I’m not quite sure who our next coach will be. Still holding out hope for J Kidd or Bryant. Mike Brown was coach of the year twice as well. Jenkins might be a great choice too. I do have faith in the FO to make this hire and will root for whomever the choice is. Don’t care about all the Knicks for clicks stuff that’s out there. That’s why I stick with KFS and KFTV for my credible content!!!
With the Donovan extension, I wonder to what degree Rose's not-very-subtle permission requests are a way to do fellow agents a solid. Helping to create a market for an agent's coach is how you get them to owe you one down the line. Rose obviously wants to chat with these coaches. I just mean that this front office--love it or hate it--is undeniably expert at keeping things quiet when it wants.
Agree with you! Lol Leon Rose with clever maneuvering and starting a new way to recruit a head coach, despite team Fo denials. Perhaps those head coaches will start conversations with their agents and demand their way out of their contracts etc. No Knicks FO tampering! Let those head coaches be the ones to make the next move if they want to coach the Knicks 🔥
From my point of view, Jenkins offers the adaptability and fresh thinking the Knicks need to move beyond Thibs' limitations, but his recent failure to manage a star player (Morant) and poor playoff track record create serious questions about whether he can handle the pressure of maximizing a championship window with Brunson and Towns, with 93% of the salary allocated to top 6 and the scant 7% to the bench.
The fit depends on whether Jenkins’ development skills outweigh his late-season collapse in Memphis and whether the Knicks believe he can evolve the offensive system that Thibs couldn’t.
To me these are the top three questions to determine if Jenkins is a calculated gamble or not to improve roster fit (young developer vs. veteran maximizer), manage blame (was Memphis failure his fault?), and mitigate risk (upside vs. proven commodity in a win-now situation):
1. Can Jenkins handle the roster construction mismatch? The Knicks have a top-heavy, veteran-laden team built for win-now mode, while Jenkins’ track record is developing young talent with limited resources. Is this a fundamental mismatch, or does his adaptability translate to maximizing established stars?
2. What’s the real reason Memphis imploded - coaching or organizational dysfunction? If the Grizzlies front office forced Jenkins to integrate conflicting offensive systems and replaced his entire staff, was his “losing the locker room” actually a setup for failure? This distinction IMHO is crucial for evaluating his candidacy.
3. Does Jenkins’ ceiling justify the risk over safer options like Mike Brown? Brown has two Coach of the Year awards, championship experience with Golden State, and proven big-market success. Jenkins offers upside but comes with significant question marks. With Brunson and Towns’ championship window potentially limited, can the Knicks afford a developmental hire?
I have a feeling Rose is going to go with Jenkins over Brown because this may be the best shot in breaking through to the finals. He'll hire Jenkins with a prove-it mentality. If Jenkins can unlock our offense and manage our stars, we have our championship coach. If not, we’ll know by midseason and can adjust. Jenkins gives us what Thibs couldn’t - offensive innovation and adaptability. His Wharton background means he’ll use analytics to solve our predictability problem. Memphis consistently overachieved with less talent than we have. Most importantly, he won’t repeat Tom’s mistakes with rotations and bench development. Their front office sabotaged him. If Jenkins can’t connect with JB and KAT by Christmas, Knicks have to pivot. No long-term commitment until he proves he can handle veteran stars, not just develop young guys. Brown is the safe choice that gets us back to the conference finals. Jenkins is the swing-for-the-fences hire that could get us a championship. Safe isn’t good enough anymore.
what playoff series did thibs lose that he should have won? i fee like being favored in the pacers series was a stretch.. pacers just beat the cavs and were the second best team in the LEAGUE from Jan 1st on.. and they're putting the wood to the Thunder.
TJ discussing Ja’s second incident. I think he can handle the NY media. The beat writers are not a bunch of bastards. It’s a different environment than 10 years ago
The only thing I ask of the next coach is to care as much about the opinions of Knicks Twitter as the last coach did. Of all the things I adored about Tom Thibodeau, his "I don't even know who you are" treatment of those voices easily topped the list.
