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.
2: Kenny Atkinson
This is a little more difficult than Yoshimoto, as Kenny Atkinson was previously offered to be the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets, but he backed out last second to return to the Golden State Warriors’ staff.
This was likely due to the somewhat poor situation with the Hornets, as not only was the team going through the Miles Bridges situation, but the team as a whole is rather questionable in terms of talent outside of LaMelo Ball.
Regardless, if the Warriors have another successful run this season, Atkinson could look to go back into the head coach free agency pool and look to secure another job.
If this becomes the case, the Knicks’ front office should do their due diligence to try and hire the former head coach.
Atkinson was last a head coach for the Brooklyn Nets, while his coaching record may not be the most impressive (118-190), this should not take away from the fact that he is a pretty good coach. He just inherited a very unfortunate situation with the Nets, as he was the coach prior to KD and Kyrie Irving joining the team.
Before hiring Thibodeau, many Knicks fans wanted Atkinson to be the front office’s number one choice, myself included. At the time, the other head coaching options were not that tantalizing.
It may be a long shot, however, if New York can pry Atkinson away, the team could see some legitimate success with him at the helm.
1: Becky Hammon
This is my favorite head coaching candidate. Imagine if the first woman head coach in NBA history coached for arguably the NBA’s biggest market? While certain media outlets and fans would attack her simply for the fact that she is a woman, this does not take away from the fact that she should be a coach in this league.
Honestly, the fact that she was not hired to be a head coach in 2021, yet Jason Kidd and Chauncey Billups, two men with an extremely questionable and quite frankly disgusting history with women were, speaks levels on the mindset of the NBA.
While it may be difficult to pry Hammon away from the Las Vegas Aces after she won a championship in her first year as head coach of the team, the opportunity alone to make history could be enough for Hammon to want to return to the NBA.
Regardless, Hammon is an absolutely fantastic coach no matter what level she’s coaching on. If she were to become the head coach of the Knicks, I know several fans, including myself, would be very excited.
During her time in the NBA, Hammon was a protégé of Gregg Popovich, spending eight seasons as one of his top assistant coaches. She would immediately bring a winning mentality to the Knicks, something the team desperately needs.
Hammon already has experience in New York, as she spent eight seasons of her WNBA career playing for the New York Liberty, making three All-Star games in the process. Hammon has been a winner everywhere she has gone thus far. If the Knicks were able to convince her to be the next head coach of the team, I have no doubt success would follow.
3 ways Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau can improve for 2023 season
A disappointing record in 2021-22 had Knicks fans questioning whether Tom Thibodeau was the right man for the job. There are three fixes he can make.