Knicks Reportedly 'In No Rush' to Make HC Hire Amid Kidd, Udoka, Finch Rumors
The New York Knicks are "in no rush to make a hire" following the abrupt dismissal of former head coach Tom Thibodeau, Ian Begley reported Wednesday for SNY.
According to Begley, the Knicks want "to cast a wide net in their search, including unemployed NBA head coaches and current assistant coaches."
Thibodeau was fired on June 3, three days after the Knicks' first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years ended with a Game 5 elimination loss to the Indiana Pacers.
The Knicks have since asked for interviews with the Dallas Mavericks' Jason Kidd, Houston Rockets' Ime Udoka and Minnesota Timberwolves' Chris Finch, although all three teams turned down the requests, per ESPN's Shams Charania.
The Athletic's James L. Edwards III reported on Wednesday that Kidd was someone the franchise "covets highly... and thought it had a chance to get" before the Mavericks' denial.
Edwards noted the Knicks could still attempt to offer the Mavericks a trade package for Kidd, but that would involve speaking with Kidd and a potential tampering claim from the Mavs.
CBS Sports' Matt Norlander reported last Saturday that former Villanova head coach Jay Wright, who announced his retirement in 2022, was not "a serious candidate" for the Knicks head coaching job.
Begley noted that the Knicks' sudden dismissal of Thibodeau was "not tied in any way" to the availability of Johnnie Bryant.
Bryant, who served as associate head coach on Thibodeau's staff from 2020 to 2024 before joining the Cleveland Cavaliers last season, had at the time been tied to the Phoenix Suns' head coaching vacancy.
The Suns have since hired Jordan Ott, leaving Bryant as a potential candidate for the Knicks job.
The Knicks made the decision to move on from Thibodeau with a reported three years and $30 million remaining on his contract.
The firing took place after Knicks owner James Dolan led postseason meetings with key members of the Knicks' rotation, according to Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill.
Goodwill wrote that "a couple of players felt like Thibodeau played the starters too many minutes and felt he had an inability to adjust, sources said, and another player said he didn’t feel like he could play for Thibodeau if the coach returned next season."
ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and the New York Post's Stefan Bondy meanwhile reported Thibodeau had been dismissed at least in part because Knicks leadership wasn't convinced he could eventually lead his team to a championship.
Whoever the Knicks hire as Thibodeau's replacement will now be tasked with leading his former team back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.
