What's next for the Knicks after Eastern Conference Finals exit?
What's next for the Knicks after Eastern Conference Finals exit? | The Putback with Ian Begley
On The Putback with Ian Begley, SNY's NBA Insider is joined by Knicks Fan TV's CP The Fanchise and The Athletic's James Edwards to break down the Knicks Eastern Conference Finals exit after their Game 6 loss to the Pacers and preview what is to come for New York in the offseason.
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Forbes
44 minutes ago
- Forbes
Knicks Expected To Be Rejected On Yet Another Sitting Head Coach
MILWAUKEE, WI - NOVEMBER 19: Head Coach Jason Kidd of the Milwaukee Bucks talks to Giannis ... More Antetokounmpo #34 on the sidelines during the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors at BMO Harris Bradley Center on November 19, 2016 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by) The Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau more than a week ago and still don't have a replacement. It's not clear what their plan was going into this other than to try to poach a sitting head coach of another team. Now they appear to have run into yet another roadblock on that front. ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Dallas Mavericks are expected to turn down the Knicks' request to speak with Jason Kidd. He also reported that the Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves turned New York down on interviewing their head coaches, Ime Udoka and Chris Finch, respectively. On WFAN's 'Boomer and Gio,' hosts Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti joked Wednesday morning that the Knicks should just re-hire Thibodeau and admit they made a big mistake. Thibodeau took out a full page ad in The New York Times thanking the fans and players for his tenure in New York. Thibodeau was fired despite leading the Knicks to their first conference finals in 25 years. Some players reportedly weren't happy with his coaching style, which featured playing his starters a ton of minutes and a perceived inability to adjust. With Kidd, Finch and Udoka off the table, the Knicks appear to be limited to coaches without current head coaching jobs, including former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone and Cleveland Cavaliers associate head coach Johnnie Bryant.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Mavericks reportedly expect coach Jason Kidd to remain in Dallas; Knicks denied permission to speak with Ime Udoka and Chris Finch
Amid speculation that he may become the new head coach of the New York Knicks, the Dallas Mavericks fully expect Jason Kidd will remain with the organization for the foreseeable future. The Mavericks have been privately insisting to key stakeholders that Kidd will not be leaving the franchise this offseason, according to The Athletic's Christian Clark and Sam Amick. Instead, Kidd is reportedly hoping to parlay the Knicks' interest in him into a new contract extension with the Mavericks. Advertisement Specifics of that deal, including what it will look like or when it will be finalized, are not yet known. The report comes amid speculation the Knicks — who fired coach Tom Thibodeau last week following their exit from the Eastern Conference finals — would try to make a play for Kidd. The organization has serious interest in hiring Kidd, per The Athletic, though they had yet to request permission to speak with him as of Tuesday evening. The Knicks did, however, recently request permission to speak with Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch and Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka for their open job, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. They were denied on both requests. Kidd has spent the past four seasons with the Mavericks. He's compiled a 179-149 record and led them to their first NBA Finals appearance last season since 2011, when the team still had star Luka Dončić on the roster. While Dončić has since been traded away, the Mavericks won the NBA Draft lottery this spring and are now in position to select Duke star Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick later this month. Advertisement The Mavericks also struck a deal to hire longtime assistant Jay Triano on Tuesday. Triano, who was last on Mike Brown's staff in Sacramento, will join the team as a lead assistant. According to The Athletic, Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison made it clear to Triano that Kidd would be the team's head coach next season when hiring him. The Knicks surprised the NBA world last week when they parted ways with Thibodeau, who led the team to the conference finals for the first time since 2000. He brought the team back to relevance, too, and made four postseason appearances in five years after a seven-year drought from the playoffs. There are several notable names who could replace Thibodeau in New York, though that coaching search is just getting started. New York is the only team in the league without a head coach.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Tom Thibodeau breaks silence on shock Knicks firing
Tom Thibodeau took the high road. The ex-Knicks coach thanked the players, fans and coaching staff who supported him during his five-season tenure from 2020-25 in an ad placed Wednesday in the New York Times. 'To the best city in the world with the best fans in the world: Thank you,' Thibodeau wrote. 'When I was hired in 2020, I said this was my dream job. I am grateful that dreams became a reality. Thank you to our players and coaching staff who gave everything they had, and to everyone who makes this franchise special. I am proud of everything we accomplished together, including four playoff appearances and this year's run to the Eastern Conference finals — our first in 25 years. 'And to the fans, thank you for believing in me and embracing me from day one. Watching you support our team, and seeing the Garden ignite with that incomparable Knicks energy, is something I will never forget.' His message did not contain any direct mentions to owner James Dolan and the front office led by Leon Rose. The Knicks made the controversial decision last week to move on from Thibodeau with three years and roughly $30 million left on the contract extension he signed in 2024. Thibodeau, 67, led the Knicks to a 226-174 record in five seasons and four playoff appearances, including this year's run to the franchise's first conference finals berth in 2000. He also spent seven seasons as an assistant from 1996-2003. Despite beating the heavily favored Celtics in this year's conference semifinals, the six-game loss to the Pacers marked the third straight year the Knicks' season ended at the hands of a lower seed. Tom Thibodeau during the playoffs. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post The Post previously reported that Knicks' brass essentially believed Thibodeau would not deliver the team to a championship and thus opted to make a change. Several Knicks players were also frustrated with Thibodeau's no-nonsense style. 'Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans. This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we've decided to move in another direction,' Rose said in a statement following Thibodeau's dismissal. 'We can't thank Tom enough for pouring his heart and soul into each and every day of being the New York Knicks head coach. 'He led us not only with class and professionalism for the past five seasons, but also to tremendous success on the court with four playoff berths and four playoff series victories. Ultimately, we made the decision we feel is best for our organization moving forward.' Thibodeau coached the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference finals since 2000. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post While several early targets have emerged in the Knicks' search, the team is seemingly running into some roadblocks. The Post first reported that the Mavericks plan to turn down the Knicks' request to interview Jason Kidd — the betting favorite to land the job — and two other teams have already said no to requests. Houston is not letting the franchise interview Ime Udoka and Minnesota is doing the same with Chris Finch. Former Villanova coach Jay Wright is not a candidate, while two-time national champion UConn coach Dan Hurley indicated he's staying in the college ranks. Cavaliers assistant Johnnie Bryant, who used to be on Thibodeau's staff, remains an option.
