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There’s no rush for now, but the Knicks will need a new permanent head coach eventually.
David Fizdale was fired on December 6 after a start to the campaign that had New York languishing with the worst record in the NBA. Mike Miller is at the helm to right the ship on an interim basis, but the franchise has other candidates in mind should things continue under Miller as they did under Fizdale.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Knicks have a “short list” of coaches who could be in-season replacements that reportedly includes Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson and Tom Thibodeau.
It’s unclear if these three candidates are being viewed solely as options for the middle of the season if the team decides to remove Miller, or if they are also being taken into consideration for the permanent coaching job, but each man listed has existing connections to the Knicks.
Getty Images Mark Jackson had two stints as a player at Madison Square Garden. Alongside Patrick Ewing and Charles Oakley, he was a big part of the strong Knicks teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s. This isn't his first time being mentioned as a candidate for the coaching job at his old team.
Tom Thibodeau grew up in Connecticut and coached for the Knicks as an assistant from 1996-2004. The 61-year-old would be an intriguing option as he made his name as coach in the league by leading teams that played tough, hard-nosed defense.
The Knicks won 124-122 on Wednesday night in Golden State. It was the first victory of Miller's tenure as interim coach, but it came against the Warriors, who, with that loss, are now the team with the league's worst record.
Charania also reported that Steve Mills and Scott Perry remain "intact" in the Knicks front office "for now."