you don’t believe it is then you are just being naive

If they didn't have confidence in the coaches that are available, then they wouldn't have fired Thibs. Why are we acting like Thibs walked away? The Knicks made the decision to fire him.

So, Nate Bjorkgren was fired by the Pacers on June 9, 2021.

Rick Carlisle announced he was stepping down as head coach of the Mavericks on June 17, 2021.

Pacers announced the hiring of Rick Carlisle on June 24, 2021.

Rick Carlisle was under contract for another season with the Mavs. I cannot find any article that implies Indiana requested permission to speak with Dallas. So, either the Pacers had no plan heading into the off-season and completely lucked out on Carlisle just before he was announcing his intention to leave the Mavs, or backdoor shenanigans were afoot but no one cares about the Pacers or Mavs.

All this to say, Rose’s decision isn’t in some sort of untested water, so we’re either very unlucky or the level of scrutiny on us is so high that we haven’t been allowed to pull off the coaching hire behind the scenes.

[Fury]

Knicks can call it whatever they want but it’s easy to see we are desperate. You wouldn’t be doing this if you had confidence in the coaches that are available, there would be no need for it. But when one of your top candidates is Mike Brown then yeah you have to do extra homework.

And they can’t afford to mess up this coaching hire, Thibs set the bar high so we know what expectations will be that’s why they aren’t really looking for a rookie coach and are mainly going after guys who have had success and gone further in the playoffs. Guys who have shown they can work with egos and star players. There is zero room for error with this hire so yeah they better do their homework because they know they can’t screw it up. The pressure is turned up to the max and if you don’t believe it is then you are just being naive

If they didn't have confidence in the coaches that are available, then they wouldn't have fired Thibs. Why are we acting like Thibs walked away? The Knicks made the decision to fire him.

So, Nate Bjorkgren was fired by the Pacers on June 9, 2021.

Rick Carlisle announced he was stepping down as head coach of the Mavericks on June 17, 2021.

Pacers announced the hiring of Rick Carlisle on June 24, 2021.

Rick Carlisle was under contract for another season with the Mavs. I cannot find any article that implies Indiana requested permission to speak with Dallas. So, either the Pacers had no plan heading into the off-season and completely lucked out on Carlisle just before he was announcing his intention to leave the Mavs, or backdoor shenanigans were afoot but no one cares about the Pacers or Mavs.

All this to say, Rose’s decision isn’t in some sort of untested water, so we’re either very unlucky or the level of scrutiny on us is so high that we haven’t been allowed to pull off the coaching hire behind the scenes.

Larry Brown joined the Pistons like a week after he left the Sixers, too.

[3toheadmelo]

So it sounds like after we get denied from every top coach that’s under contract we’re going to settle for Mike Brown. Lmao.

Yet with the Knicks seemingly shooting air balls left and right in pursuit of employed head coaches, league sources say there is an increased Knicks focus on two former coaches who don’t require permission to pursue: Mike Brown (last with the Sacramento Kings) and Taylor Jenkins (formerly of the Memphis Grizzlies). There could certainly be more names of (available) head coaches emerging soon, as a league source said the Knicks are planning on finalizing that list in the coming days. But Brown, in particular, profiles as an interesting option given the complicated nature of the Knicks’ inner circle.

As was the case with Kidd and Udoka, Brown interviewed for the Knicks position in 2020 before it went to Thibodeau. Yet while he didn’t get the job back then, with some believing that Thibodeau had already been deemed the unofficial choice by the time Brown’s interview took place, league sources say he left a very strong impression. He was hired by the Kings two summers later, then went on to deliver the best two-year stretch in nearly two decades for the long-struggling organization before getting fired midway through this season.

[HEZI]

If they didn't have confidence in the coaches that are available, then they wouldn't have fired Thibs. Why are we acting like Thibs walked away? The Knicks made the decision to fire him.

The pressure was on to fire him because the players complained to the owner who basically had the final say in the matter. Regardless of why they had to move on from him, the fact that they had to doesn’t mean they are confident in finding his replacement. This whole search displays a lack of confidence. They are calling teams expecting to get rejected That’s called being desperate

If they weren't confident in finding his replacement, they wouldn't have fired him. If they're calling teams expecting to get rejected, that means they have an idea of who they'd want that isn't currently on a team. Unless you think they're going into the season without a head coach.

Is this sarcasm? I’m talking about finding a replacement that will match and exceed the expectations and you are talking about them just filling the spot with someone. Of course they will have to find a replacement, that has nothing to do with the point I was making about the replacement needing to be better and expectations of that coach being very high.

