New York Knicks: Top 10 candidates to replace Jeff Hornacek as head coach
Monty Williams
When the New Orleans Pelicans fired Monty Williams in 2015, it was a difficult decision to justify. New Orleans improved its win percentage in every season between 2011-12 and 2014-15, ultimately reaching the playoffs with a 45-win campaign.
While Williams has been out of coaching since his wife tragically passed in 2016, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN previously reported that he’d like to return to an NBA sideline.
Sources: Illinois willing to make Monty Williams one of NCAA’s top paid coaches, but he'll pass. He’s focused on prompt NBA coaching return.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 11, 2017
It’s worth noting that Williams led the Pelicans to the playoffs in 2014-15 with a roster that isn’t entirely dissimilar to the Knicks’ current rotation. He built his system around a star power forward who played both ends of the floor, much as he’d do in New York with Kristaps Porzingis.
While Frank Ntilikina and Tim Hardaway Jr. aren’t exactly Jrue Holiday and Eric Gordon, they have high ceilings and the tools to play those roles in Williams’ system.
Furthermore, Williams is one of the most respected minds and people in the NBA. He’d have no trouble commanding the locker room and convincing his players to buy in to his system on both ends of the floor.
Throw in the fact that Williams is respected by members of the organization and played for the Knicks between 1994 and 1996, and he becomes an even more attractive option.