Seems like Coaching choices are all serving slightly different goals -
Brown - safest choice, no sizzle but fine - we know his trajectory, seen him lose teams and win w talent
Jenkins - untapped potential w solid base - riskier than Brown but clearly has shown openness to FO mandates - lost team in the process tho so he’ll tread carefully and may push back
Donovan & Kidd - these feel personal and not likely … Donovan hasn’t won since Florida, but his coaching tree is growing (Daignault, etc) so …
Asst Coaches - lots of sizzle (Bryant) but if meals served matters like McDonalds, there isn’t a burger in the batch yet. Will Dolan et al reach that far and leave that long a leash? Fuck no. But if they do, it’ll be either Bryant or someone like Grant Gibbs (the ‘Daignault in training’ in OKC)
I have two main issues with Jenkins and both have to do with his ability to manage players. The Griz traded Dillon Brooks in part because they could not get him to tone down his antics. He is a major contributor in Houston.
He has been unable to rein in Ja. We don’t have any psychos (though we could benefit from a little more edge). So maybe not a huge issue but the inability to reach two key starters is a major negative in my book.
That being said, to the extent that Ja and JJ have some similarity to Jalen and Kat at least on offense, it would be interesting to me to hear if they enhanced each other as Kat and Jalen seem not to do.
An issue that was somewhat similar with Butler in Minnesota. Still, it sounds some alarms for me that he could not rein in two of his best. And that the folks in Memphis thought it necessary to change his staff and ultimately to can him.
I can’t say I followed Memphis much but they have also had a gruesome injury history. Hard to blame most of those injuries on the coach unless the coach is Thibs, but I digress.
I'd have to imagine going from Ja's off the court stuff to working with Jalen Brunson would probably be appealing to Jenkins.
I haven't watched much Memphis basketball, so I don't have a strong opinion on Jenkins one way or another, but I always felt he was a very good coach and I wouldn't mind if we hired him. He seems open to being flexible with lineups, which is a plus.
Hopefully it would go better than the last time we hired a former Grizzlies coach ... at least Jenkins won't be working with a rudderless roster ;)
It's impossible to judge much about the Grizzlies from last season because Jenkins was no longer the guy calling the shots, at least where the offense was concerned. The dude did have a top 4 offense a few years ago though.
This was a very helpful overview of Jenkins' tenure in Memphis. The best part? You can feel Jon's hope bubbling up throughout it.
I agree that it would seem riskier to hire Jenkins over Brown, but I'd be excited. He's young, has established himself as a legit NBA coach and seems like a guy who has a ton to offer. (FWIW, he's also CAA - unlike Brown. Don't know how much that matters at this stage, but the FO should have plenty of intel on him at the very least.)
I still think they go for Brown (or Kidd, if an extension isn't worked out soon), but Jenkins is my vote. Would be fun if they got this done this week!
I think Jenkins is a good coach. I think Brown is a good coach. I think Kidd is a good coach. I think Vogel and Stotts are good coaches. Hiring a good coach won't be a problem. I'm still not sure there's any coach I trust to get what they need to get out of this core.
To me, that concern would be 100 percent valid if we’d lost to the Pistons. In the end, we were two wins shy of the Finals and while every run requires some luck/things breaking right, I also think making it as far as we did suggests we're pretty close.
It will take additional tinkering - and maybe even a big move - but this team is not over with. In my view, a new coach/voice could help things take another step forward.
I feel good about Jenkins. I’m a little concerned that he’s an ivy league guy who never even played college ball. That said, he did hire assistants who played in the league. Thanks Jon, for reminding us of his assistants being fired. I hate when teams do that. It’s such bullshit. SO glad the Knicks didn’t try that with Thibs, though some were advocating for something like that.
