According to Shams Charania of ESPN, the New York Knicks will be looking to find a coach who will trust the bench more, indicating one of the potential reasons why they just fired Tom Thibodeau after five seasons with the organization.
“I’m not sure yet which direction they go but you think about for Tom Thibodeau the issues that they probably had with him, you think about what Mikal Bridges said early in the year, and I think a comment like that rings true,” Charania said on The Pat McAfee Show. “A guy that might trust his bench more. A guy that might be a little bit more lenient based on his principles and what he wants to enact.”
Obviously, Charania’s comment is pure speculation, but as someone who maintains a healthy relationship with a bunch of different sources around the, he’s as educated as anyone outside of the Knicks organization to speculate on the topic.
“I think the direction they’re going to go in now is figuring out a guy that they know can build out the entire roster. The bench,” Charania said. “Can work with the front office. Is a little bit more lenient based on what their strategies are. And not so, Thibs has had success his way or the highway, and in this case, I guess the Knicks gave him the highway.”
Why did the Knicks fire Thibodeau?
Most of the attributes Charania listed as the Knicks’ desires in their upcoming coaching search are likely the same reasons they fired Thibodeau. Obviously, Thibodeau achieved great things in New York, but the end goal is always to win a championship. He didn’t get there.
Now, New York will be looking for someone who is willing to develop the bench and work more amicably with the front office, likely because those traits didn’t apply to Thibodeau.
What coaches could the Knicks hire?
The question now becomes, what type of coach will the Knicks want to hire? Do they want someone with experience? Do they want a younger guy who can grow into the role? Do they want someone from within the organization?
The most obvious names that will jump to the front of the pack are the likes of Mike Malone, Taylor Jenkins, and Mike Brown. All three have coached high-level playoff teams in recent years, and Malone even won a championship three seasons ago.
Other options outside of the highly experienced could be the guys who have yet to earn their chance in a head coaching role. Chris Quinn of the Miami Heat, Johnnie Bryant of the Cleveland Cavaliers (and formerly of the Knicks), and Micah Nori of the Minnesota Timberwolves come to mind.
Then, there are the internal options: Andy Greer, Rick Brunson, Darren Erman, and Maurice Cheeks.