The New York Knicks are a “mess”, a “dysfunctional” organization, and firing the coach who brought them to their first conference finals in 25 years was an “awful” decision.
It has been two weeks since the Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau, and all we hear is how the Knicks have no plan.
They have not interviewed a single head coach, but they have tried to poach head coaches from other teams. There are a couple of candidates who have interviews scheduled, but the sentiment is the Knicks will take their time in deciding who will coach the team in 2025-26. The Knicks do have a plan, and all the poaching and need for permission to interview coaches around the league were a part of that plan.
There is no rule stating you have to hire and interview candidates in a set timeframe. For instance, the Phoenix Suns fired Mike Budenholzer in April and hired Jordan Ott in June. The Knicks fired Thibs at the beginning of June, and now they are supposedly picking a new coach within two weeks of firing him?
Head Coach Poaching and Media
The media were so upset when the Knicks decided to ask teams for permission to speak with their head coaches.
Other teams should use this approach more often because you never know if a coach wants to leave their current position. With the Knicks, you would have the chance to coach one of the most popular franchises in sports.
New York inquired about the availability of Dallas’ Jason Kidd, Minnesota’s Chris Finch, Houston’s Ime Udoka, Chicago’s Billy Donovan, and Atlanta’s Quin Snyder— all of whom turned the Knicks down.
Thibodeau had to leave because he was not contributing to their success this season. If you watched the Knicks all season long, Thibs limited the Knicks on offense. Their offseason acquisitions, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, looked lost in this offense. There was no identity with this core and zero lineup experimentation during the season.
Newest Head Coach Options
Despite the backlash, the Knicks have officially begun interviewing candidates for their head coach position. According to SNY’s Ian Begley, New York is expected to “cast a wide net” in its search.
Two of the most intriguing names are former Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins and former Kings head coach Mike Brown. Both teams fired them during the 2024–25 season, but coaches and players across the NBA respect them, they have playoff experience, and they bring qualities Thibodeau lacked.
Taylor Jenkins
With Memphis, Jenkins led the Grizzlies to multiple 50-win seasons. His team development, culture building, and game management are some of his best qualities as a coach.
Jenkins could establish an identity with this core and would rely on his bench far more than Thibodeau ever did. He is also more likely to experiment with younger players like Pacome Dadiet, Tyler Kolek, Ariel Hukporti, and Kevin McCullar (assuming the Knicks re-sign him to a new two-way deal). He is only 40 years old, bringing a new-school mentality that the Knicks did not have with Thibs, and he has the potential to continue growing as a head coach.
This season was an unfortunate year for Jenkins, as he lost most of his assistant coaches from previous seasons. His lack of influence in the game planning, especially on the offensive end, was criticized by his star point guard, Ja Morant. Jenkins could use a fresh start in New York and have more control over how he manages the game.
Mike Brown
A veteran coach with a lot of winning experiences and a part of legendary teams in this century.
Mike Brown began his career as an assistant coach, winning a ring under Gregg Popovich, coaching LeBron James to his first NBA Finals appearance in 2007, and briefly coaching Kobe Bryant. He then went on to win four rings under Steve Kerr in Golden State. Brown is also a two-time Coach of the Year winner and has accumulated 454 wins as a head coach.
He recently coached the Sacramento Kings for two and a half seasons — ending the Kings’ sixteen-year playoff drought in 2022-2023 — but he was fired this past season. Hiring Brown is eerily similar to the Thibodeau hire because they bring a traditionalist attitude and have coaching experience spanning over 25 years.
Unlike Thibodeau, Brown has evolved to the modern game, coaching the heart of the three-point revolution with the Warriors.
Brown is one of the best offensive minds in the NBA. He coached another guard and center duo in Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox, so the Knicks could look at his past duo and compare it to Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson.
Overall, it gives Brown an edge in play calling against his other competitor, Taylor Jenkins.
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