Jenkins is an intriguing candidate & if it boils down to Jenkins vs Brown, he'd be my choice as long as he brings in a strong offensive assistant coach.. When your best player is a head case & you go from game to game hoping he'll stay out of trouble, it's not a recipe for success! Yet, Jenkins managed to keep the Grizzlies in the playoff hunt most years. The major question about him seems to be his offense & is why Griz management brought in LaRoche to run it. As Jon points out though, when management fires 5 assistants & forces you to take on others, he was set up for failure last off season, as the players can see management has lost faith in his coaching theories. Now if his addition can help swing a deal with Memphis for JJJr (supposedly, they've loved Bridges forever!), all the more reason to bring him aboard. I'm not as big a Brown supporter, as for some reason, he gives me Fizdale vibes & I certainly wouldn't want to live through Fizdale #2! I still believe Johnnie Bryant, backed with a strong veteran assistant coach would be the best move, but it seems that ship has sailed. Should be an interesting week! LGK!
Agree on Brown. I think he’s very popular with owners and pundits but I don’t like the way he was fired midseason . It’s like shit went south very quickly and he had to be jettisoned.
I believe that on the "manager" vs "scheme lord" (false) dichotomy, the team needs the next coach to be 70% new management style and 30% tactical innovation. Obviously, any new coach must put something in both columns. I'm talking about what an overall change in emphasis should look like.
Tactically, NY is always gonna run a good bit of iso with JB because "duh." A successful coach--no matter who--is likely to bring more PnR versatility (actual "picks" from a non-Mitch player would be a refreshing change) that includes more weak side movement. It's less likely they will try to have this core play peak Warriors ball. A successful coach, in terms of "management style," will likely do some re-thinking of roles and roster--who plays under what circumstances and for how long-- particularly for players 5-10, whoever they may be.
I don't have a real dog in the Brown vs Jenkins choice, if they even end up as THE top candidates. But if you, like me, are looking for new management, Brown is the choice. He's managed VERY different cores and never poorly. Fitting roles to roster seems like what he really brings to the table. None of that means I think Jenkins is incapable, or even some slouch. My suspicion is that he is probably more intriguing if you think the next coach should be 70% tactical innovation/30% new management style, though I don't think Brown is any slouch there.
Thanks for the informative article. I would think that this Wharton grad probably did some serious introspection after his firing, and I would not be surprised if he comes back stronger and a better HC for the experience. He also has battle scars from dealing with very difficult personalities (his father). I also remember him constantly throwing different fresh bodies at the Knicks in our two games against them. I recall thinking that it must be hard for these guys to get into any kind of rhythm with the revolving door. Kind of like the anti-Thibs. Brown comes off like a player’s coach/diplomat, kind of like Woody, and I wonder if the team would treat him like a substitute teacher.
I think Jenkins is a early favorite of mine. I get the risk considering the specter of the questionable locker room stuff. At this point I'd. With this roster we are in with a penny. In with a pound. We let go a really good coach. If the FO's hunch turns out to be correct and that the roster is "championship material" than a young coach who has a history of building up a young team into a two way powerhouse and doing the things that Thibs got criticized by the fans and media for not doing. Than why not?? What is the worst thing that can happen? They dont get out of the second round? I'll take that chance.
Would be very happy if the Knicks end this coaching search with one of Kidd/Brown/Jenkins. Jenkins of the Free Agent coaches is the one I would want to hire, he seems like he checks the boxes this org is watching. With the Bane trade it does seem we are going to see some crazy movement right when season ends..i would think the Eastern Conf teams will be very aggressive with how open it is. Hopefully Leon is ready for what will be a wild offseason. Get me JJJ! Please.
I am sure there was a better way to do this but the article talks about the extent to which ja and J2J did, or did not enhance each other. Also highlighted jjs playoff struggles. I was unaware.
I’m not quite sure who our next coach will be. Still holding out hope for J Kidd or Bryant. Mike Brown was coach of the year twice as well. Jenkins might be a great choice too. I do have faith in the FO to make this hire and will root for whomever the choice is. Don’t care about all the Knicks for clicks stuff that’s out there. That’s why I stick with KFS and KFTV for my credible content!!!
Let’s go Knicks 🏀
Appreciate you sticking with us Leslie!
With the Donovan extension, I wonder to what degree Rose's not-very-subtle permission requests are a way to do fellow agents a solid. Helping to create a market for an agent's coach is how you get them to owe you one down the line. Rose obviously wants to chat with these coaches. I just mean that this front office--love it or hate it--is undeniably expert at keeping things quiet when it wants.