[Kampuchea]

Knicks can call it whatever they want but it’s easy to see we are desperate. You wouldn’t be doing this if you had confidence in the coaches that are available, there would be no need for it. But when one of your top candidates is Mike Brown then yeah you have to do extra homework.

And they can’t afford to mess up this coaching hire, Thibs set the bar high so we know what expectations will be that’s why they aren’t really looking for a rookie coach and are mainly going after guys who have had success and gone further in the playoffs. Guys who have shown they can work with egos and star players. There is zero room for error with this hire so yeah they better do their homework because they know they can’t screw it up. The pressure is turned up to the max and if you don’t believe it is then you are just being naive

If they didn't have confidence in the coaches that are available, then they wouldn't have fired Thibs. Why are we acting like Thibs walked away? The Knicks made the decision to fire him.

So, Nate Bjorkgren was fired by the Pacers on June 9, 2021.

Rick Carlisle announced he was stepping down as head coach of the Mavericks on June 17, 2021.

Pacers announced the hiring of Rick Carlisle on June 24, 2021.

Rick Carlisle was under contract for another season with the Mavs. I cannot find any article that implies Indiana requested permission to speak with Dallas. So, either the Pacers had no plan heading into the off-season and completely lucked out on Carlisle just before he was announcing his intention to leave the Mavs, or backdoor shenanigans were afoot but no one cares about the Pacers or Mavs.

All this to say, Rose’s decision isn’t in some sort of untested water, so we’re either very unlucky or the level of scrutiny on us is so high that we haven’t been allowed to pull off the coaching hire behind the scenes.

The Mavs could have pursued compensation for Carlisle but decided not to out of respect for his contributions to the team.

You know we would be paying something if we get one of those currently employed coaches.

[Fury]

The pressure was on to fire him because the players complained to the owner who basically had the final say in the matter. Regardless of why they had to move on from him, the fact that they had to doesn’t mean they are confident in finding his replacement. This whole search displays a lack of confidence. They are calling teams expecting to get rejected That’s called being desperate

If they weren't confident in finding his replacement, they wouldn't have fired him. If they're calling teams expecting to get rejected, that means they have an idea of who they'd want that isn't currently on a team. Unless you think they're going into the season without a head coach.

Is this sarcasm? I’m talking about finding a replacement that will match and exceed the expectations and you are talking about them just filling the spot with someone. Of course they will have to find a replacement, that has nothing to do with the point I was making about the replacement needing to be better and expectations of that coach being very high.

No, it's not sarcasm. If they didn't think they couldn't find someone better to match and exceed expectations, then they wouldn't have fired Thibs.

[3toheadmelo]

I can probably talk myself into Taylor Jenkins. But please no Mike brown.

[Jalen Bluntson]

If they didn't have confidence in the coaches that are available, then they wouldn't have fired Thibs. Why are we acting like Thibs walked away? The Knicks made the decision to fire him.

So, Nate Bjorkgren was fired by the Pacers on June 9, 2021.

Rick Carlisle announced he was stepping down as head coach of the Mavericks on June 17, 2021.

Pacers announced the hiring of Rick Carlisle on June 24, 2021.

Rick Carlisle was under contract for another season with the Mavs. I cannot find any article that implies Indiana requested permission to speak with Dallas. So, either the Pacers had no plan heading into the off-season and completely lucked out on Carlisle just before he was announcing his intention to leave the Mavs, or backdoor shenanigans were afoot but no one cares about the Pacers or Mavs.

All this to say, Rose’s decision isn’t in some sort of untested water, so we’re either very unlucky or the level of scrutiny on us is so high that we haven’t been allowed to pull off the coaching hire behind the scenes.

The Mavs could have pursued compensation for Carlisle but decided not to out of respect for his contributions to the team.

You know we would be paying something if we get one of those currently employed coaches.

What would the compensation be? A 2RP?

[HEZI]

If they weren't confident in finding his replacement, they wouldn't have fired him. If they're calling teams expecting to get rejected, that means they have an idea of who they'd want that isn't currently on a team. Unless you think they're going into the season without a head coach.

Is this sarcasm? I’m talking about finding a replacement that will match and exceed the expectations and you are talking about them just filling the spot with someone. Of course they will have to find a replacement, that has nothing to do with the point I was making about the replacement needing to be better and expectations of that coach being very high.

No, it's not sarcasm. If they didn't think they couldn't find someone better to match and exceed expectations, then they wouldn't have fired Thibs.

Dolan intervened so they had to. It wasn’t about them wanting to

[Fury]

Is this sarcasm? I’m talking about finding a replacement that will match and exceed the expectations and you are talking about them just filling the spot with someone. Of course they will have to find a replacement, that has nothing to do with the point I was making about the replacement needing to be better and expectations of that coach being very high.

