The Knicks have yet to make the hiring official, but all signs seem to be pointing to former player agent Leon Rose as the team's next president, replacing the recently fired Steve Mills.
Rose, an agent with CAA, certainly has his connections within the NBA world, including an impressive list of clientele. But Rose is also connected to a number of people who could potentially be candidates for the Knicks head coaching job, should Mike Miller not be retained after the season.
Here's a look at some of the names that Rose has been connected to, according to SNY NBA Insider Ian Begley ...
John Calipari
The head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats since 2009, Calipari has not coached in the NBA ranks since he was an assistant with the 76ers in the 1999-2000 season. Prior to that year, Calipari was the Nets head coach for two-plus seasons. His final year in New Jersey was a short one, though, as he was fired just 20 games into the year with a 3-17 record.
There's no denying Calipari's success at the collegiate level, as his overall record with Kentucky, Memphis, and UMass stands at 767-216 with six Final Four appearances. But Calipari has not seemed eager to leave the college ranks for another shot at the NBA. Could his relationship with Rose change that?
Jeff Van Gundy
Currently an analyst with ESPN, Van Gundy was not interviewed by the Knicks during their 2018 search, though Begley had reported that Van Gundy would have considered taking the job at that time, per sources.
He's the last head coach to have a sustained amount of success in New York, leading the Knicks to the 1999 NBA Finals. Van Gundy compiled an overall record of 248-172 with the Knicks over seven seasons, winning 37 playoff games during that stretch. But the 58-year- old hasn't coached in the NBA in 13 years, when his tenure with the Houston Rockets came to an end.
Mark Jackson
A New York City native, Jackson has previous head coaching experience with the Golden State Warriors, leading the team to three playoff appearances in his three seasons in the Bay Area. But Jackson's relationship with the front office crumbled, and he was soon replaced by Steve Kerr, who was at the helm as the Warriors won their championships in 2015, 2017 and 2018.
The Knicks did some due diligence on Jackson's Warriors tenure prior to hiring David Fizdale, according to Begley.
Tom Thibodeau
Thibodeau, a New Britain, Conn. native, has a plethora of NBA coaching experience. Starting as an assistant with the Timberwolves in 1989, Thibodeau has bounced around with a number of different teams, including as a Knicks assistant from 1996-2004.
Thibodeau got his first head coaching opportunity with the Chicago Bulls from 2010-15, and then took on the dual role of being the Timberwolves head coach/president of basketball operations from 2016-19. He won NBA Coach of the Year in 2011. Thibodeau was fired by Minnesota in January 2019.
Mike Woodson
Woodson is the last coach to lead the Knicks to the playoffs. He's also the only coach in the last 19 years to win a playoff series with New York. The Knicks won 54 games and a playoff series against Boston in 2012-13 under Woodson.
But Woodson had his struggles with the Knicks, going 37-45 the year after winning 54 games, even though the team was built almost the same way. He was let go following the disappointing 2013-14 season.