ESPN continues to push the Knicks' worst possible Tom Thibodeau replacement

Ever since the New York Knicks decided to part ways with former head coach Tom Thibodeau, NBA media has been rife with speculation about who would lead the franchise next. Michael Malone looms after being let go by the Denver Nuggets. Jason Kidd is reportedly interested, and comes with ties to potential trade target Giannis Antetokounmpo. Cavs assistant Johnny Bryant has long been seen as a potential rising star and comes with Knicks ties. All of them, and others, would make at least some sense.

But that didn't stop ESPN's Stephen A. Smith. He’s still holding onto that dream of his New York buddy, Mark Jackson, getting another shot to coach in the Association.

"I'm gonna always mention the name Mark Jackson," Smith said on First Take about the Knicks' search. "This man was responsible for building Golden State before Steve Kerr was brought in and took over and piggybacked off of that."

Stephen A. Smith somehow injects Mark Jackson into Knicks coaching search

Smith has campaigned for over a decade to get Jackson back on an NBA sideline. Although Smith knows it probably won’t happen, and even admits that in the clip above, that doesn’t mean he’ll ever drop Jackson’s name from the conversation; when the Knicks parted ways with Jeff Hornacek way back in 2018, there was Smith going to bat for his friend.

Jackson coached the Golden State Warriors from 2011-2014, improving the team’s record every year and winning 51 games in his final season. He was replaced by Steve Kerr for the ’14-15 campaign, and the rest, as they say, is history. Whether you think Jackson was unfairly dismissed is up to you, but the fact remains that a return to the NBA as a head coach is highly unlikely. That's both due to reasons on the court — Jackson never put a top-10 offense together despite getting to coach two of the very best shooters in the history of the sport in Steph Curry and Klay Thpmpson — and off of it, where he reportedly alienated assistants and players alike during his time on the sidelines.

To say Jackson should get an interview isn’t out of the question — this is still James Dolan's team, after all — but to suggest he’d be a better pick from a basketball standpoint over Kidd or Malone is far-fetched, to put it mildly. Many people in New York want Jackson because he’s a native of the city and played for the Knicks during their heyday in the 90s. So, there is that connection, which is great — but doesn’t necessarily guarantee success on the court. The Knicks got rid of Thibodeau because his style had grown stale; the last thing they want or need is more of the same from his replacement.