Knicks denied permission to interview Kidd, Udoka and Finch in coaching search, AP sources say
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks were denied permission to speak with coaches Jason Kidd of Dallas, Ime Udoka of Houston and Chris Finch of Minnesota in a slow start to find Tom Thibodeau's replacement.
All three coaches are under contract and their organizations declined to make them available for interviews with the Knicks, two people with knowledge of the details said Thursday. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the interview process was to remain private.
The Knicks
fired Thibodeau on June 3
, despite reaching the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years. They reached the playoffs four times in Thibodeau's five seasons and had won at least 50 games in each of the final two.
They appear to be trying to find out if any coaches they like who currently have jobs might be added to their list along with the ones who are currently available.
The Mavericks confirmed Thursday that a request was submitted and denied.
ESPN first reported on all three decisions.
Knicks president Leon Rose interviewed Kidd and Udoka in 2020 before hiring Thibodeau. Both also played for the Knicks, with Kidd ending his Hall of Fame career on the team that reached the 2013 playoffs — which was the Knicks' last appearance before Thibodeau's arrival.
Kidd led the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals, Finch has guided the Timberwolves to back-to-back trips to the West finals and Udoka took a young Rockets team to the No. 2 seed in the West this season, so none of the organizations is interested in searching for a new coach.
Thibodeau
thanked the organization, players, coaches and fans
in a New York Times ad on Wednesday, saying the experience with the Knicks was 'something I will never forget.'
___
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Indianapolis contributed to this report.
___
AP NBA:
https://apnews.com/nba
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
13 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Thunder's resiliency will be tested again after Game 3 loss to Pacers
'I thought it was an uncharacteristic night in a lot of ways for us,' Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. 'We got to learn from it and then tap back into being who we are in Game 4. If we do that, I think we'll have a much better chance to win.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up It was not very Thunder-like in Game 3. They blew a fourth quarter lead for the second time in the series, gave up 21 points off turnovers and let the Pacers' bench run wild — outscoring the OKC reserves, 49-18. Advertisement 'We'll watch it. It wasn't all bad,' Daigneault said. 'But we definitely have to play our style and impose our will for more of the 48 minutes if we want to come on the road and get a win.' There are uncanny similarities between the first three games of this series and the first three games of the Western Conference semifinal matchup between Oklahoma City and Denver. Advertisement ⋅ In Game 1 of the West semifinals, Aaron Gordon hit a 3-pointer with about 3 seconds left to give the Nuggets a win in Oklahoma City. In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Tyrese Haliburton hit a jumper with 0.3 seconds left to give the Pacers a win in Oklahoma City. ⋅ In Game 2 of the West semifinals, the Thunder evened things up with an easy win. In Game 2 of the NBA Finals, the Thunder evened things up with an easy win. ⋅ In Game 3 of the West semifinals, Denver — at home for the first time in that series — played from behind most of the night before fighting into overtime and eventually getting a win for a 2-1 series lead. In Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Indiana — at home for the first time in the series — trailed for much of the first half before eventually getting a win for a 2-1 series lead. The Thunder dug their way out of that hole against the Nuggets. And now, the same task awaits — with an NBA title at stake. 'I wouldn't say that now is the time for emotions, to be thinking about how you're feeling, emotional this, emotional that,' Thunder forward Chet Holmgren said. 'You kind of have to cut that out and look at the substance of what it is. We have a great opportunity here and the great thing is we have another game coming up, Game 4.'
