It's time for a new era of Knicks basketball.
Tom Thibodeau is out as head coach of New York and now the hunt begins for the next leader of one of the biggest sports franchises in the world.
Luckily for Knicks' brass, this year's coaching cycle is filled with high-profile names that could be a steady voice in a talented locker room.
But who will New York settle on? Let's take a look at a few potential candidates.
Mike Brown
Before the Knicks hired Thibodeau, it was a long list of short, unsuccessful coaching stints.
From Derek Fisher to Mike Miller, plenty of big names tried and failed to commandeer the sideline at Madison Square Garden.
Mike Brown was a candidate for the New York vacancy in both 2014 and 2018. He was passed over for Fisher in 2014 and David Fizdale in 2018.
Brown, who was fired as head coach of the Sacramento Kings midway through last season, has a lengthy list of accolades and talented players he's coached.
He led a young LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to the 2007 NBA Finals. He won three championships (2017, 2018, 2022) as an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors. Brown then made history in his first year with the Kings, becoming the first unanimous Coach of the Year award winner in NBA history.
From LeBron to Stephen Curry, Brown can boast he's mentored some of the greatest players this game has ever seen. He's also seen what it takes to win at the highest level, a trait the Knicks are surely searching for.
Michael Malone
Another accomplished candidate who has a history in New York? Michael Malone.
It was a shocking decision when the Nuggets chose to part ways with the championship-winning coach with just three games left in the regular season.
This vacancy would give Malone a chance to reboot his career with a talented roster.
He started his NBA coaching career with the Knicks in 2001 as a coaching associate. In 2003 he was promoted to assistant coach before moving to Cleveland in 2005.
The Knicks are under new management since then, but Malone could use his familiarity with the franchise and an impressive resume to make a case that he should be at the helm.
Malone was head coach for the Kings for a season before being let go early in his second year. From there, he went on to lead Denver to seven playoff appearances from 2015 to 2025.
Michael Malone will be a New York Knick!? pic.twitter.com/D5HykWj0sz
— JDJackson (@TheWestWolfPod) June 3, 2025
After coaching one of the best big men and passers of all time in Nikola Jokic, Malone could bring that experience to elevate the performances of Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson.
Sam Cassell
Sam Cassell is a less seasoned candidate than other options, but he does have history with the Knicks.
The former Rocket played a pivotal role in the 1994 NBA Finals, where Houston defeated New York in seven games.
Cassell, a rookie at the time, scored seven points in the final 32 seconds of game three to lead the Rockets to a key win.
June 8, 1994: Rookie Sam Cassell with an acrobatic layup that gives the Rockets a 2-point lead over the Knicks at the end of the first quarter in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.
— NBA Cobwebs (@NBACobwebs) June 8, 2024
Hakeem Olajuwon had 28 PTS/10 REB and Otis Thorpe had 14 PTS/16 REB in Houston's 85-78 win over New York. pic.twitter.com/GZeh5VAbcc
While he's never been a head coach, Cassell is widely regarded as one of the best assistants in the league. He's coached for the Wizards, Clippers, 76ers, and is presently on Joe Mazzulla's staff in Boston.
He won his first championship as a coach in 2024 with the Celtics.
If the Knicks went this direction, they would be looking for a fresh face to revolutionize the franchise. Cassell is a trusted coach, but it would be his first stint in charge of a team and would bring new ideas to the table.
He's coached great players like Kawhi Leonard, Joel Embiid, and Jayson Tatum, so he would have no problem managing some of New York's brightest stars.
Whatever direction the Knicks go in, a fresh face will bring changes.
Thibodeau was in charge for five years and oversaw a turnaround for one of the NBA's most storied franchises.
Whoever steps in that role next will be expected to elevate the team even further.
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