The Five Kinds of Knicks Coaching Candidates

In mere minutes, the New York Knicks' burning question shifted from "What happened?" to "Now what?"

A new era of Knicks basketball officially tips off next season, as Manhattan bid farewell to head coach Tom Thibodeau after five seasons at the helm. An extensive search for his successor will immediately get underway and there is no shortage of prime candidates on the NBA ledgers.

With the search in full swing, Knicks on SI separates 21 of the popular candidates by five types.

Reliable Retreads

While the Knicks will likely keep an open search, firing Thibodeau at this stage of the game would hint that they could turn to an experienced name to push the team into the future.

Mike Brown

Brown and Thibodeau sit in a cursed brotherhood, as the good vibes of their Coach of the Year award failed to leave any lasting impression. While Brown was a bit of a washout in Sacramento, the Kings' continued mediocrity hinted that the falloff wasn't fully his fault. Brown also gained significant championship experience through his time on Steve Kerr's staff, earning three titles as the tenured Golden State boss' right-hand man. While Brown has struggled in high-profile spots (look no further than his issues in Cleveland and Los Angeles), his time out west could prepare him for a spot like the Knicks, which is tailor-made to contend and make multiple runs at a championship.

John Calipari

There's been a lot of talk about bringing a former Wildcats coach in after Thibodeau's ousting ... but what if he came from Lexington rather than Philadelphia? If the Knicks are going to commit to the Karl-Anthony Towns bit, hiring Calipari would be an intriguing move, especially if he is able to re-access the center's diminishing defensive capabilities. It's fair to be wary about Calipari's last NBA foray, as he failed to build upon the potential the turn-of-the-century New Jersey Nets carried (in his defense, . But enough time has passed and Calipari's connections to New York front office mavens Leon Rose and William "Worldwide Wes" Wesley should only create a stronger case, one that places him in this top category rather than having him indulge basketball fantasies.

Mark Jackson

Mama, there goes that man ... back to New York? Long has Jackson waited for another attempt at head coaching after he had to not only watch the Golden State Warriors prevail in his absence but he even had to narrate such Larry O'Brien Trophy hoists as a color commentator on ABC. Reported off-court controversies may have hindered Jackson's ability to find another coaching gig but the Queens native and St. John's alum could find his redemption in a familiar setting, one that's ready to immediately contend.

Taylor Jenkins

Part of the infamous flurry of shocking in-season firings, no one has done more of making something out of nothing than Jenkins, the all-time winningest coach in the rollercoaster history of the Memphis Grizzlies. Known for his wide rotations and fostering, Jenkins might be better suited for a middle-of-the-pack group trying to find itself but his penchant for player development and getting the best out of a roster will draw metropolitan attention.

Michael Malone

The writing on the wall about Thibodeau perhaps officially emerged when Malone was shockingly ousted from the Denver Nuggets with a mere handful of games remaining in this season. If one was writing a script for an inspirational Knicks movie (a sequel to "Eddie," perhaps?), the coach protagonist could be heavily based on Malone, a New York native and former MSG bench-dweller who went out and got a ring. It's rare that a recent champion that fostered the arguable best player in the modern NBA (Nikola Jokic) lingers on the head coach's free agency front, so Malone will be the first name many suggest now that Thibodeau is officially out. Words of caution, however, should be heeded: Malone is a very similarly-styled coach to Thibodeau (particularly in the way he heavily relies on his starters) and Denver's relative success despite Malone's departure (taking the potential champions from Oklahoma City to seven games in round two) could be dangerous red flags.

Jeff Van Gundy

On paper, bringing the beloved Van Gundy back shouldn't work: he and Thibodeau are armed with similar approaches and the Knicks should be looking toward the future, not the past. After all, for every "Top Gun: Maverick." there are ten editions of, say, "The Matrix Resurrections." But Van Gundy's return to coaching, bolstering the defense of a long-suffering Los Angeles Clippers group, proved that he can still hang with the Association's finest. Having long-regretted his departure from the Knicks at the turn of the century, there may be no better time to stage a reunion.

The Coaching Kids Are All Right

The NBA is rife with many assistant coaches that are no doubt thirsty for their first go at the top spot.

Johnnie Bryant

If the Knicks are interested in Bryant, they better hurry: the current Cleveland Cavaliers assistant is said to be one of the finalists for the other NBA vacancy in Phoenix. Well-known for his work with Donovan Mitchell in both Salt Lake City and Cleveland, Bryant was Thibodeau's right-hand man during his first four seasons in Manhattan. In New York, Bryant is perhaps best-known for getting Julius Randle back on the right path after his disappointing 2021-22 campaign, helping the former franchise face get out of his head and revert to his All-Star form.

Sam Cassell

The Knicks have mostly enjoyed the past five years thanks to the wisdom of one former Boston assistant. Could lightning strike twice? Having hit the bench almost immediately after ending his NBA career as a champion under Thibodeau in 2008, Cassell has been particularly lauded for his work in Beantown, which produced a long-sought follow-up title last summer. Cassell's famed experience in the mid-range game could help the Knicks, who lost their way a bit in the outside after Donte DiVincenzo was sacrificed for Towns.

Royal Ivey

The Knicks could pay a pretty penny to lure an active coach their way, including Houston Rockets boss Ime Udoka. Considering they're already tied up in $30 million payday to Thibodeau, cheaper, if not equally effective options may be on the line. That could lead them to Ivey, one of Udoka's top assistant in H-Town that's two years removed from his last NBA game. Ivey impressed in his first head coaching foray last summer, one that saw him take control of South Sudan's maiden voyage in the Olympic Games. Despite an early exit, Ivey's group earned a win over Puerto Rico after previously giving the United States a run for its money in an exhibition.

