Last updated Jun 5, 5:41am ET

  • Three days after the Indiana Pacers eliminated the New York Knicks in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, New York relieved coach Tom Thibodeau of his duties
  • The reaction was mixed, ranging from outrage to understanding to
  • Thibodeau is still owed $30 million based on a contract extension that kicks in next season
  • It is an attractive job in the big city, and big names are being bandied about to be the next Knicks coach

Johnnie Bryant, Mike Malone, and Jay Wright Have the Best Odds, Currently

Name (Odds) Name (Odds) Name (Odds)
Johnnie Bryant (-150) Mike Malone (+150) Jay Wright (+550)
Jeff Van Gundy (+600) Taylor Jenkins (+1000) Danny Hurley (+1200)
Chris Quinn (+1200) Mike Brown (+1600) Steve Nash (+2000)
Jason Kidd (+2000) Rick Brunson (+2500) Ime Udoka (+3300)
Mike Budenholzer (+4000) Mark Jackson (+5000) James Borrego (+5000)
John Calipari (+5000) Sam Cassell (+5000) Mike D’Antoni (+10000)

Why Fire Thibs?

The justification for the Knicks’ firing of Thibodeau will forever be speculative since neither owner James Dolan nor president Leon Rose deigns to speak to the media.

Was it due to the loss to the Pacers despite the team making it further in the playoffs than it had in a quarter century?

Was it because Thibodeau refused to use his bench extensively?

Did the front office think, as two teams before apparently did, that Thibs was not the guy to take them to the next level?

Was he too attached to old-school methods and refused to adapt (i.e., take orders from the analytics department)?

Or did Dolan just make a change because he felt like it?

This is Thibodeau’s third head coaching opportunity, and he’s been fired from each one after overseeing a radical improvement to the clubs’ fortunes. It happened with the Bulls, it happened with the Timberwolves, and it happened with the Knicks. Perhaps he has a three-to-five-year shelf life, where a change needs to be made once his style runs its course.

Looking at the Candidates

The Viable Names

Mike Malone (+150)

Malone was born in Queens and worked for the Knicks as an assistant coach and scout from 2003 to 2005, but the team was quite bad at the time, making the ties spindly at best.

Malone has a championship pedigree, having won the title as head coach of the Nuggets in 2022-23. He and former Nuggets GM Calvin Booth were not on speaking . In New York, he’d answer to Rose, period.

He also has experience with superstar players from handling Nikola Jokić, so he’d know how to forge a relationship with Jalen Brunson. This is an easy sell for the fans and media.

Jay Wright (+550)

Wright won two NCAA championships in three years at Villanova in 2015-16 and 2017-18. In his final season before retiring, he brought the Wildcats to the Final Four. He’s rebuffed NBA teams when they have approached him. However, there are three former Wildcats on the Knicks — Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart — and the fans would love this hire.

Wright is a well-regarded broadcaster for CBS and TNT, so it’s a question as to whether he’d want to jump back into the ring in such a high-stress atmosphere.

Johnnie Bryant (-150)

Bryant is a very hot name, and it sounds as if the Suns’ job is his if he wants it. He spent four years with the Knicks as associate head coach under Thibodeau before leaving this season for the same role with the Cavaliers under Kenny Atkinson.

He will be 40 in August and has never been a head coach, but by all s, would be a solid choice who is already known to the Knicks organization.

Unlikely, Silly, or Likely Disasters

Jeff Van Gundy (+600)

Van Gundy was an assistant for the Clippers in 2024-25 and that seems to only have come about because ESPN fired him from his broadcasting gig.

At 63, does he want to deal with the stress again? And would Dolan want him?

He’d emphasize defense, but it’s hard to imagine the current Knicks wanting to deal with his crisis-a-day shtick.

Danny Hurley (+1200)

It’s certainly something to explore. He’d handle New York and has been an unabashed success at UConn, but his Huskies were disappointing in 2024-25 and Rose/Dolan would probably want someone with at least some NBA experience if Wright turns down an opportunity to interview.

Steve Nash (+2000)

Right. Because his time with the Nets went so well.

Just stop it.

Jason Kidd (+2000), Ime Udoka (+3300)

Both are viable, but neither is available. Kidd is safe with the Mavericks and the Rockets and Udoka are happy together.

Rick Brunson (+2500)

Brunson has a decade of experience as an assistant coach after a respectable, journeyman nine-year career, three of which were for the Knicks.

But the only reason this is even being entertained by the media and fans is that his son Jalen is the captain of the team. Rick was notoriously hard on Jalen in training him, but it clearly worked and the two seem to have a close relationship.

Regardless, this would be a disaster. Would the players need to be beholden to Jalen, the son of the head coach? What happens if they need to fire him?

Forget it.

A Futile Enterprise

Apart from the lofty paychecks, NBA coaching is bordering on becoming a futile enterprise. The Warriors won consecutive NBA titles in 2016-17 and 2017-18. Since 2018-19, of the six teams to win championships, four have fired their coaches.

Not even a huge contract and reaching heights not reached in years or never reached at all can provide job security. Thibodeau can attest to that after being fired following a run to the conference finals and being able to collect $30 million while doing nothing.

Who’s Your Pick for Next Knicks Coach?

Dolan and Rose would not have pulled the trigger on Thibodeau and invited the ire of the fans and media while paying him a $30 million golden parachute unless they knew who they were planning to hire to replace him.

Still, a benefit accompanying refusing to speak to the media is that there are no leaks as to what they intend to do.

The pick here is Bryant, but who do you think will be the next Knicks coach?

Pick
Johnnie Bryant (-150)
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Paul Lebowitz
Paul Lebowitz

Writer, Columnist

Paul is an experienced sportswriter and novelist from NYC with expertise in sports analysis and betting. His work has appeared on platforms like ESPN and YES Network, delivering engaging and objective insights to a diverse audience.

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