The list of head coaches the New York Knicks tried to poach before hiring Mike Brown just got even longer. And it reportedly included Boston Celtics head honcho Joe Mazzulla…because of course it did.
According to Marc Stein of The Stein Line, it was “whispered that the Knicks likely did some backchannel exploration to determine if there was any pathway to pursue Boston's Joe Mazzulla.” They were, of course, rebuffed. The Celtics then proceeded to give Mazzulla an extension this past August.
Interpreting this tidbit months after New York gave the reins to Brown is complicated. Is the Knicks’ attempt to get face-time with the currently employed Mazzulla barely a year after he guided Boston to the title regular ol’ due diligence? Proof the Leon Rose-led front office went the extra mile? Innocently funny? Patently ridiculous?
In reality, their coaching search was whatever you wanted it to be. With that said, the sheer breadth of names they contacted before getting to Brown is at least somewhat interesting.
The list of current head coaches the Knicks chased is comically long
Here is the definitive list of employed head coaches the Knicks went after this past offseason, via Stein:
- Billy Donovan of the Chicago Bulls
- Chris Finch of the Minnesota Timberwolves
- Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks
- Joe Mazzulla of the Boston Celtics
- Quin Snyder of the Atlanta Hawks
- Ime Udoka of the Houston Rockets
Targeting one-fifth of the league’s head coaches is bold. Honestly, we should all respect it. And at this point, if you’re a current head coach who did not receive a “U up?” text from Leon Rose, you should probably rethink your entire career.
By the way: A handful of these coaches likely owe the Knicks a thank you for giving them leverage in extension talks. Donovan, Kidd, Mazzulla, and Udoka all got new deals after New York unsuccessfully attempted to speak with them.
The latest development could be awkward for Mike Brown
Though Brown likely knew the extent of the Knicks’ coaching search more intimately than any of us, you have to wonder how he feels about potentially being no higher than the seventh choice. Even in the most wide-open searches, with multiple rounds of interviews for numerous candidates, this looms as an anomaly.
Harping on it probably amounts to making mountains of molehills. None of the reports suggests the Knicks were promising the job to any of these names. That is the implication, for most of them anyway. It is not outright stated.
It ultimately doesn’t matter where Brown ranked on the initial wish list. If anything, the Knicks’ talk-to-everyone-and-anyone approach is further evidence of just how easy they believe it was to upgrade from Tom Thibodeau’s offense. Brown himself is proof of that concept. He has yet to be at the helm for a regular-season, and already the offense looks dramatically different.
As for the Mazzulla news, all you can do is laugh and shrug it off. People will troll New York’s process; perhaps rightfully so. What they can’t say is that the Knicks failed to turn over every possible rock. They clearly did.