KSR's five best candidates to take the New York Knicks job

The New York Knicks had their best season in 25 years, knocking out the Detroit Pistons and defending champion Boston Celtics en route to the Eastern Conference Finals, coming up just two wins short of the NBA Finals — somewhere they haven’t been since Bill Clinton was in office. They had two NBA All-Star starters and All-NBA members in Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.

What do you do when you come so close to glory with that entire ECF core signed on for next season and beyond? You fire the head coach, of course. Why wouldn’t you can the guy who led the Knicks to the playoffs in four of five years on the job — especially when you can pay him $30 million guaranteed after signing him to a three-year extension last July? The grass is always greener in the Big Apple, a city spinning in a hamster wheel of mediocrity, always convinced the next guy will be the one to get them over the hump.

This time will be different, I’m sure of it — and it won’t be because of Michael Malone, Mike Budenholzer, Mike Brown, Darvin Ham or any of the other obvious retreads connected to the job. Instead, KSR has gathered the real list of top candidates to take over the Knicks after Tom Thibodeau was fired on Tuesday.

Dan Hurley

He didn’t seriously consider the Kentucky job because he wanted to pursue a three-peat at UConn, then he did seriously consider the Los Angeles Lakers before ultimately turning that down (and the six-year, $70 million offer that came with it). That led to a Round of 32 loss and the Knicks job opening up a few months later — the one he’s always had his eye on as a lifelong fan and Jersey City native. If there was ever a time and opportunity to prove himself as the ‘best coach in the ****ing sport,’ it’s now and there, hanging tight in the Northeast as the face of arguably the biggest brand in basketball.

His wife, Andrea, would certainly appreciate staying home — one of the major talking points regarding Hurley’s candidacy last offseason.

The bigger question is whether the Knicks are interested in taking a risk on a college coach while in obvious win-now territory, no matter the two-time championship coach’s credentials.

Coach Cal

Fayetteville was always the move before the move, John Calipari built for the biggest brands and cities, not calling the hogs with The Trough in front of a Wal-Mart slinging Razorback Nuggets. The Hall of Fame coach deserves better than Arkansas, and with Knicks president Leon Rose and Executive Vice President World Wide Wes leading the charge, bringing in a longtime friend in Coach Cal to team up with Karl-Anthony Towns and push toward the franchise’s first championship since 1973 is a no-brainer.

Plus, it gets him away from the SEC and one step closer to his return to Lexington as program ambassador. You know it’s coming eventually.

Rick Pitino

It’s bad timing with Kentucky set to play St. John’s in the CBS Sports Classic this season — the 30th anniversary of the 1996 national championship — but Madison Square Garden is already home, and there is no one more New York than Rick Pitino.

I mean, you don’t even have to photoshop the NYC native coaching from the bench in royal blue and orange. He already led the Knicks to their first division title in two decades the first time around back in 1989 before resigning and making his way to Lexington. Could a return be on the table?

Pitino, now 72, has revived his image and career coaching St. John’s in that same building every home game. The darling of college basketball this past season, maybe he does the same transitioning back to the NBA? It’d be a full-circle move for a fanbase that knows nothing but nostalgia.

Stephen A. Smith

If he’s serious about this presidential run in 2028, becoming the Mayor of New York is a good place to start. There is no louder voice more passionate about the Knicks than the self-proclaimed expert, and if he wants to swing voters, a single championship run would do the trick. Smith called Leon Rose a “coward” for putting out a “weak-ass statement” after pulling the plug on Thibs, but maybe it was a calculated move to grab the franchise’s attention in what could be a very public job interview over the next several days. He gets to share his vision with all of the answers on the biggest platform on television whenever he wants, and now, there is a reward waiting for him if he wants it.

If Doug Gottlieb can do it, why can’t Stephen A?

Timothée Chalamet

I get it, maybe the white-knuckle coaching approach isn’t working for the Knickerbockers. Why get a screamer to replace a screamer? All four of the previous candidates could simply be more of the same. If the franchise wants a real change of pace, they’d get a young up-and-comer who gets it. He’s had the best seat in the house all year long, watching this core develop and come together up close — arguably closer than anyone, even Thibs. Surely he’s learned a thing or two along the way. And as one of the biggest rising superstars in the entertainment industry, he knows what it means to be a superstar in New York. At just 29, he’ll be able to relate to his players in ways no other coach could.

I’ll see your Bill Belichick and Jordon Hudson and raise you Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner.

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Best of luck, Knicks. You’re going to need it.