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The Knicks fired Thibodeau on June 3, despite
reaching the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25
years. They reached the playoffs four times in Thibodeau's five
seasons and had won at least 50 games in each of the final two.
They appear to be trying to find out if any coaches they like
who already have jobs might be added to their list along with
the ones who are currently available.
The Mavericks confirmed Thursday that a request was submitted
and denied.
ESPN first reported on all three decisions and added later
Wednesday that the Knicks had also been denied by Atlanta in a
request to interview Hawks coach Quin Snyder.
Knicks president Leon Rose interviewed Kidd and Udoka in 2020
before hiring Thibodeau. Both also played for the Knicks, with
Kidd ending his Hall of Fame career on the team that reached the
2013 playoffs — which was the Knicks' last appearance before
Thibodeau's arrival.
Kidd led the Mavericks to the 2024 NBA Finals, Finch has guided
the Timberwolves to back-to-back trips to the West finals and
Udoka took a young Rockets team to the No. 2 seed in the West
this season, so none of the organizations is interested in
searching for a new coach.
There are plenty of potential candidates, some who just became
available this season. The Denver Nuggets fired Michael Malone,
who led them to the 2023 NBA championship, in the final week of
the regular season. The Memphis Grizzlies fired Taylor Jenkins,
who guided them to a pair of 50-win seasons, just before that,
and Sacramento fired Mike Brown — like Thibodeau a two-time NBA
Coach of the Year — earlier in the season.
Thibodeau thanked the organization, players, coaches and fans in
a New York Times ad on Wednesday, saying the experience with the
Knicks was “something I will never forget.”
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AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds in Indianapolis contributed to
this report.
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