Top 5 Knicks Head Coach Candidates After Shocking Tim Thibodeau Exit
2 days ago
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The New York Knicks made the decision to fire head coach Tom Thibodeau after five seasons and will now look for a replacement to lead them back to the NBA Finals.
The decision came down on Tuesday, only days removed from the Knicks’ playoff elimination, as reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau of the New York Knicks looks on against the Detroit Pistons during the first quarter in Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on… Head coach Tom Thibodeau of the New York Knicks looks on against the Detroit Pistons during the first quarter in Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden on April 21, 2025 in New York City.
Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images
The Knicks were slight favorites to win the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers, though the Pacers controlled the series most of the way through.
Thibodeau was late to make adjustments during the series, often playing his starters more than 40 minutes per game and having essentially a six or seven-man rotation.
More Knicks news: Knicks Shockingly Fire HC Tom Thibodeau Following Playoff Exit
While the playoffs do tend to feature shorter rotations, Thibodeau took it to the extreme, as he has tended to do throughout his coaching career.
The Knicks started playing much better when the other rotation players got into the game and provided their starters with some rest.
Given his long tenure with the Knicks, the front office seemingly saw the team hit a ceiling under his leadership and are taking a chance that a change at the top will put them over the hump.
The Knicks will now embark on a long and wide coaching search, interviewing several candidates for one of the more sought-after coaching jobs in the league.
Here are some potential candidates that New York will be interested in:
Michael Malone
A title-winning coach with the Denver Nuggets, Malone presents an option with several years of coaching in the NBA and delivering a title at the highest level.
He was let go from the Nuggets due to clashing with the front office. Several reports claim he did not appreciate all of the input that the front office had on his line-up decisions, pushing Malone to give playing time to young players that the front office scouted.
If the Knicks’ executive decision makers feel comfortable with his demeanor and methods, Malone makes clear sense. He is a coach who is willing to make several adjustments and try several ideas over the course of the playoffs.
His dynamic coaching schemes should provide better adjustments than Thibodeau’s. Malone is also a player’s coach, meaning he tends to build strong bonds with his players that should help ease the transition between coaches.
Providing a balance of old-school approaches and modern ideas, Malone should be the early favorite in the search.
Taylor Jenkins
The ex-Memphis Grizzlies coach is only 39 years old, but he has shown an impressive ability to develop young players and deliver better seasons than preseason predictions believe.
His defensive schemes will elevate the Knicks’ defense while also providing a good adjustment-maker.
The only knock for Jenkins will be his lack of winning experience, having only notched a couple of playoff runs.
He would be learning on the fly about what it takes to win a series deeper into the playoffs.
Still, as such a young coach, he provides a potential coach for the next decade of Knicks basketball.
Frank Vogel
Vogel is another coach with experience leading a team to a championship. He delivered the Los Angeles Lakers a title win, establishing one of the best defenses in the league.
He has several years’ worth of coaching experience and is known for having a good defense everywhere he goes.
His offensive philosophy has netted less than optimal results, but the Knicks have Jalen Brunson, who can seemingly generate offense no matter what.
The Phoenix Suns fired Vogel after one season, struggling to get a complex locker room and roster to the playoffs.
The Knicks have an established core that has been together for years, making his lack of success with the Suns less meaningful.
His track record and pedigree will notch him an interview, at the very least.
Sam Cassell
If the Knicks decide to gamble on a coach who has never held the title of head coach, Sam Cassell will be at the top of any list.
The former NBA veteran is well-traveled among coaching staffs, serving as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Boston Celtics.
He has coached under Doc Rivers and Joe Mazzula, two different title-winning coaches.
The Knicks will likely aim for an experienced coach who is known to lead teams to the top, though Cassell could provide a left-field answer that could become a difference maker.
Steve Nash
The allure of coaching again in New York could bring Nash back to NBA coaching.
He was ousted from the Brooklyn Nets in his first coaching job, though he did have complex personalities to handle that he will not need to deal with as head coach of the Knicks.
The Nets, under Nash, were filled with scandals and controversy, proving to be a rocky ride, though there were a lot of things, like injuries, that were out of his control.
Nash, one of the league’s greatest point guards, is highly regarded as a sharp basketball mind.
He does have playoff experience and could inject unique concepts into the team’s game plan.
It would be an extremely bold move for the front office to make that would come with a lot of scrutiny, but the Knicks have never been shy about being bold before.
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For more Knicks and NBA news and rumors, head on over to Newsweek Sports
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