NEW YORK — The New York Knicks were denied permission to speak with coaches Jason Kidd of Dallas, Ime Udoka of Houston and Chris Finch of Minnesota in a slow start to find Tom Thibodeau's replacement.
All three coaches are under contract and their organizations declined to make them available for interviews with the Knicks, two people with knowledge of the details said Wednesday. The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the interview process was to remain private.
The Knicks fired Thibodeau on June 3, despite reaching the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years. They reached the playoffs four times in Thibodeau's five seasons and had won at least 50 games in each of the final two.