The New York Knicks may target a pair of former Los Angeles Lakers coaches while searching for the replacement for Tom Thibodeau.
According to The Athletic, the Knicks expect to cast a wide net for their vacant head-coaching position, but among those to be considered will be Darvin Ham and Mike Brown, each of whom were former Lakers coaches.
Brown spent one-plus season coaching the Lakers, and Ham helped Los Angeles reach the Western Conference Finals in his two seasons for LA. Each coach won multiple postseason series with Los Angeles but fell short of the championship.
Thibodeau was let go as Knicks coach Tuesday after five seasons. New York reached the playoffs four times under Thibodeau and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years but lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games.
Why Are The Knicks Targeting Ex-Lakers Coaches?
Replacing one of the most successful coaches in recent history won’t be easy for the Knicks, but there are reasons for them to consider both Brown and Ham.
Brown was fired as head coach of the Sacramento Kings midseason, but he is widely considered one of the best-available coaches on the market. His tenure with the Lakers was short lived, since it lasted just 71 regular-season games and five playoff games.
Part of Brown’s struggles in LA were due to him replacing the legendary Phil Jackson. Brown has only coached one losing season over his 11 NBA seasons as a coach and guided the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals with LeBron James in 2007.
“Brown, who the Sacramento Kings fired shortly into this past season, has won wherever he’s gone,” The Athletic staff wrote. “Once James left for Miami, Brown took the job with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he coached a playoff team then famously got fired only five games into the next season, the one when the Lakers acquired Dwight Howard and Steve Nash but failed to meet massive expectations.”
Ham replaced Frank Vogel as Lakers coach in 2022, and like Brown, coached James on a run to the NBA’s Final Four. Still, he was relieved of his duties after the 2023-24 season and was replaced by J.J. Redick.
“In Year 1 [under Ham], the Lakers won only 43 games, and the team went to the Western Conference finals. In Year 2, the Lakers fell in the first round to the Denver Nuggets, the same group that bested them the season before,” The Athletic staff wrote. “Ham is known best for a commanding voice in the locker room. His Lakers teams finished in the middle of the pack on both offense and defense during his two seasons there.”
Who Else Are The Knicks Targeting?
There will be countless other coaching candidates the Knicks will be targeting for their head-coaching roles, who like Ham and Brown, have been successful coaches.
Michael Malone, the former Denver Nuggets bench boss who was inexplicably fired in April, and Taylor Jenkins, who also lost a power struggle in Memphis when he was let go late in the regular season, are two of the most prominent other names.
The Athletic also floated former Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy, who is an assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers, and longtime Villanova coach Jay Wright as potential replacements.
Former Lakers Coaches Named as Possible Tom Thibodeau Replacement