R-E-L-A-X

A gentle PSA for Knicks Fans… there is no need to panic.

You stay in this business long enough, especially in this market, and you become sorta immune to hot takes and overreactions from a ginned-up fanbase. You can see it coming a mile away. Yet, I must admit that I've been surprised by the outlandish reactions to the Knicks' current coaching search.

Some folks are apoplectic that team president Leon Rose has not yet named a successor to Tom Thibodeau, who was let go last week. ESPN talking heads have been up in arms. Fans are fuming on social media. Just yesterday, one WFAN host seriously (I think?) argued that the Knicks should apologize to Thibodeau and offer him his job back. A couple of hours later, a different host at the same station declared (without providing any evidence) that James Dolan was clearly calling the shots and stated unequivocally, "No one can possibly debate that right now the Knicks have no plan."

These are just two egregious examples of the type of discourse currently taking place. The common theme among the malcontents is that the Knicks are now a circus, and Rose is inept because he didn't immediately hire a new coach after firing Thibs.

Had there been a sure-fire replacement waiting in the wings, Rose would likely have pulled the trigger already. However, the reality is that there is no such "no-brainer" choice available. There are several qualified candidates, and the Knicks are taking their time and doing their due diligence to make the most informed decision possible.

I am so confused as to why this is shocking some and angering others. Rose has spent a career making prudent determinations. One of the reasons he has risen to the top of two incredibly challenging, cut-throat professions is that he takes his time and doesn't rush into important decisions haphazardly.

For the "Knicks had no plan!! Everything is ruined!" crowd currently freaking out, allow me to posit my guess regarding Leon's uncomplicated, two-step strategy:

1. Part ways with a head coach whom the front office (after meeting with players who voiced complaints) determined that Thibodeau (due to his rigid inflexibility) was unlikely to maximize the team's potential and lead them to a title.

2. Cast a wide net in a comprehensive search for a new head coach who would hopefully be capable of leading the team to a title.

Was it a risk firing Thibs, a proven coach with a track record of success? Absolutely.

Would it have also been a risk to keep Thibs and hope he'd willingly change some core tenets of his philosophy? Absolutely.

For those folks who want to argue that parting ways with Thibodeau was a mistake, I respect that opinion. I disagree (as I outlined in-depth here), but I acknowledge that a defensible and logical counter argument can be made.

What I can't understand is those folks claiming that Rose is lost, the organization is now rudderless, and the team president has no plan simply because a new head coach has yet to be named.

Rose and the franchise are being ridiculed because they have requested permission to speak to several coaches employed by other clubs. Are the optics of these rejections unfavorable? I suppose, but why should that prevent Rose from attempting to uncover every stone? What's the harm in asking?

Six months ago, we would have all laughed if it were reported that New York or any other team had called the Mavs and asked if they were interested in trading Luka Doncic. We later learned that the Mavs were shockingly ready and willing to part ways with the 25-year-old superstar.

Again, Rose won't know all the different options available if he doesn't pick up the phone. Sometimes, the best dishes are off-menu.

Some pundits and fans seem to assume Jason Kidd, Ime Udoka, and Chris Finch were the Knicks' first options and/or preferred choices. However, these are simply the first names being publicly reported (because other teams are involved). That does NOT mean any of them are the actual first choice or preferred option. This is an important distinction.

The current quagmire is an instance where Rose moving in silence results in a lot of speculation and criticism due to the "optics." Fortunately for Knicks fans, New York's President of Basketball Operations has always been far more concerned with results than optics.

Which is why Rose is in no rush. He will take his time and hire the person he has the most faith in, without any outside pressure to adhere to an imaginary deadline.

Which is how shrewd, successful organizations operate.

In fact, it's how Rose and company handled their previous head-coaching search.

