NY Knicks Offseason Update: Coaching Search & Strategy

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00:00Live right here on this Tuesday morning on the early line on SportsGrid as we get ready

00:04for game number three of the NBA Finals. That's not till tomorrow. It allows us some time to focus

00:11on the other NBA organizations and what the offseason holds, especially here in New York

00:17City this summer. And what an interesting offseason in the Big Apple it is going to be

00:22for the New York Knicks. Who better to break it down than CP the franchise? Joining us here on

00:28this Tuesday, of course, holding down the fort for Knicks Fan TV and making sure that everybody

00:33is set for the coaching search this summer for the New York Knicks. CP, as always, we appreciate

00:39the time. It was great to talk to you during that historic playoff run for New York. And now a

00:45coaching search ahead this offseason for the Knicks as well. Yeah, Ben and Donnie, good morning, man.

00:51It was absolutely fever pitch during the entire Knicks playoff run. Unfortunately, they fell short

00:56just two games short of the NBA Finals. And then just when you thought you're thinking about the

01:01offseason and drafting free agency, they fired the coach the following two days after. So never a dull

01:07moment in the Knicks verse. That's for sure. CP, exactly a week ago, we got the big bombshell news

01:14out of the Big Apple that Tom Thibodeau, after five seasons and bringing the New York Knicks to a level

01:20they had not seen in two and a half decades, was dismissed as head coach. There was no arguing the

01:26resume for what Tibbs was able to accomplish in his half decade inside Madison Square Garden.

01:32So CP, when you saw the news like the rest of us, ultimately your reaction,

01:37did you agree with the decision the Knicks front office made?

01:40My reaction, guys, was I wasn't surprised, to be honest with you. This is something that I've

01:46been hearing for, you know, rumblings throughout the season. And then after the Knicks game two loss

01:51to the Pacers, I did mention on Knicks fan TV that coach Tibbs was going to be on thin ice. And I was

01:58not sure what his fate would be after they lost that series against the Indiana Pacers. And so once I

02:05heard it, you know, disappointing that it did not work out in terms of him being able to take this

02:10team to the promised land, certainly thankful because as that graphic show, Tom Thibodeau brought

02:15the Knicks back from the dead, literally with the success that he had in the five seasons, you have

02:21to give you tip your cap coach of the year playoffs for out of last five seasons. And so it's super

02:27thankful to have a coach to bring this franchise back to life. But also looking at how this team played

02:34throughout the season, the disconnect on both ends at times, and with the roster that they had, I

02:40figured that this was it was time for the Knicks to make a move and management. James Dolan certainly

02:46felt that way that Tom Thibodeau was not necessarily going to be the coach to take them to that

02:51championship level that this roster is capable of. And look, this is always the first domino to fall

02:57in sports. When you make the investment that the Knicks have made in this roster to make it to the

03:02pinnacle, the coach is the quickest and the easiest thing to change. And unfortunately,

03:07it costs Tom Thibodeau's job.

03:09And also understanding where the Knicks are coming from, because there hasn't been a lot

03:13of winning in New York, and Thibodeau brought that back. But CP, you know what I can respect

03:15about a franchise saying, you know what, this still isn't good enough. Because I think most

03:19Knicks fans, once you got to the Eastern Conference Finals, things change. It wasn't like, man,

03:23we're going to have to beat Cleveland, then we're going to have to beat the Celtics,

03:25and then we'll see what happens in the finals. The path was pretty clear there. You get over the

03:29pump and you beat the Celtics, but then you lose to the Pacers. I don't actually mind this as it

03:33looks forward. And also as a fan, you can understand, like next year, you're looking at

03:36the Eastern Conference and saying, well, probably we're talking about the Celtics might be down,

03:40not only trading players, but injured in Jason Tatum. The Milwaukee Bucks are usually a factor

03:44down. Damian Lillard, where are they at? So this is a monstrous all season for the New York

03:48Knicks. So let me ask you this question. We lose Thibodeau, who's a rock star head coach.

03:52We're hearing like Jason Kidd, maybe like mutual interest, but can you make that work here with not

03:57obviously the salary cap, but trading away some draft prospects to maybe get that done.

04:01What's in the future for the Knicks and what do you think is best in the future for the Knicks?

04:05Yeah, I'm with you in that. You're going to have to take calculated risks. And that's what

04:09Leon Rose has been about since he's been here. And he's been measured. He hasn't been gung-ho in

04:14terms of mortgaging this franchise's future for immediate gains. They have had a prudent approach and

04:20you're going to have to roll the dice in certain respects to get to that top level. And you're right,

04:25Donnie, when you look at next season, all things considered, you hope that they're healthy.