Agree with you! Lol Leon Rose with clever maneuvering and starting a new way to recruit a head coach, despite team Fo denials. Perhaps those head coaches will start conversations with their agents and demand their way out of their contracts etc. No Knicks FO tampering! Let those head coaches be the ones to make the next move if they want to coach the Knicks 🔥
From my point of view, Jenkins offers the adaptability and fresh thinking the Knicks need to move beyond Thibs' limitations, but his recent failure to manage a star player (Morant) and poor playoff track record create serious questions about whether he can handle the pressure of maximizing a championship window with Brunson and Towns, with 93% of the salary allocated to top 6 and the scant 7% to the bench.
The fit depends on whether Jenkins’ development skills outweigh his late-season collapse in Memphis and whether the Knicks believe he can evolve the offensive system that Thibs couldn’t.
To me these are the top three questions to determine if Jenkins is a calculated gamble or not to improve roster fit (young developer vs. veteran maximizer), manage blame (was Memphis failure his fault?), and mitigate risk (upside vs. proven commodity in a win-now situation):
1. Can Jenkins handle the roster construction mismatch? The Knicks have a top-heavy, veteran-laden team built for win-now mode, while Jenkins’ track record is developing young talent with limited resources. Is this a fundamental mismatch, or does his adaptability translate to maximizing established stars?
2. What’s the real reason Memphis imploded - coaching or organizational dysfunction? If the Grizzlies front office forced Jenkins to integrate conflicting offensive systems and replaced his entire staff, was his “losing the locker room” actually a setup for failure? This distinction IMHO is crucial for evaluating his candidacy.
3. Does Jenkins’ ceiling justify the risk over safer options like Mike Brown? Brown has two Coach of the Year awards, championship experience with Golden State, and proven big-market success. Jenkins offers upside but comes with significant question marks. With Brunson and Towns’ championship window potentially limited, can the Knicks afford a developmental hire?
I have a feeling Rose is going to go with Jenkins over Brown because this may be the best shot in breaking through to the finals. He'll hire Jenkins with a prove-it mentality. If Jenkins can unlock our offense and manage our stars, we have our championship coach. If not, we’ll know by midseason and can adjust. Jenkins gives us what Thibs couldn’t - offensive innovation and adaptability. His Wharton background means he’ll use analytics to solve our predictability problem. Memphis consistently overachieved with less talent than we have. Most importantly, he won’t repeat Tom’s mistakes with rotations and bench development. Their front office sabotaged him. If Jenkins can’t connect with JB and KAT by Christmas, Knicks have to pivot. No long-term commitment until he proves he can handle veteran stars, not just develop young guys. Brown is the safe choice that gets us back to the conference finals. Jenkins is the swing-for-the-fences hire that could get us a championship. Safe isn’t good enough anymore.
I like the way you painted this. I agree Brown offers a little more certainty, but that Jenkins carries a slightly higher upside.
Sums it up.
This may be a controversial take, but IDK if Jenkins has lost a playoff series he should have won.
what playoff series did thibs lose that he should have won? i fee like being favored in the pacers series was a stretch.. pacers just beat the cavs and were the second best team in the LEAGUE from Jan 1st on.. and they're putting the wood to the Thunder.
Hawks for sure, and 2x Pacers
hawks had the same record as us in 2021 (41-31) and went to the ECF afer beatin the Top team (sixers)
disagree on pacers as stated above
True. I'm just going by purely seeding
TJ discussing Ja’s second incident. I think he can handle the NY media. The beat writers are not a bunch of bastards. It’s a different environment than 10 years ago
https://youtu.be/jqI0eMIOsvs?feature=shared
Knicks Fan YouTube:Twitterverse is another story though 🫠
The only thing I ask of the next coach is to care as much about the opinions of Knicks Twitter as the last coach did. Of all the things I adored about Tom Thibodeau, his "I don't even know who you are" treatment of those voices easily topped the list.
