NBA Rumors: Latest on Knicks' Head Coaching Search, LaMelo Ball Draft Buzz

While the top 22 teams in the NBA prepare for a return to play in the Florida bubble, the New York Knicks are squarely focused on the offseason. Priority No. 1 is identifying a new head coach.

The Knicks have been in the head-coaching market since David Fizdale was fired in December. Interim coach Mike Miller has led the team since and is one of many candidates for the job moving forward. However, one candidate may already have the inside track toward the gig.

"The thought around the league is still that this is Tom Thibodeau's job to lose," Shams Charania recently reported for Stadium.

According to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, some in the league wonder if Thibodeau is the only serious candidate the Knicks have.

"Thibodeau has long been considered the favorite as a former CAA client and folks around the league have expressed skepticism that this is really an open search, rather than just an intel gathering exercise," Bondy wrote.

Even if Thibodeau is the only real candidate for the head-coaching job, however, interviewees such as veteran coach and former Knicks head man Mike Woodson could still land a role with the team.

According to Bondy, Woodson could beat Thibodeau our for the job or join him as an assistant:

"Woodson, 62, the former Knicks head coach, is among several candidates who've met with team brass via video conference. Woodson, like front-runner Tom Thibodeau, has a connection to team president Leon Rose and top Knicks executive William Wesley because they represented him at CAA as agents. It's possible that Woodson, who owns the highest winning percentage of a Knicks coach since Jeff Van Gundy, is hired as an assistant if he's bypassed for the top job."

Woodson would be an interesting choice, as he previously served as the Knicks head coach from 2012 to 2014.

Along with Woodson and Thibodeau, Golden State Warriors assistant Jason Kidd has been considered for the job. According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, Kidd is a viable candidate.

"Some insiders feel he's the lone long-shot threat to favorite Tom Thibodeau," Berman wrote. "[Executive VP William] Wesley is said to like Kidd, too."

While this may be Thibodeau's job to lose, the Knicks' coaching search still carries plenty of intrigue.

LaMelo Ball

Rick Rycroft/Associated Press

Whoever lands the Knicks job could be coaching former Illawarra Hawks standout LaMelo Ball. With a 21-45 record, the Knicks have a good shot at landing a lottery pick, and Ball may be available with that pick. He may also be hoping that New York pulls the trigger when on the clock.

"As teams do their homework on players in the draft, there's been a consistent theme about LaMelo Ball: multiple teams believe Ball and those in his circle prefer that he lands in New York," SNY's Ian Begley recently wrote.

This meshes with an earlier offseason report from Berman.

"Some league sources believe the Ball camp will try to steer the 18-year-old point guard to the Knicks, though such a maneuver will seem difficult if Leon Rose's club doesn't rise into the top four in the lottery," Berman wrote back in May.

Ball is widely considered one of the top prospects in the 2020 draft class, and he could potentially add some excitement to the New York lineup. A young backcourt of Ball and RJ Barrett would at least provide a core that the Knicks could build around.