A former head coach of the Chicago Bulls, Tom Thibodeau, is reportedly on a shortlist to fill the New York Knicks coaching vacancy.
Maybe the most interesting coaching search in the NBA that will exist entering the 2020 offseason is with the New York Knicks. Earlier this season, the Knicks parted ways with former head coach David Fizdale after a short stint in the Big Apple. Fizdale didn’t really get a fair shot to succeed with the Knicks, but that was not a good franchise for him to land with. But now that Fizdale is out of the picture, a former head coach of the Chicago Bulls is reportedly now in the thick of their coaching search.
That former Bulls head coach that sits in the midst of the Knicks coaching search is one that last held a position on the Minnesota Timberwolves staff, Tom Thibodeau. Last coaching in the NBA with the Timberwolves for 40 games last season, Thibodeau could be on a shortlist for a number of vacancies if the Knicks don’t nab him once they announce their next hire.
The other main coaching candidate that is being mentioned on the Knicks shortlist to be their next head coach is Stan Van Gundy. The last position that Van Gundy held in the NBA was as head coach of the Bulls Central Division foe Detroit Pistons, in 2017-18.
A popular candidate that could stick around in the Knicks head coaching search is also the current interim head coach Mike Miller. He’s doing well since taking over as the interim with a pretty bad roster at hand.
Moreover, the career record that Thibodeau has as an NBA coach between his time with the Bulls and Timberwolves is 352-246. Most of his better win percentages came with the Bulls. He held a career record of 255-139 as head coach of the Bulls.
Thibodeau did also spend seven seasons as an assistant on the Knicks coaching staff back in the 1990’s and early 2000’s. So landing with the Knicks would have a past connection for Thibodeau during his NBA coaching career.
Other names that are commonly being mentioned in contention for the Knicks opening are Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing, former Warriors head coach Mark Jackson, and Michigan’s Juwan Howard. Any number of big time college basketball head coaches could have their names surface in this search, but Thibodeau and Van Gundy are the two candidates sticking out so far.