The Knicks Will Reportedly Meet With Three Top Coaching Candidates This Week

The New York Knicks fired coach Jeff Hornacek on Thursday after yet another dismal season in the Big Apple and they have, unsurprisingly, been connected to a number of big names in the coaching industry as their search begins.

As seems to always be the case in New York, a connection to the Knicks tends to make someone automatically a candidate as Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy were both rumored to be near the top of their list. That’s not necessarily a must, as Villanova’s Jay Wright, Doc Rivers, David Fizdale, and plenty of others have been floated as possible candidates.

On Sunday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Knicks were beginning to move forward in the interview process by bringing in a trio of coaches with varying head coaching experience in the NBA over the coming week.

Fizdale is one of the most beloved coaches in the NBA when it comes to how his former players feel about him, so for a Knicks team that has not exactly had a players coach in recent years, that could be a good change of pace. Jerry Stackhouse has cut his teeth in the G-League, leading Raptors 905 to a 70-30 record in two seasons, a championship in 2017 and making them one of the G-League’s best defensive squads.

Jackson has the most experience, but also comes with the most apparent baggage as his tenure with Golden State is remembered very differently depending on who you ask. He certainly helped the Warriors improve in his time there, but there were also various reports of him being paranoid of his assistants wanting to force him out among questions that his motivational tactics had worn thin.

In any case, the Knicks appear to be closing in on making a hire, but it’s possible their search will expand beyond those three, including former Knicks coach Mike Woodson, who they reportedly got permission to speak with from the Clippers.

Maybe they’re reaching out to Woodson to see if he’d like to return as a top assistant, but if he is truly a candidate it’d be fairly incredible considering the way his time in New York flamed out — he did lead them to their most successful season in recent years in 2012-13, though.

Wojnarowski later reported former Cavaliers coach David Blatt was also scheduled to interview with New York, which brings the interview total to upwards of five.