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Lewis Hamilton defends Fred Vasseur amid Ferrari exit rumors ahead of Canadian GP
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, left, of Monaco, speaks with Lewis Hamilton, of Britain, at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Montreal. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP) Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, left, of Monaco, speaks with Lewis Hamilton, of Britain, at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Montreal. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP) Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, left, of Monaco, speaks with Lewis Hamilton, of Britain, at the F1 Canadian Grand Prix auto race, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Montreal. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP) Lewis Hamilton defended Fred Vasseur on Friday amid reports the Ferrari team principal will be ousted before the end of the Formula 1 season. Reports have swirled for a bit as Hamilton, in his first season with Ferrari, and Charles Leclerc have yet to contend for victories. The speculation hit a new level ahead of this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix as multiple reports indicated Vasseur's time is close to coming to an end. Advertisement Ferrari is almost 200 points behind McLaren in the constructors' standings and hasn't won a race since Mexico last season. Leclerc has scored a podium only three times in nine races, while Hamilton's best finish this season is fourth. Leclerc and Hamilton head into Sunday's race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve ranked fifth and sixth in the driver standings and Hamilton appeared near tears following his sixth-place finish at the Spanish GP in F1's last outing. The reports about Vasseur have hinted that Red Bull team principal Christian Horner could replace him at Ferrari. Hamilton was disappointed by the speculation. 'He has a my full support. It's definitely not nice to hear that there are stories out there,' Hamilton said Thursday in Montreal. "I love working with Fred. Fred's the main reason I'm in this team and got the opportunity to be here and we're in this together. We're working hard in the background. Advertisement 'Things aren't perfect, but for me, as I said, I'm here to work with the team but also with Fred. I want Fred here. I do believe Fred is the person to be at the top. Ultimately, (the reports) are nonsense." Vasseur also received support from Carlos Sainz Jr., who spent two seasons driving for him at Ferrari before Vasseur replaced him ahead of this year with seven-time world champion Hamilton. Sainz, who now drives for Williams, took issues with 'finger-pointing' among the media covering F1. 'Same story as always, the moment that the results don't click in Ferrari, there's always finger-pointing by the media, and all this chaos happening,' Sainz said. "Fred and I have a great relationship. In the past, obviously, we went through a tough month where he didn't want me and signed Lewis, but apart from that, we made peace about it, and I get on well, and I always rated him as a team principal and as a person.' Advertisement Ferrari a year ago finished second to McLaren in the constructors' championship, and based on the addition of Hamilton, many predicted Ferrari would challenge for that title this season. Instead, Ferrari is far off the pace of McLaren as driver championship leader Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris have combined to win seven of nine races. Max Verstappen, Red Bull's reigning three-time world champion, has won twice. 'I thought, honestly, Ferrari could be in the fight for the championship this year. That's what I communicated to Charles, and to the team. For me, everything was coming into place," Sainz said. "I had zero involvement in the development of the '25 cars, so I don't know where they went with the balance, with the setup, and why they are struggling to get a result this year out of it. 'At the same time, probably, McLaren is just doing an excellent job. If McLaren is doing such a good job, then it doesn't matter how good you do, there's just someone performing at a very high level with two super strong drivers and doing very, very good in F1 right now, and that is McLaren.' Advertisement Hamilton also explained his tearful frustration in Spain, an emotion that replaced his initial angry outburst at the end of the race. He said both he and Leclerc had issues with their Ferrari's that made them incapable of competing from the midway point of the race. 'I said on the radio that was the worst feeling car that I'd ever had and it truly was,' Hamilton said. 'At the end of the race I was like, 'Geez, I've never experienced something this bad for such a prolonged time through a race.'' It wasn't until hours later when Hamilton met with engineers and learned there was an undisclosed issue hampering the Ferraris. 'There was a bit of a relief to hear that," Hamilton said, "because I definitely didn't feel so terrible afterward.' ___ AP auto racing:
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Minnesota women's coach Dawn Plitzuweit gets 2-year contract extension with raise
FILE - Minnesota head coach Dawn Plitzuweit watches play during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Washington, Feb. 26, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr, File) MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota women's basketball coach Dawn Plitzuweit has received a two-year contract extension that was approved Thursday by the university's board of regents. Plitzuweit is 47-29 over two seasons at Minnesota, including 13-23 in Big Ten play, with leading scorer Mara Braun missing much of them with foot injuries. The Gophers capped Plitzuweit's second year by winning the WBIT championship. They have not appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 2018. Advertisement The new deal, which covers the next six seasons through 2031, gives Plitzuweit a raise of roughly 7% to bring her base salary to $900,000 for 2025-26, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune, with annual increases of $30,000. That's in the middle of the pack in the 18-team Big Ten, which sent 12 of them to the NCAA Tournament this year. Plitzuweit was hired away from West Virginia, where she spent one season, to replace Lindsay Whalen. Plitzuweit is the 13th head coach in the program's history. ___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women's college basketball: and
