Even Karl-Anthony Towns is being pulled into the Dawn Staley rumors.
Amid a report that the Knicks are interested in the South Carolina women’s basketball coach, Towns reacted on social media to how Staley would deal with his foul trouble.
Staley did not immediately respond to a text message from NJ Advance Media seeking comment on her involvement with the Knicks coaching search.
Towns, the Piscataway, N.J. native and former No. 1 overall pick out of Kentucky, battled foul trouble during the regular season and playoffs.
Former head coach Tom Thibodeau, who was fired despite leading the Knicks to their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 25 years, commented on it last December.
“There’s good aggressive fouls and there’s fouls that are obviously cheap that you have to clean up,” Thibodeau said, per New York Post‘s Stefan Bondy. “I think that’s the important thing for him to understand, the difference between the two and how it’s being called. I think discipline is the most important thing.”
Towns said then: “Maybe I’ve got to make better decisions. I give up possibly one to two. So do my job first. Take out the ones that I can handle.”
Still, Towns amassed 78 fouls during the playoffs, tied with Aaron Nesmith of the Indiana Pacers for the most this postseason, per StatMuse.
With NBA Summer League set to begin July 10, the Knicks are still seeking a coach to replace Thibodeau. They have reportedly been rebuked after asking for permission to speak with five sitting NBA head coaches – Jason Kidd (Dallas), Ime Udoka (Houston), Chris Finch (Minnesota), Billy Donovan (Chicago) and Quin Snyder (Atlanta).
Current and former college coaches Jay Wright, Rick Pitino,John Calipari and Dan Hurley have also said they don’t want the job.
The Knicks have also interviewed former NBA coaches Mike Brown and Taylor Jenkins, as well as Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori and New Orleans Pelicans assistant James Borrego.
On “Get Up,” ESPN’s Brian Windhorst called what the Knicks are doing in going after sitting coaches a “strange strategy.”
“They seem to be prioritizing people who are not available,” Windhorst said.
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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter and Basketball Insider for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoriaand check out his Website atZAGSBLOG.com.