This Knicks request just made Ime Udoka’s bank account explode

After dismissing head coach Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks requested permission from five different NBA teams to speak to their head coaches, all of which denied the request. Among those teams was the Houston Rockets, with the Knicks looking to poach Ime Udoka from their sideline. The Rockets responded by awarding Udoka with a long-term contract extension, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in the league, according to a tweet from ESPN insider Shams Charania.

Now, obviously, I am being a bit facetious. Udoka is a fantastic NBA coach who earned every dollar the Rockets offered him. During his tenure as the head coach, he has led Houston out of a rebuild and into contention. Last year, in Udoka's second season as the head coach, the Rockets won 52 games, earning the second seed in an ultra-competitive Western Conference.

So, yes, Udoka deserves his extension on merit alone. That said, the pressure applied by the Knicks undoubtedly gave Udoka extra leverage, as well as giving Houston extra motivation to make him happy.

A job coaching one of the biggest franchises in all of sports would be appealing to any coach. It is likely part of the reason that the Knicks made all of those requests. Hoping a coach would force their way out of the current organization for a shot to coach under the bright lights of Madison Square Garden.

Leon Rose is getting other coaches paid

The Udoka extension is not the only one. The Chicago Bulls, who the Knicks also reached out to in hopes of prying Billy Donovan away from the team, also rewarded their head coach with an extension after the Knicks came knocking.

Similarly, there were reports that Jason Kidd would use the Knicks' interest to try to leverage an extension of his own with the Dallas Mavericks. So, while the Knicks were unsuccessful at landing any of the five coaches they had hoped to steal from various teams, I guess they succeeded in making rival owners spend more money? Not a great consolation prize.

Who will be the next Knicks head coach?

The Knicks have completed interviews with former head coaches Taylor Jenkins and Mike Brown, both of whom are considered to be the leaders in the clubhouse to land the job.

As of now, the Knicks are reportedly only focusing on candidates who have prior head coaching experience, meaning assistant coaches, overseas coaches, and collegiate coaches haven't been considered yet. The NBA draft and free agency are rapidly approaching, so the Knicks will need to make a decision soon and begin the process of evaluating their roster.