According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the New York Knicks have not requested permission to speak to Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers, Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue and Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick.
The Knicks are focused on Mike Brown and Taylor Jenkins in their coaching search.
“For the sake of additional context, I spent part of Wednesday evening trying to figure out which other current head coaches the Knicks might have attempted to contact. And while there were no new names revealed, it’s worth sharing that league sources say the Knicks did not request permission to speak to this high-profile coaching crew: The Pacers’ Rick Carlisle, the Warriors’ Steve Kerr, the Bucks’ Doc Rivers, the Clippers’ Ty Lue and the Lakers’ JJ Redick,” Amick wrote.
New York needs a new head coach after firing Tom Thibodeau. The franchise has been denied permission to speak with Atlanta Hawks coach Quin Snyder, Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka, Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch and Chicago Bulls coach Billy Donovan.
The Knicks fired Thibodeau despite reaching the conference finals this year for the first time since 2000. The Pacers beat New York in six games.
Thibodeau, who has coached the Bulls and Timberwolves, was hired by the Knicks in 2020. He went 226-174 in the regular season and 24-23 in the postseason and won the 2021 Coach of the Year Award.
One NBA exec told Hoops Wire that he wouldn’t be surprised if Karl-Anthony Towns played a big role in Thibodeau’s firing.
“Who was on the Timberwolves when Thibs got fired in 2019? Who is KAT’s former agent (Leon Rose, who is now the president of the Knicks)? I wouldn’t be surprised at all if KAT told Leon and (James) Dolan during his exit interview that he didn’t want to play for Thibs anymore,” the NBA exec told Hoops Wire.
“Leon always listens to his players. That’s why he was beloved as an agent by all of his clients. Look, I don’t know this for sure, but if I were a betting man, I would bet a lot of money that KAT told Leon and Dolan that he didn’t want to play for Thibs anymore.
“They don’t have a good relationship. Thibs likes guys who defend at a high level and take accountability on that end. KAT has never done that. He doesn’t want to. He wants to save his energy for offense.”
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