The New York Knicks are looking for a new head coach, after the firing of Tom Thibodeau. Former Villanova coach Jay Wright has been mentioned as a possible replacement. It’s now all but certain that Wright won’t take the job.
“Jay confirmed that he and his good friend Leon Rose discussed the position briefly but he was never offered the job or asked to interview. He simply reiterated that he plans to stay retired,” college basketball analyst Seth Davis said on X, formerly Twitter.
Rose is the Knicks president. He and Wright are apparently close. That was seen as a reason why Wright was such a high-level candidate. Another reason is that several Knicks players, including Jalen Brunson, played for Wright at Villanova.
Wright left college basketball in 2022, after winning two national championships at the Big East school. He has been working in broadcasting with Davis and others for CBS and TNT.
The Knicks are hoping for a coach that can win them an NBA title
New York just made the Eastern Conference Finals, for the first time in more than 20 years. The Knicks lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games.
Thibodeau left some big shoes to fill. Not only did he bring the team to the brink of an NBA Finals appearance, he also instilled a winning culture back to Madison Square Garden. In five seasons, Thibs made the playoffs four times with New York.
There are many rumors flying around in regards to why Thibodeau was fired. Some Knicks players were apparently frustrated with how he managed minutes on the roster, per a Yahoo Sports report. Thibodeau was known for playing his starters a massive amount of minutes.
The Knicks are rumored to be looking at several NBA coaches. That includes Jason Kidd, who is the man in charge of the Dallas Mavericks. Former Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone has also been mentioned as a possible hire.
Knicks fans are hopeful the next coach can win that elusive title. It’s been more than 50 years since New York won NBA’s championship.
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