New York Knicks Target Tom Thibodeau and Kenny Atkinson

Tom Thibodeau and Kenny Atkinson are the top two priorities of the New York Knicks in their search for the head coach. According to various sources from within the NBA, the management of the struggling franchise will try to acquire one of these two, and try to rebuild the team according to their vision.

The Knicks’ new president of basketball information, Leon Rose, who arrived at the Big Apple in March is starting to tighten up the franchise. His first job was to create respectable and efficient management, which he did by landing Walt Perrin and Frank Zanin as assistant general managers, while on the other side, keeping Scott Perry as the general manager.

Now, he wants to sort out the head coaching position before moving on to free agency and team rebuild.

Thibodeau is a long wish of the Knicks’, and ever since they decided to move away from Dave Fizdale, the 62-year old was in the middle of their attention. The 2011 Coach of the Year is without a job after his stint in the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the heads of the NYK believe that he might be the best solution for their future.

Story with @MikeVorkunov: Knicks soon embarking on head coaching search process, with Tom Thibodeau atop the list, sources tell The Athletic.

Full details, including timetable at @TheAthleticNBA: https://t.co/UwbSakELQU

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 27, 2020

He is expected to receive an invitation for an interview, but still, those are all speculations, and neither of the executives in New York officially commented on anything about him. That is why Thibodeau himself decided to say a few words about the rumors and talks.

“They’re just rumors. And this time of year, everything is on hold. Normally you would have some openings and right now there aren’t any openings. So you don’t want to speculate on what jobs could open. That’s what you have an agent for,” he recently added.

On the other side, Kenny Atkinson was fired this season from the Brooklyn Nets, which was a big shock for every basketball fan. Atkinson took over the Nets in 2016, as one of the worst teams in the league. Completely massacred with bad decisions in the past regarding both traders and contracts, he slowly managed to erase all that and to make a respectable team who is a playoff contender. Brooklyn reached the postseason last year, losing to the 76ers in the first round, and it seems that they are going to enter this one also.

Many experts didn’t have an answer on why Nets’ management did such a thing, but still, this opened a chance for the Knicks. He knows how to start from scratch, is aware of the local mentality, and above all, has excellent quality.

Former Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson is expected to interview for the Knicks’ head-coaching position. Atkinson, a former Knick assistant, is expected to get consideration from several teams: https://t.co/1BlEXp2tms

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) May 27, 2020

What is common for both Thibodeau and Atkinson is the fact that they both happened to be the assistants in New York at some point in their careers. Thibodeau from 1996 to 2004, and Atkinson from 2008 until 2012.

There is a slight chance for the Knicks to allow Mike Miller to lead the team in the future, but according to all the people from the NBA community, those prospects are not very good. The current interim manager did a solid job in settling down the situation after Fizdale’s release, and dramatically improved the team in certain aspects. However, overall, the Knicks are still one of the worst teams in the league.

The executives are aware that the situation is complicated and that Miller had to battle multiple problems, which is why they want to keep him in the coaching staff.

All in all, the Knicks have to make some decisions fast. Both Thibodeau and Atkinson are highly respected in the NBA, and they will get multiple offers. That is why Rose and the rest of the management have to go after them as soon as possible,