With the Knicks' season winding down, it looks more and more likely, at least according to reports, that coach Jeff Hornacek could be let go this summer. If the Knicks do decide to go in that direction, team president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry will be hiring the first coach of their regime. Starting with the people who have already been mentioned, here are some possibilities.
THE MAIN ATTRACTIONS
Mark Jackson: This name has probably been most popular from local and national media reports for a Knicks coaching target. He has links to the Knicks from his playing days and did have success during his three-year stint with the Warriors. He brought Golden State from 23 wins in his first season to 51 in his third, as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson broke out and the team played better defense.
USA TODAY Images Jackson, 52, also clashed with his assistant coaches, sending Brian Scalabrine to the D-League for a “difference in philosophy,” and then Darren Erman began recording coach meetings at the end of the season in 2014 for an undetermined purpose. It was not a well-oiled machine. Throw in the fact that the Warriors went from 51 wins all the way to 67 the year after Jackson left -- mostly thanks to a move from Jackson’s isolation-heavy offense to the Steve Kerr offense we see today.
Doc Rivers: Rivers has been a head coach for 19 seasons in the NBA and has been in the playoffs for 10 straight years going back to his time with the Celtics. The 56-year-old former Knick had excellent teams with a lot of talent, but that consistent success can’t be overlooked. His best coaching job might be this season, with the Clippers only one game out of the playoffs despite losing Chris Paul and Blake Griffin in a seven-month span.
Some believe that over Rivers has been helped a lot by his assistant coaches, including Tom Thibodeau and Lawrence Frank, over the years, but it’s hard to believe he doesn’t deserve any of the credit for such a consistent pattern of success. He did struggle to advance in the playoffs during his years with the Clippers, but his teams were often hamstrung by injuries to Paul and Griffin late in the season. The Knicks might have to give up compensation to land Rivers, who has a year left on his contract.
IN THE MIX
David Blatt: A former teammate of Mills at Princeton, Blatt has been one of the most successful American coaches in European basketball history. He won coach of the year in Israel four times, coach of the year in Russia once and Euroleague Coach of the Year in 2014. In Blatt’s lone full year with the Cavaliers, they went to the NBA Finals, but he was fired the following season despite the Cavs leading the Eastern Conference. Coaching in Cleveland with LeBron James is a blessing but also a curse, because he normally wants things done his way. Does Blatt, 58, have what it takes to be an NBA head coach?
David Fizdale: A former assistant for the James-led Miami Heat teams that won two titles earlier this decade, Fizdale went to Memphis, where he coached the Grizzlies to a 43-39 record in 2016-17. He was fired after only 19 games the next year when his team went on a long losing streak after Mike Conley suffered an injury and Fizdale benched Marc Gasol in the fourth quarter of an early-season loss.The 43-year-old is looked at around the league as a talented, up-and-coming, young head coach, and he could be an attractive option despite a short track record.
Monty Williams: A former Knick, Williams coached in New Orleans for five seasons, making the playoffs twice. He has a career head coaching record of 173-221 but is widely respected around the league. Williams, 46, was the associate head coach of the Thunder in 2016, but left that position after the season, a few months after his wife was killed in a car accident. He might be a tough sell to Knicks fans based on his record.
DARK HORSE
Jeff Van Gundy: The former Knicks head coach appears to be happy at the broadcast table, but he recently dipped his foot back in coaching for the U.S. national team for the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup tournament and the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Does the 56-year-old still have it in him to coach full-time in the NBA? Would he still be good at it? There are a lot of risks here despite the nostalgia.
WORTHY CANDIDATES NO ONE MENTIONS
USA TODAY Images Jay Wright: This name hasn’t been mentioned much, but why not? He’s 56, understands the northeast and New York area and has built Villanova into a perennial powerhouse. His teams have traditionally been strong defensively, and he emphasizes floor spacing and the 3-point shot, two things you have to have in order to win in the NBA. The Knicks would probably have to throw a fortune at him, but why not?
Tony Bennett: Another college coach, Bennett, 48, has turned Virginia into one of the most successful college programs in the country, their shocking NCAA tournament loss to 16th-seeded Maryland-Baltimore County notwithstanding. Consistently one of the best defensive teams in the nation, Bennett's Cavaliers have won 29 or more games in four of the last five seasons, and 20 or more in seven straight years. His credentials are impeccable, and he could bring a defensive culture back to the Knicks.