The New York Knicks’ head coaching search has faced a ton of criticism for how the process has shaped up. In the days after they fired Tom Thibodeau, they checked in with several teams about their head coaches, but were swiftly denied by each team.
The Knicks’ head coaching search should be approached cautiously
Now, they have four candidates who have interviewed with the organization, but the process has still been criticized heavily. The common gripe with fans and the media is that it looks like the Knicks do not have a plan for who their next head coach will be.
In reality, this is their plan. Checking in with other teams about their head coaches is simply conducting due diligence. New York is the only team with a head coaching vacancy right now, so they are not competing with other teams for certain candidates.
Furthermore, they are going about the process correctly. After they gained their intel on the other teams’ situations, they pivoted to the coaches who were certainly available, which is a smart strategy to ensure that they get the best available guy they want to lead the team.
The Knicks should take their time with hiring a new head coach
There is also no set timeline for when the Knicks need to have a head coach. The offseason has just begun, and they have an entire summer to weigh out all of their options and make a proper decision for a team that is trying to win a championship next season.
For comparison purposes, the Los Angeles Lakers searched for a new head coach last year for approximately six weeks before they landed on JJ Redick. It has been just over three weeks since the Knicks began their search shortly after firing Thibodeau.
New York doesn’t need to rush their decision, and it shouldn’t. The team is coming off its best season in 25 years, so they must be confident that they are making the right decision given the significance of a head coaching change.
The Knicks will likely have a head coach in place in the coming weeks, but regardless of how long it takes to hire one, the process is being overly criticized.
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