Through 24 games played in 2022-23, the New York Knicks find themselves sporting a sub-.500 record and performing as one of the least effective squads in the entire association.
As a result of their tumultuous start to the year, a large chunk of the fanbase has been found voicing their frustrations with the club as a whole, but particularly with Tom Thibodeau, and, in turn, it is a popular desire of theirs to see the head coach relieved of his duties.
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However, recently, an anonymous Eastern Conference executive revealed to Heavy Sports’ NBA Insider Sean Deveney that a coaching shakeup is unlikely to happen this year, though noted that a parting of ways could be possible come the offseason.
With this, should Leon Rose and company opt to move on from the veteran headman, the executive believes that current Golden State Warriors assistant, Kenny Atkinson, could be the frontrunner to serve as Thibodeau’s successor.
“Leon and Thibs are close—they might not agree on everything but they’re close. If it is obvious Thibs is not the guy for the job after this year, you’ll probably see both sides willing to move on…They liked (Kenny) Atkinson a lot when they went through the process last time (in 2020) so I’d expect him to be at the top of the list,” the executive told Deveney.
Among other popular replacement options the executive mentioned was Mark Jackson, though they noted that the Knicks have had a few opportunities to hire him in the past and ultimately decided to pass, thus making them believe that it’s unlikely he’d now be in serious contention for the team’s head coaching position.
Atkinson an Ideal Fit for Knicks
Though he may currently be serving as an assistant amongst Steve Kerr’s coaching staff in Golden State, Kenny Atkinson has proven himself as being a quality head coach in the NBA and, unlike current Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, is best known for his ability to get the most out of young and unproven players.
With 14 years of sideline experience in the association, the 55-year-old has built a reputation as being a tremendous developmental mind, with noteworthy examples of his expertise in this area being D’Angelo Russell’s rise from draft bust to 2019 All-Star and New York’s own Linsanity back in 2011-12.
Kenny Atkinson had a reputation for player development.
While his 118-190 head coaching record may not look all that impressive on the surface, more than half of that time was spent focusing on a rebuild literally from the ground up with the Brooklyn Nets and, ultimately, he was able to help mold a team that, by his third year in 2018-19, won 42 games and saw their first postseason berth since 2015.
With his efforts, Atkinson finished within the top five that season for the league’s Coach of the Year award and, in turn, played a major role in the Nets becoming a top-flight free agency destination that following offseason.
Though things ultimately ended unceremoniously between Atkinson and the Brooklyn Nets, as the two parties mutually agreed to part ways mid-way through the 2019-20 season after going just 28-34, seeing how things have played out since his exit it’s fair to assume that the team’s shortcomings were far from being a result of his presence.
Perhaps on a team like the Knicks, who are in dire need of an emphasis on developing their youth, the seasoned coach could once again prove himself to be deserving of the respect and credibility he earned during his last stint leading the charge for a New York-based organization.
Knicks Guard Has Thibodeau’s Back
While it may be likely that the Knicks will be looking for a new head coach this coming offseason, at the moment Tom Thibodeau is still the man holding the clipboard in New York and, while he’s been under fire for some of his decisions throughout this first quarter of the 2022-23 season, some of his players still seem to believe that he’s doing a fine job leading the team.
During the team’s post-game media session on November 3 after being decimated by the Dallas Mavericks in front of a packed MSG crowd, point guard Jalen Brunson came to the defense of Thibodeau, stating that the team’s recent struggles were not the result of the coaching staff but, rather, it’s a result of the players not executing.
“I think coach (Thibodeau) has done a great job,” Brunson said. “He’s been able to put us in positions where we need to succeed and I think he knows where to put those puzzle pieces.
“It’s on us to actually execute and do things. I know he’s going to get a lot of the blame… but it’s on us. I mean we’re the players out there not battling and his job is to put us in positions which he’s done.”
“I know he’s going to get a lot of the blame. It’s on us. We’re the players out there battling. His job is to put us in positions, which he’s done”
– Jalen Brunson on Tom Thibodeau
Despite the Knicks’ struggles this season, Brunson has proven to be a true star in his first year donning the blue and orange threads, as he finds himself posting impressive averages of 21.0 points, 6.3 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and a steal on 48.3% shooting from the floor.
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Former COY Candidate Seen as Frontrunner to be Next Knicks Coach