No, it's not sarcasm. If they didn't think they couldn't find someone better to match and exceed expectations, then they wouldn't have fired Thibs.

Dolan intervened so they had to. It wasn’t about them wanting to

I disagree with your interpretation of what happened. Leon Rose wouldn't still be here if Dolan forced his hand.

[HEZI]

I can probably talk myself into Taylor Jenkins. But please no Mike brown.

Same. I think Jenkins would be a better risk to take than Brown

[BKlutch]

Is this sarcasm? I’m talking about finding a replacement that will match and exceed the expectations and you are talking about them just filling the spot with someone. Of course they will have to find a replacement, that has nothing to do with the point I was making about the replacement needing to be better and expectations of that coach being very high.

No, it's not sarcasm. If they didn't think they couldn't find someone better to match and exceed expectations, then they wouldn't have fired Thibs.

Dolan intervened so they had to. It wasn’t about them wanting to

I've seen this a few times. It seems like this is an opinion - where is a reliable source for this?

[GONYK]

No, it's not sarcasm. If they didn't think they couldn't find someone better to match and exceed expectations, then they wouldn't have fired Thibs.

Dolan intervened so they had to. It wasn’t about them wanting to

I've seen this a few times. It seems like this is an opinion - where is a reliable source for this?

From the Athletic

Firing Tom Thibodeau was the plan.

For all of you who keep wondering what coaching search playbook the New York Knicks are working from, confused by the fact that they didn’t have a realistic replacement in mind when they fired the most successful coach in their last quarter century on June 3 and are now trying to steal other team’s head coaches as if this is an episode of “NBA Bachelor,” you’re missing the revelation here.

The Knicks, and owner James Dolan most of all, were done with Thibodeau long before he led them to their first East finals appearance since 2000. Everything that came after the choice to send him packing, with the Knicks having now been denied permission to speak to another team’s head coach five times (that we know of), was a wild goose chase the likes of which we’ve never seen in the Association.

Now the coaches who were pursued are all very capable and widely-respected, to be sure, but the fact that the Knicks have chosen to conduct the search in such an audacious manner tells you all you need to know about the root cause of this ridiculousness. They were done with Thibs a while ago — never mind that he led the way on a historic run and was reportedly still owed at least $30 million on his deal. And chances are, the only thing that could have saved him was winning the whole damn thing.

The rumblings about Thibodeau being in trouble were there before the playoffs, when the noise was loud enough to inspire several phone calls from yours truly to inquire about this topic. Some people close to Thibodeau said they’d be stunned if the Knicks did something that rash. Others close to the Knicks insisted that all was well — especially once they downed Detroit in the first round and upset the defending champion Celtics in the semifinals.

While Dolan is the holder of supreme Knicks power, and team president Leon Rose is the undisputed leader of the front office, executive vice president William Wesley (aka “Worldwide Wes”) continues to have the kind of influence that matters a great deal during times like these.

[Kampuchea]

So, Nate Bjorkgren was fired by the Pacers on June 9, 2021.

Rick Carlisle announced he was stepping down as head coach of the Mavericks on June 17, 2021.

Pacers announced the hiring of Rick Carlisle on June 24, 2021.

Rick Carlisle was under contract for another season with the Mavs. I cannot find any article that implies Indiana requested permission to speak with Dallas. So, either the Pacers had no plan heading into the off-season and completely lucked out on Carlisle just before he was announcing his intention to leave the Mavs, or backdoor shenanigans were afoot but no one cares about the Pacers or Mavs.

All this to say, Rose’s decision isn’t in some sort of untested water, so we’re either very unlucky or the level of scrutiny on us is so high that we haven’t been allowed to pull off the coaching hire behind the scenes.

The Mavs could have pursued compensation for Carlisle but decided not to out of respect for his contributions to the team.

You know we would be paying something if we get one of those currently employed coaches.

What would the compensation be? A 2RP?

Last time Kidd was traded from the Nets to bucks it was two picks in the second round.

[god shammgod]

Dolan intervened so they had to. It wasn’t about them wanting to

I've seen this a few times. It seems like this is an opinion - where is a reliable source for this?

From the Athletic

Firing Tom Thibodeau was the plan.

For all of you who keep wondering what coaching search playbook the New York Knicks are working from, confused by the fact that they didn’t have a realistic replacement in mind when they fired the most successful coach in their last quarter century on June 3 and are now trying to steal other team’s head coaches as if this is an episode of “NBA Bachelor,” you’re missing the revelation here.

The Knicks, and owner James Dolan most of all, were done with Thibodeau long before he led them to their first East finals appearance since 2000. Everything that came after the choice to send him packing, with the Knicks having now been denied permission to speak to another team’s head coach five times (that we know of), was a wild goose chase the likes of which we’ve never seen in the Association.

