Official Knicks Coaching Search Thread pt. 2 (update: poll added 6/18/25)

[mpharris36]

I think y'all are being too hard on Mike Brown. At 55 he has a really good resume! All coaches get fired multiple times if they stick around long enough. It's part of the career. I'd look at his highs and they are really impressive. He turned around the Kings! That's like almost impossible!

A lot of people contribute that to Jordie Fernandez. When he left last year for the Nets they kinda fell off.

[3toheadmelo]

Well damn.. decided to see how Memphis fans feel about Jenkins and it aint too good..they make it sound like he’s a coach for a rebuilding team.

definitely a floor raising coach. Honestly the completely opposite of Thibs outside of the defensive identity. Stars play low 30s in minutes and he trusts his depth alot(11 man rotations in the first quarter). He doesnt really have an offensive identity but defensively he loves overhelping on drives. A really bad Con is he has a pretty bad feel for the game, like bad management of timeouts and bad clutch time execution.

He also gets the tag of a development coach because of alot of the developedplayers on the team (Santi, Wells, Bane, etc)

Not the coach yall need

Taylor is a builder…not a take you to the next level guy

He’s the guy you hire when you start a rebuild…not when you’re already good

Great at developing young talent, horrible in game

He’s an Ace at developing young talent, but hilariously bad at X’s & O’s. His rotations will have you confused, horny and mad. Sometimes all 3 at once. Be prepared to see your top scorers benched for half the quarter.

Can’t scheme any defense that doesn’t involve overcommitting on the inside and just praying the other team misses open 3 pointers.

Good at developing young talent though

i like the guy and hope he succeeds wherever he ends up, and think it’s possible, but he will have to self reflect and really learn from his grizzlies tenure. if he’s the same coach he was with us, it won’t work. he’s very rigid in his decision making and was often way too late in pivoting whether it was in game or throughout the season. he also kind of struggles in late game situations, he just doesn’t have great feel in my opinion. the turning point in our season was the 3 consecutive buzzer beater losses and he was maybe the biggest cause of all three of those. there’s more to be said, but he brings a lot of positive as well and it could work if how things played out lit a fire under him. you could do much worse

[nykballa2k4]

One thing is for certain. There is no perfect candidate. All these coaches come with question marks.

Mike Malone has the fewest ? marks by far. Similar to thibs. Proven championship. Won with a talented big an lead guard. Familiarity with NY/Knicks market (through his dad).

Inherently every coach has to have a con to it. Either a coach did something to be fired. Abandoned their team (like JVG leaving the Knicks), has loyalty issues (if they were willing to be poached like Kidd), or doesn't have experience of being successful as a HC.

We know what works with the guys at the top of the rotation, so about 1/2 of the team under contract for next year.
We could find our Kerr, or we could wind up with a Hornecek (if you recall we were going to get Kerr until the better job presented itself, Phil emotionally let Kerr off the hook to take that job)

[thebuzzardman]

Kevin Keatts

[Gravy]

I heard that Mike Brown is a really nice guy, maybe thats why he is a top candidate? lol

Mike Brown is not a nice guy. He's professional but he will cuss you out all the same.

Nice but not a pushover like Fizdale.

I meant behind the scenes, like willing to listen to Dolan's suggestions to put Fournier or Cam Payne back in the lineup.

[GONYK]

I could only imagine what would be written here if we had just fired some other coach and were considering hiring Thibs

[thebuzzardman]

Jenkins sounds like youthful Thibs

[nykballa2k4]

I could only imagine what would be written here if we had just fired some other coach and were considering hiring Thibs

I have always been a Thibs guy so for me it would have been intrigue.
Situationally though, you don't fire the captain of an ascending ship unless you have a clear and available path.

Maybe all the "can I have your number" crap btw Rose and the taken coaches club is the smoke screen? But it paints a picture of "we don't have a f'n clue" particularly because all of the coaches are so significantly different.

[Enzo954]

Josh just loves Thibs because he's the only NBA coach in the league that would allow him to be a starter for the entire year and playoffs. 5 turnovers in a quarter...No big deal Josh Stay in the game!

This!!

I saw that Josh tweet and got pissed like stfu. Then they still do a pod I didn’t watch I’m tired of the talking.

To be honest, their podcast is boring asf. Jalen's a baller but has the personality of a rock. It's just not good.

[KnixinSix]

When players who are generally good dudes talk about their former coaches they normally dont kill them publicly unless the coach had a dislike or contention with that player as well.

Thibs definitely played favorites. And Jalen and his family have a longtime relationship with him.

[Gravy]

Jenkins sounds like youthful Thibs

You know who was the anti-Thibs..Fizdale! He was not a floor raiser so he must be the guy to win the championships with a good roster. Always played the kids, started Frank-Trier-Knox, went 9-10 deep rotations, will get KAT right, changed the starting lineup every other night, known as a players coach, has a wife. Its about as anti Thibs as you can get

[FrozenEnvelope]

Jenkins sounds like youthful Thibs

I think he's very anti Thibs in terms of his minutes distribution. He uses load management and doesn't play his starters a lot of minutes either, which will make a lot of you happy.