Seems like Coaching choices are all serving slightly different goals -
Brown - safest choice, no sizzle but fine - we know his trajectory, seen him lose teams and win w talent
Jenkins - untapped potential w solid base - riskier than Brown but clearly has shown openness to FO mandates - lost team in the process tho so he’ll tread carefully and may push back
Donovan & Kidd - these feel personal and not likely … Donovan hasn’t won since Florida, but his coaching tree is growing (Daignault, etc) so …
Asst Coaches - lots of sizzle (Bryant) but if meals served matters like McDonalds, there isn’t a burger in the batch yet. Will Dolan et al reach that far and leave that long a leash? Fuck no. But if they do, it’ll be either Bryant or someone like Grant Gibbs (the ‘Daignault in training’ in OKC)
I have two main issues with Jenkins and both have to do with his ability to manage players. The Griz traded Dillon Brooks in part because they could not get him to tone down his antics. He is a major contributor in Houston.
He has been unable to rein in Ja. We don’t have any psychos (though we could benefit from a little more edge). So maybe not a huge issue but the inability to reach two key starters is a major negative in my book.
That being said, to the extent that Ja and JJ have some similarity to Jalen and Kat at least on offense, it would be interesting to me to hear if they enhanced each other as Kat and Jalen seem not to do.
I'm not sure there's anyone on the roster who has the issues that Brooks or Ja presents, thankfully.
True. And I suppose Thomas had
An issue that was somewhat similar with Butler in Minnesota. Still, it sounds some alarms for me that he could not rein in two of his best. And that the folks in Memphis thought it necessary to change his staff and ultimately to can him.
I can’t say I followed Memphis much but they have also had a gruesome injury history. Hard to blame most of those injuries on the coach unless the coach is Thibs, but I digress.
I'd have to imagine going from Ja's off the court stuff to working with Jalen Brunson would probably be appealing to Jenkins.
I haven't watched much Memphis basketball, so I don't have a strong opinion on Jenkins one way or another, but I always felt he was a very good coach and I wouldn't mind if we hired him. He seems open to being flexible with lineups, which is a plus.
Hopefully it would go better than the last time we hired a former Grizzlies coach ... at least Jenkins won't be working with a rudderless roster ;)
It's impossible to judge much about the Grizzlies from last season because Jenkins was no longer the guy calling the shots, at least where the offense was concerned. The dude did have a top 4 offense a few years ago though.
21/22 is looking more and more like the outlier in Jenkins 6 years in Memphis.
This was a very helpful overview of Jenkins' tenure in Memphis. The best part? You can feel Jon's hope bubbling up throughout it.
I agree that it would seem riskier to hire Jenkins over Brown, but I'd be excited. He's young, has established himself as a legit NBA coach and seems like a guy who has a ton to offer. (FWIW, he's also CAA - unlike Brown. Don't know how much that matters at this stage, but the FO should have plenty of intel on him at the very least.)
I still think they go for Brown (or Kidd, if an extension isn't worked out soon), but Jenkins is my vote. Would be fun if they got this done this week!
I think Jenkins is a good coach. I think Brown is a good coach. I think Kidd is a good coach. I think Vogel and Stotts are good coaches. Hiring a good coach won't be a problem. I'm still not sure there's any coach I trust to get what they need to get out of this core.
To me, that concern would be 100 percent valid if we’d lost to the Pistons. In the end, we were two wins shy of the Finals and while every run requires some luck/things breaking right, I also think making it as far as we did suggests we're pretty close.
It will take additional tinkering - and maybe even a big move - but this team is not over with. In my view, a new coach/voice could help things take another step forward.
Jenkins has been out of the first round ONCE.. how is he established at anything?
I feel good about Jenkins. I’m a little concerned that he’s an ivy league guy who never even played college ball. That said, he did hire assistants who played in the league. Thanks Jon, for reminding us of his assistants being fired. I hate when teams do that. It’s such bullshit. SO glad the Knicks didn’t try that with Thibs, though some were advocating for something like that.
It was WILD in the moment, and the only reason it didn't get more attention is because it was Memphis and they were coming off an awful year.
Didn't Milwaukee do this too via Doc Rivers?
