How Jordan Ott's Suns deal shifts the Knicks coaching search toward Johnnie Bryant
How Jordan Ott's Suns deal shifts the Knicks coaching search toward Johnnie Bryant
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Six names to replace Tom Thibodeau for the Knicks new head coach
Who should replace Tom Thibodeau now that the Knicks have decided to move away from their head coach? The For The Hoops crew picks six names here.
The Phoenix Suns made a coaching hire, and former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott will lead their franchise. This matters to the Knicks, too.
Ott was one of 15 candidates to earn consideration for the gig, per ESPN's Shams Charania. Earlier this week, Charania reported that Ott was one of two finalists for the position. The other finalist was Johnnie Bryant, who also worked on Cleveland's staff as an associate head coach last season.
Shortly after Charania reported that Ott and Bryant were finalists for the Phoenix job, NBA fans were shocked to learn that the New York Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau. Perhaps one reason why New York made the move when they did is because they wanted to make their pitch to Bryant, too.
More: 7 Knicks coach options after Tom Thibodeau's firing (Michael Malone!)
As noted by SNY's Ian Begley, while the two events were probably not connected, it's "easy" to connect the dots (via SNY):
"If you connect the dots, it's easy to wonder if the Knicks timed the firing of Thibodeau in a way that would allow them to hire Bryant. In talking to people in touch with the team on Tuesday, I don't think the two events were tied together."
Either way, though, Bryant and former Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone are currently the two heavy favorites to replace Thibodeau.
Some local reporters, however, already casting doubt on the legitimacy of Malone's actual odds. There are plenty of other candidates, like Jay Wright, we also shouldn't consider as likely.
More: 5 coaches who won't take the Knicks job (so stop asking!)
One similarity between the two candidates is that both coaches have previously served as assistant coaches for the Knicks.
It is worth noting that Bryant worked there far more recently and has the "approval" of the front office (via The Athletic):
"Bryant has the stamp of approval from the current front office. When he first joined the Knicks five years ago, it was executive vice president William Wesley who pushed for Bryant's hire."
Bryant was on staff from 2020 until 2024, eventually serving as associate head coach, before he was later hired by the Cavaliers.
Before the Suns hired Ott, per DraftKings, oddsmakers had Bryant as the second-most likely candidate (+400) to become the next head coach in New York. After the hire in Phoenix, however, the line shifted (+300) to make it even more like for Bryant. That marks an improved implied probability from 20.0 percent to 25.0 percent.
NBA insider Marc Stein also noted that Bryant is a "likely candidate" for the vacancy, and it makes all the sense in the world.
Bryant still has strong connections to players New York's roster from when he was on their staff, which we saw whenever the team played against the Cavaliers.
He is also represented by CAA, which has long-standing ties to the Knicks and front office executive Leon Rose. Here is a reminder about that unique bond (via Yahoo Sports):
"From the front office to the floor, the Knicks' CAA ties now run throughout Madison Square Garden. Tom Thibodeau? CAA client. OG Anunoby, whom the Knicks acquired and signed to a max deal? CAA. Jalen Brunson, whom the Knicks recruited and persuaded to sign a below-market deal? CAA. Even Rose's son, Sam, is a CAA agent who reps Brunson. And Towns? You guessed it: CAA. The family ties go further: Brunson's father, Rick, was Rose's very first NBA client as a scrappy young agent out of New Jersey. And now Rick Brunson is one of Thibodeau's top assistant coaches on the Knicks' sidelines."
Now that Ott is headed to the Suns, don't be surprised if there is more and more smoke surrounding the rumors about Bryant going back to New York.
For what it is worth: Bryant has a particularly strong connection to Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell, who was nearly traded to the Knicks in 2022.
It is too early to speculate, but should the Knicks decide to hire Bryant, rumors about a reunion with Mitchell in the city where the NBA star grew up are going to get louder as well.
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