As we went to press last week, there was some breaking news that sent shock waves through the entire New York basketball community when the Knicks decided to fire Head Coach Tom Thibodeau. As I reiterated on my podcast last week, Thibodeau took the Knicks franchise to heights they have not been able to reach in 25 years. His 24 playoff wins are the most by a Knicks coach in 25 years. The previous 12 head coaches had seven playoff victories combined. With Thibs now out in New York, the question now is who the Knicks organization has in mind to be his successor?
During the podcast, I put together a list of coaches that could fit in as a potential replacement; however, there is one name that his picked up a lot of steam, and this name was NOT on my list. According to many sources, the Knicks’ first priority is to lure Jason Kidd from Dallas to be their new coach. Both sides seem to have a mutual interest.
Kidd has some ties to some current Knicks players, more notably, he coached Jalen Brunson when he was a member of the Dallas Mavericks as a rookie. For this to come to fruition, there are a few hurdles the Knicks will have to go through if Kidd is indeed their number one option to be their next head coach. One is actually getting permission from Dallas to interview Kidd, and the fact that Kidd is under contract with the Mavs for the next 2 years.
Although it is quite rare in sports, if the Knicks were to get the green light from Dallas, they could seal the deal in a trade. To refresh all the Our Time Press, universe memories, while Kidd was the head coach in Brooklyn, he was traded to Milwaukee for draft compensation. During his playing days, Kidd was one of the best point guards to ever play the game. With his experience at point guard, could he be the one coach to unlock another level to Brunson’s game?
Along with Kidd, the Knicks will obviously be looking to improve the roster after coming up two games short of their first NBA Finals appearance since 2000. With the NBA Draft just two weeks away, could a veteran superstar possibly be on his way to New York?
Kevin Durant’s name has been linked to the New York Knicks since this year’s trade deadline. Durant 37, is still one of the most dominant scorers in the league and could mesh well paired with Brunson. Durant has one year left on his current contract. The next two weeks could answer these two questions as to whether these scenarios actually happen.
Is Jason Kidd the guy to take the Knicks back to the finals? How realistic is the possibility of Kevin Durant in a Knicks uniform? This could set up to be one of the most interesting drafts in recent memory. Stay tuned!