One Obvious Candidate For Knicks to Replace Tom Thibodeau

The New York Knicks are the only team in the league looking for a head coach after firing Tom Thibodeau earlier this week.

The Knicks hope to fill the vacancy soon, and there's a familiar face that the team should look at.

ESPN analyst Zach Kram believes the team should hire former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, who won the NBA Finals just two years ago.

"The most obvious candidate is Michael Malone, who led the Denver Nuggets to the 2022-23 title before a surprise firing with three games left in the regular season in April. Over the past eight seasons, Malone's Nuggets led all Western Conference teams with 401 wins -- 28 more than the second-place LA Clippers -- which emphasizes his consistency as a coach. Malone wouldn't be able to rely on Nikola Jokic in New York, but his success working with offensive stars who have defensive question marks would make him a solid fit for the Knicks' roster," Kram wrote.

"It must be said, however, that the demanding Malone has a similar personality to Thibodeau, which could be a point against him if Knicks management wants to go in a new direction. If not Malone, Mike Budenholzer and Frank Vogel have also won titles this decade, and their inability to wrangle the messy Phoenix Suns shouldn't be held against them."

Malone certainly has the experience of winning a championship, and that should help his candidacy if he is interested in the job.

Though he has a lot of similarities to that of Thibodeau, it's hard to deny his championship pedigree and that he wouldn't be an asset for the Knicks.

The only thing that may hurt him is his similar philosophy with Thibodeau because the firing could be a sign that the Knicks want to go in a completely different direction.