In other news, the Liberty lost their undefeated season but lead the WNBA with a 9-1 record.

The Knicks don’t have a head coach through June 14, 2025.

The Liberty lost their undefeated season to the Indiana Fever on June 14, 2025.

Not the best day in New York City, but look at the bright side: we can only go up!

Charles Barkley

On the Knicks potentially requesting permission to speak with Rick Carlisle:

“I know we got a long way to go, but if Rick [Carlisle] were to win, the only bad thing about it is the Knicks asked for permission to talk to him. Just being serious. I’m not laughing New York.”

Carmelo Anthony

On his preferred backcourt addition for the Knicks:

“I’ve been saying Lonzo in New York for a long time. Now, when JB go out the game, now Lonzo can spoon feed.”

Draymond Green

On the importance of player respect in the Knicks’ coaching hire:

“When I look at the Knicks and I take a step back, I’m like, yo, they have to have someone as the coach that is respected amongst the players that they play, but that’s also respected amongst the players that they have on their team or they’re going to make a big mistake.”

On endorsing Metta Sandiford-Artest for the Knicks’ head coach role:

“So when I look at it, and I’ll be honest with you, when you threw your name in the hat I’m like, I never knew Metta was going to coach. But when I look at their situation they need someone like you.”

On the value of championship experience in coaching:

“When people have never won a championship they don’t understand the value of that thing, which is how important it is that the people that walk past your bench have respect for your bench.”

Metta Sandiford-Artest

On his commitment to coaching without compensation:

“I couldn’t get an interview from my alma mater, but what I did do was coaching. I wasn’t just sitting home waiting. I was coaching and you’re talking about 6:00 AM practices. So what time am I up everyday? At 5:00 AM. That’s way harder… to not get paid as a volunteer coach, taking the job serious. And we don’t have a budget at Division Two basketball. We got to go on Southwest, I’m on Southwest, we driving vans and we get it out. This is for six years, this is what people don’t realize.”

Rick Pitino

On advocating for Mark Jackson as Knicks head coach:

“I obviously coached our rookie of the year, Mark Jackson. I believe he spent 18 years in the NBA as a player. Great coach with the Warriors and one of the brightest minds I’ve coached. Would love to see the Knicks bring Mark Jackson home!!”

Mark Jackson

On Rick Pitino’s endorsement and his admiration for him:

“He’s a legend. I love him to death. I’m not in the league 17 years playing if he’s not my first coach. I’m forever grateful, and he’s Coach to me. He’s a brilliant basketball mind. He’s turned over St. John’s University and turned back the hand of time to bring them back to their glory days. It’s great to watch. It’s fun to watch. He’s one of the greatest coaches in the history of sports, not just basketball. And on top of that, he’s got great taste by that statement.”

J.B. Bickerstaff

On the Knicks firing Tom Thibodeau and the treatment of coaches:

“I don’t want to call it the cherry on top, but it’s the final straw, I think, of what has happened this season and the level of respect that we feel coaches deserve versus what they are getting. Some of the decisions made down the stretch with firing coaches, it just shows that there are some places that don’t value what coaching is and what it can bring. When you are a coach, you feel like there is a job that you have been told to do. And when you go out and do that job well, you should carry it over to the next year. If you have had past successes, that should envision future successes. You can’t guess what the future is going to look like with somebody new.”

On the difficulty of coaching and seeing successful coaches dismissed:

“That’s the difficult part from a coach’s standing. We understand it and we know the job we signed up for is a dangerous job. But, from a coach’s standpoint, it is our responsibility to be honest and tell the truth. Our job is extremely difficult. To win in the NBA is extremely difficult. To build teams in the NBA is extremely difficult. To lead guys, who have the superstar power in the NBA, is extremely difficult. So when a guy does a great job at it, from the outside looking in, we want to see that guy get rewarded. And it seems to be cases now where guys that do a great job aren’t even being rewarded with a next year.”

Brian Windhorst

On the Mavericks’ refusal to let Knicks interview Jason Kidd for the head coach position:

“I think the most important thing here is the message that the Mavericks sent out here was not that his was a ‘Nah.’ This was a ‘No.’ They are not interested in further negotiations at all – ‘Don’t even call back’ is the message they wanted out there.”

Kendrick Perkins

On the Knicks’ head coaching search process:

“A disaster! Malpractice at its finest.”

On the front office’s lack of a plan after firing Thibodeau:

“They should’ve had a plan. They didn’t. We’re sitting up here watching the Knicks search around the NBA and try to [get interviews] with other [team’s] coaches. What type of stuff is that? They took five steps forward—then ten steps backwards with this move.”

On Michael Malone as a strong coaching candidate:

“There’s no other coach out there, in my opinion, besides Michael Malone that’s available that could step in and fulfill this role, what they’re trying to do, and that’s ultimately bring a championship back to New York.”

Shams Charania

On Kevin Durant’s preferred trade destinations:

“The Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets are 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant’s preferred trade destinations out of Phoenix, sources tell ESPN. Those across the NBA have been made aware in recent days that those are the three teams that Durant would commit to long-term.”