Coaches on the New York Knicks wish list to replace Tom Tibodeau

The New York Knicks made headlines on Tuesday afternoon, letting their head coach Tom Thibodeau go after falling two wins short of the NBA Finals. The title run ended in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and just days after the Knicks have started a coaching search for next season.

Tibs gone after five seasons

Coach “Tibs” arrived in New York in 2020 after a seven year playoff drought at Madison Square Garden. He came in and immediately changed the culture, bringing the Knicks back to the postseason and winning Coach of the Year in his debut season in the Big Apple.

The Knicks went on to make the playoffs in four of his five years, and this year they had the three seed in the East after another 50 win season. They beat the Detroit Pistons in a tough opening round series, then dethroned the Boston Celtics before losing to the Indiana Pacers in six games.

The Knicks, in coach Tibs fashion, rode their stars all season. Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Josh Hart got heavy minutes all season and into the playoffs. Coach Tibs usually goes with a slim rotation, and doesn’t dip into the bench much. That could have cost him and the Knicks down the stretch against a deeper, faster Pacers side. The Knicks digested the playoff exit, and decided to cut ties with Thibodeau. Now the search is on for the next coach at MSG.

Mike Malone

This may be the most obvious choice. Mike Malone is a proven winner, with a championship on his resumé. He was in Denver for a decade, grooming Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray into NBA Champs. Denver went to the playoffs seven straight years under Malone, getting to the Conference Finals twice and winning an NBA Title in 2023. He was let go just by the Denver Nuggets just days before the postseason started, and he will certainly be on the radar of every team looking for a coach this offseason.

Taylor Jenkins

The former Memphis Grizzlies coach was the first coach to get the axe right before the playoff. He spent six years in Memphis and became the winningest coach in franchise history. There were bright moments in Memphis for Jenkins, but there were also some turbulence times. Much of the struggles surrounded the disciplinary and injury trouble that surrounded the team’s star Ja Morant. They went to the playoffs in four of the six years, but never got past the Conference Semifinals. Jenkins and Malone are going to be the most sought after coaches once the season comes to an end.

Jay Wright

He may not have any NBA coaching experience, and may have been out of coaching entirely since 2022, but this is going to be a name that everyone is talking about in New York. He’s got the look, and the swag to fit in in New York, and he has a history with most of these players. The “Villanova” Knicks were groomed by Wright over the years. He recruited and coached Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges as Wright led the University to two National titles. It’s been a few years that he’s served as TV analyst but he has to be one of the favorites, just because of his past with a big core of Knicks players.

Dan Hurley

Dan Hurley was the in vogue coach last offseason. After winning back-to-back titles at UCONN, he was the most hotly courted coach from last year. The Lakers came to the long time college coach with no NBA experience with a big money off. He turned down a chance to coach LeBron under the sunny LA skies to stay at UCONN and chase a three-peat with a massive six-year, $70 million deal. The kid from New Jersey who has only really coached around the tri-state area now has a chance to coach the team of the tri-state area. Hurley passed on a dream job once, would he do it again if offered?