FanNation - The Republic of Sport

4/30/08

There's being a head coach or manager, and then there's being a head coach or manager in New York City.

The pressure is greater, the spotlight is brighter, and the expectations are higher.

When it comes to the New York Knicks, there have been the great (Red Holzman), the good (Pat Riley,Jeff Van Gundy), the mistakes (Lenny Wilkins, Larry Brown, Rick Pitino) and the worst of the worst (Isiah Thomas).

For a franchise as storied as the Knicks, who, historically, are among the elite in the NBA, are at a crossroads like never before.

The last decade has been forgettable, while the Isiah Thomas era has allowed the team to reach rock-bottom status.

The Knicks, now under the leadership of Donnie Walsh, have taken the first step towards recvory with the removal of Thomas (although for the time being he curiously remains on the Knicks payroll) in any decision making capacity.

Although the roster is desperately in need of more reconstructive surgery than Joan Rivers, finding a head coach to lead them back into relevence could be the very move which defines Walsh's reign as President of basketball operations.

The following is a list of potential replacements for Zeke, their pro's and con's, along with the odd's I believe they have of landing the job.

The Pretenders 

Patrick Ewing

    The Knicks legend (and in my opinion, greatest player in franchise history) seems to have the makings for a feel good story, coming home to New York to coach the team he nearly led to a championship back in 1994.  While his relationship with the fans was luke-warm at best as a player, his post-playing career saw his returns to the Garden filled with nothing but love.  Unfortunately, aside from not formally being asked to interview, Ewing seems to be more suited for an assistant coaching role, and whoever is named head coach would be crazy not to give big Pat a call to work the poor excuses for big men the Knicks have.

Odds: 100-1 

Herb Williams

    Herb has actually held the clipboard before for the franchise he has stayed loyal to during these dismal years, and his name often comes up as an eventual successor (to both Wilkins and Brown) however while his name is once again being thrown around as a potential head coach, he remains a longshot.  He has always receieved high praise from those around him, and Walsh loves him (Williams played for some of the Walsh led Pacers teams), but the only seat on the Knicks bench in his future will be the one next to the head coach.

Odds: 50-1 

Paul Silas 

    Silas has coached in the NBA with San Diego Clippers (early 80's), and more recently the Hornets and Cavs (he was Lebron James' first professional head coach in Cleveland).  A career winning percentage of only .470, he has asked to have his name thrown into the hat for consideration.  Knicks fan probably are looking for a bigger name with a stronger resume, however Silas is well respected and works well with younger players.  Unfortunately for him, the Knicks job is probably out of reach for him, although he would bring professionalism and class to a position which has seen neither during the last two seasons.  

Odds: 40-1 

The Contenders

Mark Jackson

    Jax has been the name atop most everyone's list as the right man for the job.  He has been publicly endorsed by the likes of Jeff Van Gundy and Larry Bird, and has no bigger fan than Walsh.  Jackson is a high IQ guy with a great rapport with players, unfortunately was he brings to the table in personality and smarts, he fails to produce with exeprience.  A former first round pick by New York, along with being a local product (St. Johns grad), Jackson seems to have a lot going for him despite the fact he's never held a coaching position.  Experts believe handing him the keys would bring a fresh face with little pressure, while re-igniting the fan base by bringing back some of the teams brighter past.  

Odds: 3-1 

Tom Thibodeau

    A former Knicks assistant, Thibodeau is a defensive specialist who deserves a ton of credit for the revival of the Boston Celtics, as they ranked among the top teams in the NBA in a number of defensive categories.  He's never been a head coach, however while working with the Knicks and Rockets (along with Boston), his teams have always been elite defensively.  Like Silas, he has expressed a great deal of interest in the Knicks vacancy, and will certainly deserves a long look from Walsh.  Working against him, aside from his head coaching inexperience, is the fact the Celtics are expected to playing post season basketball a while longer, so the urgency in which Walsh shows in hiring a new coach may work against him.

Odds: 10-1 

Rick Carlisle

    Success in Detroit got him on the map, and an eventful run in Indiana ended last season, leaving Rick Carlisle among one of the more intriguing names on the Knicks radar.  The Indiana connection is there for Walsh, but Carlisle is no stranger to dealing with adversity after having a front row seat when his Pacers were involved in the infamous Malace at the Palace brawl a few years back.  Carlisle can coach, but might be too easy going a personality to command the respect of a Knicks locker room that quite frankly, needs a good kick in the rear more often than not.  A sleeper choice to fill the void.

Odds: 15-1    

Mike D'Antoni

    He might not even be on the market, but should Suns GM Steve Kerr send D'Antoni packing, expect Walsh to be among his suitors.  Running his fast paced offense without Steve Nash would be interesting to see in New York, and he isn't known for his defensive practices, something the Knicks need more coaching in than any other aspect of their game.  He has been a successful coach in Pheonix, however despite rosters filled with talent, he was never ever to bring those Suns teams to a Finals.  If available, expect him to be high up on the list.

Odds (if available): 7:1 

Avery Johnson

    Mark Cuban's trash could very well become Donnie Walsh's treasure.  In NBA history, no coach with a minimum of 250 games coached has a higher winning percentage than Avery Johnson.  Two seasons ago, he took Dallas to the Finals and after going up 2-0, appeared on his way to winning a ring before Dwyane Wade went off and rolled off 4 straight Miami wins.  Johnson brought defensive toughness to an already talented offensive squad, and his regular season success is unquestioned.  However, his Mavericks team was upset by the 8th seeded Warriors a year ago, and his season his team was badly outplayed by a younger, hungrier Hornets team, leading to his firing.  Nevertheless, if it was up to me, this is the guy Donnie Walsh needs to hire, because he is young, established, respected and has both the personality and toughness to succeed in New York.  

Odds: 5:1

    If i was putting money on it, I would say Mark Jackson probably remains the favorite, but the big splash could come with the hiring of Avery Johnson, who could erase the last memory Knicks fans have of him draining a baseline jumper in game 5 of the 1999 Finals to lock up the Spurs first championship.   For the Knicks to take their first steps towards sniffing a championship of the own, in my opinion, Avery Johnson is the way to go.