The New York Knicks are canvassing their options to replace Tom Thibodeau as their next head coach -- and they have a couple ambitious targets in the search for a championship-caliber successor for Thibodeau.
According to veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein, the Knicks are interested in hiring one of Jason Kidd or Ime Udoka -- two coaches who have experience building title-worthy teams. The problem though is that both coaches have been deemed "unavailable" -- especially Udoka, who just guided the Houston Rockets to their first playoff appearance in five years.
“One source with knowledge of the Rockets’ thinking told The Stein Line categorically that permission to speak with Udoka would be rejected if the Knicks requested it,” Stein wrote.
In light of this seeming rejection, Metta Sandiford-Artest has stepped up to announce his candidacy for the Knicks job, less than a week after he said he would "love" to coach the Phoenix Suns.
Sandiford-Artest on X disputed the notion, posited by ESPN's Jay Williams, that Udoka would be "the most amazing fit" in New York.
You are not familiar with New York," he wrote, dissenting to an excerpt from the June 4 episode of "First Take." "I’ve always took on NYC head on. You guys are force feeding the fans options."
Sandiford-Artest, a former Defensive Player of the Year and NBA champion, insisted he would be "perfect" for the Knicks, for whom he played 29 games during the 2013/14 season.
"I’ve been going towards the pressure since (1999)," Sandiford-Artest wrote, in reference to his NCAA career at St. John's University in Queens. "I’m very battle tested and ready to finally bring the city a title."
Sandiford-Artest did not explain how he would change the Knicks schematically, nor does he boast the player development acumen that Udoka has shown across his stints in Boston and in Houston.
With New York squarely in a championship window, it seems unlikely that owner James Dolan and team president Leon Rose will bet on a first-time head coach to end the Knicks' 52-year title drought.