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KNICKS COACHING SEARCH: It looks like the Knicks will be taking time with their search for a head coach, as reports this week state that they may not make a final decision until late July. It’s promising to see New York not rushing things; falling in love with one candidate and hiring him immediately seems like a pre-Leon Rose Knicks thing to do. Maybe those days are behind us.
New York reportedly is looking into eight to 10 candidates for their head coaching job. Below, we break down the names we know of so far:
Tom Thibodeau: Thibs is easily the leader in the clubhouse to eventually become the Knicks’ next head coach. Thibodeau has been a head coach for nine seasons with the Bulls and Timberwolves, and boasts a 352-246 record over that span. The fact he was able to take a young Wolves team to the playoffs likely makes him awfully enticing to New York brass.
Mike Woodson: Like Thibs, Woodson has spent nine seasons as a head coach, though his record as a coach (315-365) is far less impressive. On the other hand, Woodson was the head coach the last time the Knicks had a truly great team, back in 2012-13 when they went 54-28. Besides New York, Woodson also spent time as head coach of the Hawks, who made the playoffs three times over the six years he was there.
Ime Udoka: 42-year-old Udoka enjoyed a seven-year NBA career where he averaged 5.2 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Since then, Udoka has spent eight seasons as an assistant coach in the Association, seven spent with the Spurs and the latest in Philadelphia, where he was credited as being the mastermind behind the Sixers’ Top-6 defense.
Pat Delany: Orlando assistant Pat Delany has been an assistant for the Magic and Hornets over the last six seasons, all of them spent under Steve Clifford. That’s a pretty good guy to learn under.
Will Hardy: Hardy is by far the youngest reported candidate for the Knicks at 32 years old. He’s been an assistant under Gregg Popovich for the last four seasons and is reportedly well-thought-of in San Antonio.
Jamahl Mosley: Mosley has been an assistant in the NBA dating back to 2006-07, spending time with the Nuggets, Cavaliers and now the Mavericks. Mosley interviewed for the Cavs coaching gig last year, so clearly, there’s interest league-wide in him as a future head coach.
ROCKETS INTERESTED IN GUARD: Over the coming weeks, we could see contenders make moves on the free-agent market. One deal to look out for is between Tyler Johnson and Houston, as the Rockets are reportedly interested in him.
KENTUCKY CONNECTION: John Wall continues to campaign to team up with DeMarcus Cousins in Washington. Truth be told, that’d be a fun trio, along with Bradley Beal.
NOW HEALTHY: Warriors guard Klay Thompson is now fully cleared for physical activity following his torn ACL injury. Golden State is going to be interesting next season.
PISTONS MAKE HIRE: The Pistons have their next general manager, Troy Weaver, who spent the last 12 years in Oklahoma City’s front office. Weaver will be the NBA’s ninth active African-American general manager.
PLAYERS DIVIDED: With Kyrie Irving and Dwight Howard leading the charge for players to skip the proposed Orlando bubble, Ed Davis joined our Alex Kennedy to give his perspective on the matter. He did not hold back.
NOT THAT ORIGINAL: Much was made about Kyrie Irving reportedly suggesting players start their own league. Well, he’s not the first player to suggest that over the last decade. Find out who is here.
THE REPLACEMENTS: NBA agents and executives talk to us about how they think teams could use replacement players if and when the season does resume.
POLITICS AS USUAL: President Donald Trump is lagging far behind Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden in donations from the NBA constituency ahead of the November election.
BACK IN TIME: Cavs-Warriors Game 7 of the 2016 Finals was one of the greatest games ever. We broke down 28 things you may have forgotten happened on that fateful night.
SNEAKER LIFE: We present 17 of the sickest sneakers No. 17 for the Rockets PJ Tucker has rocked in the past.
BAD LUCK: Although the NBA playoffs do a good job of truly deciding who the better team is thanks to the seven-game nature of its series, that’s not always the case. Here’s a gallery filled with teams who lost playoff series despite outscoring their opponents.