04:29And if they roll over say 85 to 90% of this roster, this is a top three team in the East

04:35with Boston coming down, you know, Milwaukee is going to come down. And so you have to figure

04:39it's going to be Indiana, the Knicks, the Cleveland Cavaliers in some sort of order in the preseason

04:44rankings. And so where they go from here, Jason Kidd is obviously the hot name right now.

04:50So things that the both sides are interested from what we've heard in terms of Kidd and

04:55the New York Knicks. Is he that championship caliber coach to take the Knicks there? Time

05:00will tell. He did take the Dallas Mavericks there just last year with Luka Doncic and Kyrie

05:04Irving. One thing we do know with Jason Kidd is that his relationship with Jalen Brunson is

05:10very strong. Jalen Brunson gives Jason Kidd a lot of credit for his growth and development

05:15as a player. Jason Kidd has that, has that, that characteristic of a coach that is a player's

05:22coach, the relatability factor. I think that was where Tom Thibodeau was lacking. We did

05:27hear earlier this season, a little bit of friction between him and McHale Bridges. Some of the

05:32players as, as a result of the exit interviews, we're not quite happy with their roles on their

05:37tabs. And so I think that's one of the biggest keys here. Why the Knicks are keying in on,

05:42on adjacent Kidd to be a guy that can be a little bit more relatable to the players,

05:46but he's also going to have to show if he is the coach that from an X is an O standpoint that he

05:51can make these two big headed monsters in terms of Brunson and Towns more compatible on both the

05:57offensive and defensive end. That's going to be a big challenge. The context is necessary. The New

06:03York Knicks at a plus 350 price after the big splash trade for Carl Anthony Towns entered this past

06:09season with the second best number around the Eastern Conference. CP, we were debating earlier

06:14with the injury news to Darius Garland yesterday for the Cavaliers, the injury, of course, to Jason

06:19Tatum for the Celtics. If the Knicks get this head coaching hire correct, and it is the correct one,

06:26if it's not New York, as at least the slight favorite to win the Eastern Conference crowd

06:31entering 2025-26. So you mentioned Jason Kidd. What else are you hearing? And CP, frankly,

06:39who do you want to be at the forefront of this coaching cycle for the New York Knicks to get

06:44New York to that championship level they haven't been in the NBA Finals since 1999?

06:49Well, hey, if the search is including head coaches that are already under contract,

06:55my first call is going down to South Beach in Miami, calling Mickey Harrison and Pat Riley and saying,

07:00hey, you know, how can we mend these fences that have been broken for the last 30, 40 years? But

07:05look, Eric's bolster is certainly a pipe dream. I am intrigued about Johnny Bryant, who was here in New

07:11York under Tom Thibodeau as the associate head coach brought in by Leon Rose and World Wide West.

07:17He was a hot coaching candidate. He did not get the Phoenix Suns job. But is Johnny Bryant with a

07:22veteran bench coach the way to go forward with the Knicks? You're also hearing names like, you know,

07:28Mike Brown is available. Frank Vogel is available as well. The Knicks have stated that they are going

07:33to conduct an extensive search. But I think that's more so if the Jason Kidd pursuit falls through.

07:41But if it's not Kidd, I'd be intrigued with Johnny Bryant there as a young upstart coach for the New York

07:45Knicks. See how much fun this is, CP? Like, look, we're in the offseason for the Knicks after a

07:50devastating loss and so much opportunities to get better, which includes who's that coach is going

07:54to be. And also, it's a superstar studded roster here for the Knicks, particularly in the starting

07:58five. There are two players out there also that are getting a lot of media action here that are

08:02actually under contract but could be had in the way of a trade. That would be Giannis Antetokounmpo and

08:07Kevin Durant. For your money here, looking at that Knicks roster, do you expect a big shakeup or

08:12maybe just the status quo? And also, does a guy like Giannis fit onto that roster if you can make

08:17some of those changes? Well, listen, Donnie, as you're looking at this Knicks team defensively,

08:22Giannis would absolutely be a great fit here. I just have a hard time seeing how the Knicks can

08:27compete with the rest of the NBA in terms of a substantive package that the Milwaukee Bucks

08:32would be happy with. With Kevin Durant, I look at the Spurs or even the Rockets as the favorites.

08:36I'd be very leery if I'm the Knicks to go after a guy like a Kevin Durant. He's 37 years old.

08:41You would have to pay him and deplete some of your depth. I just don't see a KD pursuit as being

08:46realistic for the Knicks. But hey, if they can pull a rabbit out of a hat, as Leon Rose oftentimes

08:50can, I'd go after Giannis in a heartbeat. It's just, you know, what type of package could they

08:55entice for the Milwaukee Bucks? And is it a three or four team trade? It gets a little bit tricky in

08:59that regard. You see the Knicks there with a plus 340 price to maybe land Giannis this summer.

09:05We shall see the remainder of this offseason. CP, the franchise, joining us here on this Tuesday

09:12on the early line on SportsGrid. CP, we appreciate the time always, man.

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