Despite leading the New York Knicks to their most successful season of the millennium, head coach Tom Thibodeau was unceremoniously fired by the team. Meanwhile, every other team in the NBA either already had or has already hired their new bench leader, leaving the Knicks as the lone franchise with a head coaching vacancy. This allows them the pick of the litter among free-agent coaches – and the opportunity to poach another team’s coach.
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Each of the Knicks’ attempts to interview a currently employed coach has been swiftly denied, though, likely leaving the franchise to hire a new face the old-fashioned way. Former New York guard Jason Kidd even entered John Salley’s discussion on Vlad TV, despite reports that the Dallas Mavericks also declined the Knicks an interview opportunity.
The Mavericks have already denied New York the chance to steal the coach who helped lead them to the NBA Finals just two seasons ago. But Salley believes Kidd’s connection to the franchise and the opportunity to coach a contender again would be enough to sway the Hall of Fame playmaker.
“If Jason Kidd goes to New York, that would be a wonderful thing for the Knicks,” the former big man said. “He played for the Knicks. He was the coach of the Brooklyn Nets; he used to play for the Nets when they were really good. I’m just thinking it’d be good for them because of the mentality, too.”
The four-time champion then discussed a recent interaction he had with Kidd prior to a Mavs-Clippers contest earlier this season. “Kyrie is hurt, so I don’t get to see it. I go sit on the bench, and [Kidd] has a modern-day mentality. He understands their capabilities. He understands the limits and he understands… how to turn the fire on,” Salley continued.
It’s still a mystery why the Knicks were so quick to move on from their long-tenured coach. Salley believes this is a similar situation to what happened to another former Knick, Mark Jackson. Salley also believes the former Knicks playmaker would be a suitable fit as the franchise’s new coach, but he could face the same issues as Thibs.
“Thibodeau got them to this point, got the frenzy back. Now they’re gonna bring in a different chef. They did it to Mark Jackson with the Golden State Warriors,” Salley continued, stressing that if ownership believes the current coach could cause problems in the future, they won’t hesitate to find a replacement.
Salley also heard rumblings that some of New York’s current roster wasn’t keen on the idea of playing for Thibs again. The former Detroit Bad Boy doesn’t understand that thought process, as he played for tough coaches throughout his career, but it could explain why the 67-year-old was ousted so quickly.
Now that the Mavericks have made it clear that their coach isn’t available for the taking, New York will have to pivot from Salley’s dream hire. With so many coaches available on the carousel, New York’s top priorities are still somewhat of a mystery. Regardless, the team will have a difficult time hiring someone to top the battle-tested Tom Thibodeau.
