The New York Knicks' coaching search this offseason continues to be a disaster as the team is continuing to look for a new head coach. The Knicks fired head coach Tom Thibodeau, despite leading the franchise to their first appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals since 2000. The Knicks fell to the Indiana Pacers in six games in the conference finals.
Since his firing, the Knicks have attempted to hire a replacement for Thibodeau, but so far it has turned into a mess, with many in New York questioning what the purpose of firing Thibodeau was in the first place.
Ime Udoka turns down the Knicks to stay with the Rockets
One of those replacements that the Knicks have been looking to hire is Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka. Udoka, however, won't be packing his bags to New York as the Rockets announced on Thursday that they will be extending him to a multi-year extension that will make him one of the highest paid coaches in the NBA.
In his two seasons with the Rockets, Udoka has a 144-102 coching record, This past season Udoka led the Rockets to a 52 win season, which was second best in a loaded Western Conference. The Rockets fell to the Golden State Warriors in seven games in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
How the Knicks tried and failed to hire Udoka
The Knicks had requested to interview Udoka for their head coaching vacancy. The Rockets declined the Knicks the opportunity to interview him, which makes his extension to the Rockets a gut punch to what seems like the team's never-ending coaching search.
The Rockets aren't the only NBA team that has declined the Knicks from interview head coaching candidates. The Knicks were also refused permission to interview Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch, Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, Atlanta Hawks head coach Quinn Snyder, and Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan.
The recent rejection by the Rockets for the Knicks to hire Udoka is just the newest instance in which the team has been declined to interview other NBA head coaches.
Not all hope is lost for the Knicks however, former Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown and former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins are among the coaching candidates that New York is interested in.