Insider Names Two Standout Candidates in Knicks' Coach Search

After a deluge of denials, the New York Knicks may be ready to get down to business in their ongoing search for a head coach.

Amidst the Knicks' attempts to interview some of the actively employed, insider Stefan Bondy of the New York Post placed the names of Mike Brown and Taylor Jenkins in a "top contender" tier.

Both Brown and Jenkins were recently relieved of duty by Western Conference contenders in Sacramento and Memphis respectively — meaning, of course, the Knicks need no special permission to interview them for the vacancy that the ousted Tom Thibodeau left behind.

Like Thibodeau, Brown is a recent Coach of the Year honoree whose title failed to keep him employed. In recent memory, Brown is best-known for standing at the helm of the Sacramento Kings at the end of the their 17-year postseason drought. He has two Coach of the Year awards (earning his first with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2009) and has won four NBA titles as an assistant coach, the most recent three coming with the Golden State Warriors.

"He’s guided all the recent greats as either a head coach or an assistant, including Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant," Bondy notes. "That’s quite a wealth of superstar experience. Still, Brown, 55, would be a retread after he lost four previous head coaching gigs. He also hasn’t won a playoff series as a head coach since 2012. The hire would be hard to sell as an upgrade from Thibodeau." 

Next to Brown is the 40-year-old Jenkins, whose in-season ousting from the Memphis Grizzlies stood as one of the most shocking developments of this past season. Bondy notes a similar lack of postseason success but that his progress with younger players and familiar connections could play a factor if he were to enter the metropolitan coaching sweepstakes.

"He’s young with upside and a proven ability to elevate the production from young players," Brondy said of Jenkins. "He’s also represented by CAA and the same agent as Tom Thibodeau." 

Knicks fans, as well as the basketball world as a whole, may have already grown weary of the search for Thibodeau's sucessor ... but Bondy hinted that observers may have to be prepared for the long haul.

"The Knicks aren’t in a rush," Bondy noted, indicating that the team would be "comfortable" going without a coach until Summer League play opens on July 10. "The recent strikeouts involving coaches under contract were part of the process of starting with the top of the list, according to multiple sources."