Now the coaches who were pursued are all very capable and widely-respected, to be sure, but the fact that the Knicks have chosen to conduct the search in such an audacious manner tells you all you need to know about the root cause of this ridiculousness. They were done with Thibs a while ago — never mind that he led the way on a historic run and was reportedly still owed at least $30 million on his deal. And chances are, the only thing that could have saved him was winning the whole damn thing.

The rumblings about Thibodeau being in trouble were there before the playoffs, when the noise was loud enough to inspire several phone calls from yours truly to inquire about this topic. Some people close to Thibodeau said they’d be stunned if the Knicks did something that rash. Others close to the Knicks insisted that all was well — especially once they downed Detroit in the first round and upset the defending champion Celtics in the semifinals.

While Dolan is the holder of supreme Knicks power, and team president Leon Rose is the undisputed leader of the front office, executive vice president William Wesley (aka “Worldwide Wes”) continues to have the kind of influence that matters a great deal during times like these.

So dolan wanted him fired most of all….and they had no plan after. Of course, I’m sure people won’t believe this either.

[HEZI]

No, it's not sarcasm. If they didn't think they couldn't find someone better to match and exceed expectations, then they wouldn't have fired Thibs.

Dolan intervened so they had to. It wasn’t about them wanting to

I disagree with your interpretation of what happened. Leon Rose wouldn't still be here if Dolan forced his hand.

What is he going to do, walk away? That’s everybody’s dream job, you don’t just walk away from being president of the Knicks. What’s he going to do go back to being an agent? A GM? Being a president of another franchise or a historic franchise like the Knicks is a dream job so yeah I’m not buying that he would walk away

[Fury]

Dolan intervened so they had to. It wasn’t about them wanting to

I disagree with your interpretation of what happened. Leon Rose wouldn't still be here if Dolan forced his hand.

What is he going to do, walk away? That’s everybody’s dream job, you don’t just walk away from being president of the Knicks. What’s he going to do go back to being an agent? A GM? Being a president of another franchise or a historic franchise like the Knicks is a dream job so yeah I’m not buying that he would walk away

Yep, walk away

[GONYK]

I've seen this a few times. It seems like this is an opinion - where is a reliable source for this?

From the Athletic

Firing Tom Thibodeau was the plan.

For all of you who keep wondering what coaching search playbook the New York Knicks are working from, confused by the fact that they didn’t have a realistic replacement in mind when they fired the most successful coach in their last quarter century on June 3 and are now trying to steal other team’s head coaches as if this is an episode of “NBA Bachelor,” you’re missing the revelation here.

The Knicks, and owner James Dolan most of all, were done with Thibodeau long before he led them to their first East finals appearance since 2000. Everything that came after the choice to send him packing, with the Knicks having now been denied permission to speak to another team’s head coach five times (that we know of), was a wild goose chase the likes of which we’ve never seen in the Association.

Now the coaches who were pursued are all very capable and widely-respected, to be sure, but the fact that the Knicks have chosen to conduct the search in such an audacious manner tells you all you need to know about the root cause of this ridiculousness. They were done with Thibs a while ago — never mind that he led the way on a historic run and was reportedly still owed at least $30 million on his deal. And chances are, the only thing that could have saved him was winning the whole damn thing.

The rumblings about Thibodeau being in trouble were there before the playoffs, when the noise was loud enough to inspire several phone calls from yours truly to inquire about this topic. Some people close to Thibodeau said they’d be stunned if the Knicks did something that rash. Others close to the Knicks insisted that all was well — especially once they downed Detroit in the first round and upset the defending champion Celtics in the semifinals.

While Dolan is the holder of supreme Knicks power, and team president Leon Rose is the undisputed leader of the front office, executive vice president William Wesley (aka “Worldwide Wes”) continues to have the kind of influence that matters a great deal during times like these.

So dolan wanted him fired most of all….and they had no plan after. Of course, I’m sure people won’t believe this either.

The article states that he was going to be fired either way unless he won the title. That was always the plan.

It also says that Rose and WWW wanted him gone as well, in addition to Dolan, yes, but not because of Dolan.

The rest I guess will be figured out.

[HEZI]

I disagree with your interpretation of what happened. Leon Rose wouldn't still be here if Dolan forced his hand.

What is he going to do, walk away? That’s everybody’s dream job, you don’t just walk away from being president of the Knicks. What’s he going to do go back to being an agent? A GM? Being a president of another franchise or a historic franchise like the Knicks is a dream job so yeah I’m not buying that he would walk away

Yep, walk away

Sure he would