Chris Quinn

Eschewed from the list of final Phoenix contenders, the grind continues for Quinn, a mainstay on "assistant coaches who deserve head coaching jobs" lists. Another one lauded for player development, Quinn's work with the Miami Heat (long lauded for their work with undrafted players) would again move the Knicks back into a world focused on player developments, especially with a good bit of progress perhaps expected from their fledgling homegrown talents like Pacome Dadiet, Ariel Hukporti, and Tyler Kolek.

That'd Be Fun

These coaches would no doubt cause a stir, but are perhaps better left in the realm of fantasy basketball.

Becky Hammon

In hindsight, it's still somewhat bizarre that Hammon, then an assistant coach on Gregg Popovich's San Antonio staff, couldn't even get an interview from the Knicks during their last search, even if their hearts were mostly set on Thibodeau. This could be a chance to right that wrong but Hammon, a former Garden star with the New York Liberty, appears willing to ride things out with the Las Vegas Aces, seemingly set to prove that a WNBA job can be just as an effective career endgame as an NBA gig.

Dan Hurley

Hurley's name figures to be a staple in any and all upcoming high-profile NBA head coaching vacancy discussions. But if the opportunity to oversee LeBron James' potential farewell tour in Los Angeles wasn't enough to get him to leave Storrs, it's hard to envision anything other than big money and a good bit of creative control, the latter of which has proved quite fleeting to prior New York head coaches.

Rick Pitino

Now reveling in the Red Storm, Pitino's brief foray with the Knicks is somewhat forgotten in the midst of his accomplished, if not controversial, career that has taken him to St. John's, as he stood at the New York helm for two seasons (1987-89) before further collegiate endeavors at Kentucky. Suddenly the longest-tenured boss at Madison Square Garden since the Knicks and Rangers made changes, Pitino could linger on the outskirts of the former's search and he's certainly no stranger to a sudden departure. But it feels like too much has been built in Jamaica to bail at this point in time: St. John's has been quite active in the transfer portal (which closed in late April) and it stands to reasons that such commitments wouldn't have been made if there was an inkling of Pitino getting the NBA itch again.

Jay Wright

Wright, the longtime boss of the Knicks' de facto G League team on the Main Line, has reportedly drawn metropolitan interest during his time at Villanova and jokes about him taking over the position have been posted on social media more than the famous "Nova Knicks" AT&T commercial has been aired. All signs, however, point to Wright being perfectly content with his current posting as a college basketball analyst at CBS, far from the stresses and pressures the Knicks' job would no doubt carry.

Here the Whole Time

The fate of Thibodeau's assistants hang in the balance after his firing, but there's a plethora of experience left behind if the Knicks choose to go that route.

Rick Brunson

Jalen Brunson is no doubt committed to Manhattan, but the firing of Thibodeau will perhaps bring about some damage control. Few Knicks were more adamant about Thibodeau being the right man for the team than the Knicks' captain, who was reliable for several votes of confidence about his major during the conference finals trek. Granting his father the full-time duties is perhaps a bit too much but they could certainly keep him aboard as an assistant as a peace offering.

Maurice Cheeks

When a Hall-of-Famer and oversee of over 1,100 NBA games resides on the sidelines, one has to at least throw his name into the ring. Cheeks joined the Knicks' bench as a successor shortly before Bryant's bolting was announced and his defensive mindset could help pick up the positives Thibodeau left behind. The glaring issues behind Cheeks' coaching career is his lack of playoff success, as he's fruitless in three postseason showings.

Dice Yoshimoto

The Knicks could completely flip their script by promoting Yoshimoto, who has worked in the team's player development department for quite some time. From a roster fostering standpoint, there would few greater departures than going from Thibodeau, renowned, even infamous, for relying on his veterans and burying his rookies, to Yoshimoto, who carries some nominal head coaching experience as the oversee of the Knicks' recent Summer League endeavors (including a trip to the championship round in 2022).

Something Completely Different

It's unlikely any of these candidates will attract the front office's interest, but there's no rule against having any fun with the process.

Metta Sandiford-Artest

From the Malice at the Palace to a Pardon at the Garden? The artist formerly known as Ron Artest and Metta World Peace made his play for the New York vacancy hours after Thibodeau's departure was confirmed, setting up potential metropolitan reconciliation after the Knicks passed on his services with the 15th pick in the 1999 draft (Sandiford-Artest later did play one year with the Knicks toward the end of his career). While Sandiford-Artest no doubt carries a level of defensive expertise, his lack of coaching experience (one year with the Los Angeles Lakers' player development department) is hardly suitable for the project the Knicks are building.

Taj Gibson

Gibson has indicated that he'd like to turn 40 on an NBA floor and there's probably a place for him on the rebuilding Charlotte Hornets. But Gibson, who was said to have an "open door" to return to a Thibodeau-led bench in either capacity, has begun to cut his coaching teeth over the offseason, notably serving as an overseer at NBPA rookie camps. Going from the floor to the high expectations of the Knicks would be quite the switch, but there's enough metropolitan goodwill to at least consider the possibility.

Stephen A. Smith

Let's not even go there. Smith's potential bid at the Oval Office is a shoo-in compared to his chances of occupying Thibodeau's old office in Tarrytown.

PJ Tucker

You'd have thought Tucker played 20 minutes a night the way some Knicks praised his impact during the playoff run, as his veteran wisdom (which includes a 2021 championship run with the Milwaukee Bucks) helped New York survive testy situation. Tucker is due to return to New York for another year despite his lack of box scores and there's no doubt at least some value to having a de facto assistant coach wearing sneakers and sweats. Still, the way Tucker's proteges spoke about him could at least plant the idea into metropolitan minds.

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