The rest of the NBA is not making the New York Knicks’ search for their next head coach any easier.
Team president Leon Rose requested a formal interview with Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, but was denied by the Western Conference team, as first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Reports had surfaced in recent days that there was mutual interest between Kidd and the Knicks, which at least offered a glimmer of hope for the franchise after firing Tom Thibodeau just days after its elimination from the Eastern Conference Finals by the Indiana Pacers.
Instead, Kidd is now added to the growing list of head coaches who have not been allowed to interview with the Knicks by their current teams, one that already includes Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch and Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka.
Former Villanova head coach Jay Wright, who helped develop Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Mikal Bridges, has already made it known that he does not want to come out of retirement. UConn’s Dan Hurley responded to a question about the Knicks’ vacant position with, “Not another summer of that,” after he was linked to the Los Angeles Lakers’ job last summer.
If Kidd, Finch, and Udoka were plans A, B, and C, the Knicks will now have to pivot with some haste, considering they have yet to interview a single candidate.
They could be waiting for the NBA Finals to wrap up for an opportunity to speak with Oklahoma City Thunder lead assistant Dave Bliss, but there has to be much more due diligence than that.
Former Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, a Queens native and former Knicks assistant, does not appear to be a candidate for the job. Veteran coach Mike Brown, former Lakers and Kings coach Luke Walton, and former Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer are available. Both he and Malone won championships in the last five years. James Borrego and Kenny Atkinson are former head coaches who are currently working as assistants, too.
The options are out there, but the radio silence coming from the Knicks’ search is deafening two weeks in.
