The Knicks shockingly fired Tom Thibodeau, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they hired a big name as their next head coach.
New York’s surprising decision Tuesday came after Thibodeau led the historic franchise to its best seasons in the last 20 years. The Knicks upset the defending champion Boston Celtics and made the conference finals for the first time in 25 years.
But that wasn’t enough for Knicks leadership, and they reportedly have their eye on two current head coaches to replace Thibodeau. According to NBA insider Marc Stein on Wednesday, New York was interested in Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd and Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka. Stein added that Kidd’s and Udoka’s respective teams likely would decline requests for interviews.
Udoka built a solid foundation with the Rockets after the Celtics suspended him for the 2022-23 season. He’s had a 93-71 record in two seasons, and he helped Houston earn the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference this season. His side suffered a first-round exit, but the Rockets have a solid core of young players that Udoka likely will want to stick around for.
Another name Stein brought up was longtime Villanova coach Jay Wright. That makes sense given the Wildcats representation on the Knicks led by superstar Jalen Brunson.
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But it’s likely the Celtics won’t have to see more of Udoka if the Rockets do decline an interview request from the Knicks.