Whomever Leon decides to bring in, I hope he’s right, otherwise we’ll be having a GM discussion at this time next year.
Jenkins is an intriguing candidate & if it boils down to Jenkins vs Brown, he'd be my choice as long as he brings in a strong offensive assistant coach.. When your best player is a head case & you go from game to game hoping he'll stay out of trouble, it's not a recipe for success! Yet, Jenkins managed to keep the Grizzlies in the playoff hunt most years. The major question about him seems to be his offense & is why Griz management brought in LaRoche to run it. As Jon points out though, when management fires 5 assistants & forces you to take on others, he was set up for failure last off season, as the players can see management has lost faith in his coaching theories. Now if his addition can help swing a deal with Memphis for JJJr (supposedly, they've loved Bridges forever!), all the more reason to bring him aboard. I'm not as big a Brown supporter, as for some reason, he gives me Fizdale vibes & I certainly wouldn't want to live through Fizdale #2! I still believe Johnnie Bryant, backed with a strong veteran assistant coach would be the best move, but it seems that ship has sailed. Should be an interesting week! LGK!
Agree on Brown. I think he’s very popular with owners and pundits but I don’t like the way he was fired midseason . It’s like shit went south very quickly and he had to be jettisoned.
I believe that on the "manager" vs "scheme lord" (false) dichotomy, the team needs the next coach to be 70% new management style and 30% tactical innovation. Obviously, any new coach must put something in both columns. I'm talking about what an overall change in emphasis should look like.
Tactically, NY is always gonna run a good bit of iso with JB because "duh." A successful coach--no matter who--is likely to bring more PnR versatility (actual "picks" from a non-Mitch player would be a refreshing change) that includes more weak side movement. It's less likely they will try to have this core play peak Warriors ball. A successful coach, in terms of "management style," will likely do some re-thinking of roles and roster--who plays under what circumstances and for how long-- particularly for players 5-10, whoever they may be.
I don't have a real dog in the Brown vs Jenkins choice, if they even end up as THE top candidates. But if you, like me, are looking for new management, Brown is the choice. He's managed VERY different cores and never poorly. Fitting roles to roster seems like what he really brings to the table. None of that means I think Jenkins is incapable, or even some slouch. My suspicion is that he is probably more intriguing if you think the next coach should be 70% tactical innovation/30% new management style, though I don't think Brown is any slouch there.
Love the breakdown here. Completely agree on the 70/30 split and you've made a great case for Brown, who in my gut I *think* is my top choice.
Thanks for the informative article. I would think that this Wharton grad probably did some serious introspection after his firing, and I would not be surprised if he comes back stronger and a better HC for the experience. He also has battle scars from dealing with very difficult personalities (his father). I also remember him constantly throwing different fresh bodies at the Knicks in our two games against them. I recall thinking that it must be hard for these guys to get into any kind of rhythm with the revolving door. Kind of like the anti-Thibs. Brown comes off like a player’s coach/diplomat, kind of like Woody, and I wonder if the team would treat him like a substitute teacher.
Meant (and Ja’s father).
I think Jenkins is a early favorite of mine. I get the risk considering the specter of the questionable locker room stuff. At this point I'd. With this roster we are in with a penny. In with a pound. We let go a really good coach. If the FO's hunch turns out to be correct and that the roster is "championship material" than a young coach who has a history of building up a young team into a two way powerhouse and doing the things that Thibs got criticized by the fans and media for not doing. Than why not?? What is the worst thing that can happen? They dont get out of the second round? I'll take that chance.
Would be very happy if the Knicks end this coaching search with one of Kidd/Brown/Jenkins. Jenkins of the Free Agent coaches is the one I would want to hire, he seems like he checks the boxes this org is watching. With the Bane trade it does seem we are going to see some crazy movement right when season ends..i would think the Eastern Conf teams will be very aggressive with how open it is. Hopefully Leon is ready for what will be a wild offseason. Get me JJJ! Please.
I am sure there was a better way to do this but the article talks about the extent to which ja and J2J did, or did not enhance each other. Also highlighted jjs playoff struggles. I was unaware.