Knicks Suggested to Hire Head Coach ‘Responsible For Building’ Warriors

Knicks Suggested to Hire Head Coach ‘Responsible For Building’ Warriors originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau was fired after five seasons with the organization, fresh off leading the club to its first Eastern Conference Finals in 25 seasons.

This leaves pressure on the front office to make a home run of a hire. Instead of giving Thibodeau another season with this squad, to see if he could take them further, they decided they need someone they are confident can take them to the promised land.

Jason Kidd, Ime Udoka and Chris Finch -- all three active coaches -- have been linked to the vacancy early in the process.

They've all got conference finals experience, with Udoka and Kidd both coaching in the NBA Finals in the past few years.

Stephen A. Smith, ESPN pundit and known Knicks superfan, had a clear head coaching suggestion for New York. He wants the team to consider hiring Mark Jackson, a former head coach of the Golden State Warriors.

"I'm gonna always mention the name Mark Jackson...this man was responsible for building Golden State before Steve Kerr was brought in and took over and piggybacked off of that," Smith explained.

"I'm gonna always mention the name Mark Jackson...this man was responsible for building Golden State before Steve Kerr was brought in and took over and piggybacked off of that." - Stephen A. Smith on Knicks coaching search pic.twitter.com/XMo6306z77— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 9, 2025

The logic is interesting here. Did Jackson do a solid job with the Warriors before the dynasty? Absolutely. He won 23 games in year one before winning 51 games in year three.

In the final two years of his three-year stint, he coached in the playoffs, with a total record of 9-10 in postseason play.

However, there was a reason Steve Kerr was brought in to architect the dynasty years. He found success in the playoffs.

Of course, Jackson was early to the party, and Kerr struck at the right time -- as Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were entering their prime years.

The New York native being linked to the Knicks makes sense. He's got limited coaching experience, though. While he is attached to the Warriors' dynasty, New York might opt to aim for a bench boss with more experience -- particularly deep in the playoffs.

Led by Jalen Brunson, the Knicks' title window is seemingly open. New York needs to strike while they can, taking no chances to bolster their ability to raise a banner.

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.