The New York Knicks are spinning the head coaching carousel after firing Tom Thibodeau shortly following the team’s elimination from the Eastern Conference Finals.
Thibodeau led the Knicks to the playoffs in four of his five seasons at the helm and won 226 of his 400 regular season games.
The Knicks are one of two teams — along with the Phoenix Suns — with a head coaching vacancy, and there are a few options for them to explore. The main name expected to be in discussions is former Knicks assistant and Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, who was relieved of his duties a few games before the playoffs this season.
As soon as Malone was fired, Carmelo Anthony spoke on his podcast advocating for him to get another job immediately.
“I’m a fan of Mike Malone — personally. I’m a fan of him. I don’t really know what happened, but I’m a fan of Mike Malone. So I would love to see him get a job ASAP,” Anthony said on his podcast back in April.
The Suns have already announced their finalists for their head coaching job — Cleveland Cavaliers assistants Johnnie Bryant and Jordan Ott — and won’t move forward with Malone.
Malone is similar to Thibodeau, especially when it comes to small rotations and forcing rookies to earn their stripes, but perhaps that’s what the Knicks need. They responded well to Thibodeau, but while it was clear that a new voice was needed, that doesn’t mean the next coach needs to be the complete opposite of Thibodeau.
No two coaches are the same, and Malone knows what it’s like to win in the playoffs. Regardless of whether he ends up with the Knicks or not, he is a tremendous candidate for the role.
