After a massively disappointing 2021-22 season, many New York Knicks fans were wishing for the front office to relieve head coach Tom Thibodeau of his duties. While I would rather wait until around midseason to make that decision, the chance of him being fired still remains.
With that in mind, it is always a good thing to look at some potential coaches who could replace Thibs. Obviously, if he is fired midseason, an assistant would be the interim head coach for the remainder of the year. However, once the season is over, the search for a new coach would begin.
This is all hypothetical, and in all likelihood, there’s a pretty good chance the Knicks front office wouldn’t hire a single one of these candidates. However, it is always fun to look at all of the possibilities.
3 head coaches who could replace Tom Thibodeau if the Knicks fire him
3: Daisuke Yoshimoto
If anyone from this list were to be hired as the head coach of the Knicks, it would most likely be Daisuke Yoshimoto, the assistant head coach of the team who has served his role very well.
While Yoshimoto may not have much experience as a head coach in the NBA, his experience during Summer League showed he has the potential to maybe be a good coach in the NBA.
Obviously, the competition level in the Summer League is much different than that of the NBA. However, Yoshimoto brought the Knicks to the Summer League finals during his run as head coach, which is quite impressive.
Not only does Yoshimoto have good chemistry with the team, especially the younger players, but he also demonstrated a good system during his time in the Summer League.
It would be very nice to see one of New York’s own staff members be elevated to the head coach position if Thibodeau gets fired. Regardless, I really hope Yoshimoto would return to the team whether or not he would become the head coach.