Here's a list of men the Knicks interviewed and considered before hiring Tom Thibodeau in the summer of 2020:
Former Nets coach Kenny Atkinson
Former Knicks coach Mike Woodson
Sixers assistant Ime Udoka
Magic assistant Pat Delany
Bulls assistant Chris Fleming
Spurs assistant Will Hardy
Mavs assistant Jamahl Mosley
Warriors associate head coach Mike Brown
Lakers assistant Jason Kidd
Knicks interim HC Mike Miller

And these are just the names that were made public. Additional coaches were likely considered internally, but their names were never disclosed. The entire process lasted nearly two months.

Thibs was probably the favorite all along due to his relationship with Rose, but that didn't stop the New York front office from (wisely) sitting down with as many brilliant basketball minds as possible and picking their brains all summer.

The benefit of this process is that it allowed them to gain a better understanding and develop a relationship with individuals like Kidd and Mike Brown. That may pay dividends and bear fruit this summer (five years later).

It's the same reason the best front offices in every sport meet with as many free agents as possible each offseason. And it's why executives and coaches sit down with as many prospects as the league allows before each draft. The idea is you get in front of and break bread with as many people as possible.

Conducting a wide-ranging search is not proof that the Knicks do NOT have a plan—quite the contrary.

Conducting a competent search and turning over every stone IS the plan.

Which is why I don't get the uproar over Rose's approach.

There are talking heads who want me to believe that:

Leon Rose, a man who has spent his life in/around the NBA, first as one the league's most successful agents and then as a team president (who, against all odds, completely resuscitated a moribund franchise) - fired his friend and former client and his sole plan was to hire another team's head coach? And that if Kidd, Udoka, etc., were no longer an option, he had no idea what he was going to do next!?

The odds that another team lets a great coach walk out the door are slim to none. Rose (a man who runs an NBA team and served as an agent for countless top-tier coaches) understands that better than maybe anyone on the planet.

But Rose risked his reputation and said, "Ah f*ck it, I'm sure it will all work out."

This man now has no plan at all because the Mavs and Rockets said no, as expected.

That's what I'm supposed to believe?

Another unsubstantiated rumor circulating this week is that Dolan is pulling the strings behind the scenes. Well, first and foremost, if Dolan is, in fact, calling the shots, then all bets are off. However, I see no reliable evidence to support that scenario.

That conspiracy theory relies on Rose deciding not to immediately tender his resignation after his boss forced him to fire his friend. Keep in mind that Rose could quit today and reclaim his spot as a top basketball agent tomorrow. Or he could choose to sip frozen margaritas on a beach somewhere and count his millions.

Of course, it shouldn't be surprising that the hot takes are flying. "Knicks For Clicks" is a proven method for generating views and attention.

I feel confident proclaiming that some of the same individuals knocking the Knicks for not immediately hiring a coach after firing Thibs would have knocked the Knicks if they had hired a coach immediately after firing Thibs.

Can't you see it now: "Why didn't Leon do his due diligence!? He's not even gonna interview several different candidates!? OMG, That's a dereliction of duty!"

And if the Knicks had interviewed, let alone agreed to hire, another head coach while Thibs was still under contract… oh boy, Rose would have been called disloyal, unprofessional, and much, much worse.

Again, firing Thibs was the first necessary step. Then, the search began.

Yes, it was the correct initial step, even if there wasn't another slam-dunk head coach ready to take the helm. For those who contend the Knicks should have only parted ways with Thibs if they had a sure-fire successor lined up, I disagree.

If Thibodeau is your guy and you're committed to him, then stick with him. If the front office (who have more insight into his relationship with players than anyone) comes to a consensus decision that Thibs is not the man moving forward, part ways immediately. Don't drag this out. Entering a season with a coach on uncertain footing, who lacks full buy-in from players and the front office, is a recipe for disaster.

So, take a deep breath, Knicks fans. Remain patient. There will be plenty of updates over the weeks ahead (Sam Amick of The Athletic reported today that the Knicks have "increased focus" on Mike Brown and Taylor Jenkins).

There is obviously no guarantee that Rose will find the perfect candidate, but he and this front office have earned the benefit of the doubt.