NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Knicks were denied permission to speak with coaches Jason Kidd of Dallas, Ime Udoka of Houston and Chris Finch of Minnesota in a slow start to find Tom Thibodeau’s replacement.
All three coaches are under contract and their organizations declined to make them available for interviews with the Knicks, two people with knowledge of the details said Wednesday. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the interview process was to remain private.
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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