The New York Knicks ended their 2024‑2025 season in poor fashion with a 4‑2 loss in the Eastern Conference Finals. According to many, the Manhattan-based franchise blew a golden opportunity to reach their first NBA Finals in 25 years.
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Following the elimination, the front office fired head coach Tom Thibodeau, who had been in place for five seasons, leading the team to the postseason in four of those seasons. Unfortunately for their passionate fan base, their head coaching search has quickly unravelled, drawing considerable media and fan criticism.
Over a week later, the Knicks still have not gained traction or made serious progress. The Timberwolves denied their request to speak with head coach Chris Finch. The Rockets blocked access to their coach, Ime Udoka, as well. Reports say that the Mavericks, Hawks, and Bulls did the same.
They prevented interviews with Jason Kidd, Quin Snyder, and Billy Donovan. Rick Pitino also ruled himself out while speaking at a baseball game. The Knicks continue to stumble without direction or a clear plan in place.
Kendrick Perkins did not hold back during a recent NBA segment on SportsCenter, ripping into the Knicks’ front office for mismanaging the coaching search. When asked how he viewed the search, Perkins did not hesitate to speak. “A disaster! Malpractice at its finest,” he declared emphatically on the air.
He then turned his focus to Thibodeau’s résumé and defended the coach. Thibodeau coached the Knicks from 2020‑21 through 2024‑25 with notable success. He finished with a 226‑174 regular-season record and a 24-23 record in playoffs. In 2025, he broke a 25-year-long drought by reaching the Conference Finals.
Perkins praised Thibodeau’s impact and leadership during his time in New York. “If you’re going to fire a coach of Tom Thibodeau’s status, a coach that helped you make this franchise relevant again, one of the elite coaches in the game, then you have to replace him with a championship-level coach,” he said.
He followed up, criticizing the front office’s lack of preparation and planning for the change. “They should’ve had a plan. They didn’t,” Perkins said firmly on air.
“We’re sitting up here watching the Knicks search around the NBA and try to [get interviews] with other [team’s] coaches. What type of stuff is that?” he added. “They took five steps forward—then ten steps backwards with this move.”
Perkins then pointed to former Nuggets coach Michael Malone as an ideal hire. The Nuggets fired Malone on April 8, 2025, after a poor stretch. He finished in Denver with a 471‑327 record and an NBA title.
Critics say he overused veterans and did not trust his bench or rookies. Still, Perkins sees Malone as a strong fit for the Knicks. “There’s no other coach out there, in my opinion, besides Michael Malone that’s available that could step in and fulfill this role, what they’re trying to do, and that’s ultimately bring a championship back to New York,” Perkins said.
The Knicks recently scheduled interviews with Mike Brown and Taylor Jenkins. Brown went 107‑88 with the Kings before Sacramento fired him in 2024. He also won the 2022‑23 Coach of the Year award unanimously. Jenkins compiled a 250‑214 record across six seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies fired him in March 2025 after disappointing results.
Knicks president Leon Rose and owner James Dolan now face huge pressure. They fired Thibodeau without lining up a qualified or willing successor. Their chaotic search has already drawn criticism from across the league. If this continues, the franchise could slide back into irrelevance and failure.
