Knicks set to interview two head-coach candidates in major boost amid tough search for Tom Thibodeau replacement

The first formal interviews for the New York Knicks head-coaching vacancy have been revealed in former NBA head coaches Taylor Jenkins and Mike Brown. 

Both men started last season as head coaches, with Brown being fired by the Sacramento Kings in December for having a losing record. Jenkins was given the pink slip by the Memphis Grizzlies with nine games left in the regular season in March. 

Jenkins and Brown will throw their name in the hat for the Knicks job less than two weeks after Tom Thibodeau was fired as the team’s head coach following New York’s Eastern Conference Finals defeat to the Indiana Pacers. 

Brown has been on an NBA sideline since 1997, spending time with several teams as a top assistant or as a head coach. 

Brown’s most successful season as a head coach was in 2007, when he led a LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers team to the NBA Finals. 

Jenkins was the Grizzlies head coach from 2019 until a few months ago, leading the team to three playoff appearances but never past the second round.  

Taylor Jenkins (above) and Mike Brown (below) will both try and become the next Knicks coach

Thibodeau led the Knicks for five seasons, taking the team from basketball irrelevancy to a title contender. 

The 67-year-old has been a fixture among the league’s head coaching circles since 2010, with previous stints as the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves bench boss. 

Thibodeau was also a Knicks assistant from 1996 to 2003 under Jeff Van Gundy and Don Chaney.  

New York is in the process of hiring Thibodeau’s replacement, trying to swing big on Broadway. 

At least three teams have reportedly turned down the Knicks’ requests to interview sitting head coaches in the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, and Minnesota Timberwolves. 

College basketball legends Jay Wright and Dan Hurley have both expressed an interest in staying with their current jobs in broadcasting and at UConn.