Knicks' coaching search continues: Minnesota assistant Micah Nori interviewed, considering James Borrego
The Knicks have already conducted interviews with former Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins and former Cavaliers/Lakers/Kings head coach Mike Brown, and both were 'impressive,' reports James Edwards III at The Athletic. Those are names we knew were in the mix, but then Edwards adds they are considering bringing in a new name, former Hornets head coach James Borrego.
'New York has tossed around the idea of speaking with James Borrego for its vacancy, per league sources. Borrego, a CAA client, is known around the league for his offensive creativity and analytics-forward approach.'
The Knicks have already interviewed Minnesota lead assistant Micah Nori, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.
The New York Knicks are interviewing Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori for the team's head coaching job, sources tell ESPN. Now three candidates – Nori and two former head coaches Mike Brown and Taylor Jenkins – have done formal interviews for the Knicks' vacancy.
Nori has been near the top of the list of assistant coaches deserving a shot in the big chair and is well-liked by the players he has coached. He has been a key part of a Minnesota staff that has led the Timberwolves to back-to-back Western Conference Finals. However, the Knicks have been looking for an experienced head coach after firing Tom Thibodeau, rather than replacing him with a first-time coach.
Borrego has experience as a head coach, and his teams in Charlotte improved every year — he led them to 43 wins in his final season — despite the roster not exactly being stacked with elite NBA talent. That wasn't enough for the Hornets, who let him go. Last season he was an assistant on Willie Green's staff in New Orleans.
The Knicks have taken their time and done a broad search to replace Thibodeau, who in five years as the Knicks head coach established a culture, led the team to the playoff four times (as many times as they had been there the previous 20 seasons combined), and last season led New York to its first Eastern Conference Finals in a quarter century. The sense was that Thibodeau had taken this team as far as he could, and a new voice was needed to take Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and the rest of the crew one final step: to the NBA Finals. The door feels open in the Eastern Conference next season (considering the Achilles injuries to Jayson Tatum in Boston, Tyrese Haliburton in Indiana, and Damian Lillard in Milwaukee). Still, that's a big ask for the next Knicks coach, which is why the team has leaned into veteran coaches.
There is no timeline for the hire, but Leon Rose and the Knicks front office would want a coach's input on free agency, which starts in a week.
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