Considering what is out there, I'd be fine with hiring him.

[3toheadmelo]

Jenkins sounds like youthful Thibs

You know who was the anti-Thibs..Fizdale! He was not a floor raiser so he must be the guy to win the championships with a good roster. Always played the kids, started Frank-Trier-Knox, went 9-10 deep rotations, will get KAT right, changed the starting lineup every other night, known as a players coach, has a wife. Its about as anti Thibs as you can get

I can’t lie, there is some Fizdale vibes from Jenkins. Very similar situations when we hired Fiz.

[LookToShoot]

lol Jenkins, you guys are funny.

They should give Vogel a look. He was unfairly fired from his last two jobs because he was dealing with lazy players who don’t like to play defense.

What’s the downside to Jenkins and does it outweigh the positives?

I just don’t think it’s a good fit. I get small market/ high school coach vibes.

[Jeff Van Gully]

Jenkins to me still has upside as a coach even with his flaws.

Mike brown seems like a dead end.

100% agree. Mike Brown is a step backwards. Get a young guy that can develop our bench. If anything the NBA finals is proving how important depth and bench play is. I'm high on Jenkins or Bryant. Everyone else can kick dirt.

both teams tightened their rotations last night. that's what happens in playoff dogfights. not saying you shouldn't have and use depth. just saying you also have to be prepared for that other thing.

pacers went 9, but light minutes outside of obi off the bench.

okc went 7/8 plus situationals.

and i can't help but think of how awful cleveland looked against indiana in the close ones where they knew the wide rotation wasn't going to work for them.

[Gravy]

Jenkins sounds like youthful Thibs

You know who was the anti-Thibs..Fizdale! He was not a floor raiser so he must be the guy to win the championships with a good roster. Always played the kids, started Frank-Trier-Knox, went 9-10 deep rotations, will get KAT right, changed the starting lineup every other night, known as a players coach, has a wife. Its about as anti Thibs as you can get

I can’t lie, there is some Fizdale vibes from Jenkins. Very similar situations when we hired Fiz.

I wonder if Fizdale would have done much better with a good roster, he had a decent season in Memphis before we got him. Probably still not good.
Back then we wanted Stackhouse, I guess he was the Johnnie Bryant of that era iirc
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=1697079

I dont know what to think about Jenkins, this season his assistants ran the offense.

[3toheadmelo]

You know who was the anti-Thibs..Fizdale! He was not a floor raiser so he must be the guy to win the championships with a good roster. Always played the kids, started Frank-Trier-Knox, went 9-10 deep rotations, will get KAT right, changed the starting lineup every other night, known as a players coach, has a wife. Its about as anti Thibs as you can get

I can’t lie, there is some Fizdale vibes from Jenkins. Very similar situations when we hired Fiz.

I wonder if Fizdale would have done much better with a good roster, he had a decent season in Memphis before we got him. Probably still not good.
Back then we wanted Stackhouse, I guess he was the Johnnie Bryant of that era iirc
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=1697079

I dont know what to think about Jenkins, this season his assistants ran the offense.

I remember they said Fiz was done dirty sorta like Jenkins. And they both had suspect records in the playoffs.. both young coaches etc.

I’m not sure what to think of Jenkins either. Most I can say is he won 56 games one year and got to the second round, has a good track record of developing players and creating an identity for your team. He sounds similar to Thibs when it comes to adjusting in games and a defensive scheme that consists of over helping on drives. So idk. Maybe buzz was right. A youthful Thibs.

[kNicksGmen]

This!!

I saw that Josh tweet and got pissed like stfu. Then they still do a pod I didn’t watch I’m tired of the talking.

To be honest, their podcast is boring asf. Jalen's a baller but has the personality of a rock. It's just not good.

This and he allows him to not practice or take practice seriously at all - and make it a public joke. It's one thing to do that for star players but a role guy like Josh? It's not about him it's about the example it sets for others. That always rubbed me the wrong way when they would joke about how he doesn't pay attention in meetings, or doesn't give any effort in drills/practice etc - because in Thibs words "I know he gives his all on the court" so yea everything else he gets a pass.

[thebuzzardman]

Jenkins sounds like youthful Thibs

I think he's very anti Thibs in terms of his minutes distribution. He uses load management and doesn't play his starters a lot of minutes either, which will make a lot of you happy.

Considering what is out there, I'd be fine with hiring him.

He’ll have Jalen Brunson playing 24 mpg and still the defense is giving up wide open 3s

[thebuzzardman]

Thibs will raise your floor but limit the ceiling
Jenkins just polishes the floor and installs drop ceiling tiles