NY Knicks: Where does Tom Thibodeau rank among NBA coaches?
By Max Hoover
Which former NY Knicks Head Coach would have belonged in this tier?
27. Stephen Silas (Rockets): 23.6% career winning percentage; never made the playoffs (0/1)
26. Mark Daigneault (Thunder): 30.6% career winning percentage; never made the playoffs (0/1)
25. Chris Finch (Timberwolves): 39.0% career winning percentage; never made the playoffs (0/1)
24. Chauncey Billups (Trailblazers): First-Year Head Coach; one year of assistant coach experience (Clippers)
23. Willie Green (Pelicans): First-Year Head Coach; three years of assistant coach experience (Warriors, Suns)
22. Jamahl Mosley (Magic); First-Year Head Coach; 15 years of assistant coach experience (Nuggets, Cavaliers, Mavericks)
21. Wes Unseld, Jr. (Wizards): First-Year Head Coach; 16 years of assistant coach experience (Wizards, Magic, Nuggets)
20. Ime Udoka (Celtics): First-Year Head Coach; nine years of assistant coach experience (Spurs)
19. Steve Nash (Nets): 66.7% career winning percentage; 1/1 playoff appearances
Everyone here has one or fewer years of head coaching experience. Ranking these guys is a crapshoot as the list was mostly based on what coach’s tree they came from.
Nash sits at the top of the list because his one year was strong and they likely have another strong year ahead of them.
Everyone else is a toss-up for now, though Udoka is probably in the best situation of any first-year head coach.
Daigneault, Finch, and Silas are in danger of dropping down into Tier 6 if their teams do not win more games this year.