Speaker 1: Let's get started in the NBA and a story that
Speaker 1: made headlines throughout the league yesterday the firing of Tom
Speaker 1: Thibodeaux by the New York Knicks. The move came just
Speaker 1: a few days after the Knicks made their deepest playoff
Speaker 1: run in twenty five years. Tibbs, who led the Knicks
Speaker 1: to back to back fifty win seasons for the first
Speaker 1: time since nineteen ninety five, leaves ranking fourth all time
Speaker 1: on a franchise list and coaching victories. Now, the focus
Speaker 1: shifts to potential head coaching replacements to lead the team
Speaker 1: currently built around Jalen Brunson and call Anthony Towns. Let
Speaker 1: me say this before I get into it, I want
Speaker 1: to tell you this. There are a bunch of names
Speaker 1: that need to come up. In a few seconds. I'm
Speaker 1: gonna give you about five. I'm gonna give you about
Speaker 1: five because you need to know, you need to know,
Speaker 1: you need to hear the people that saw on my
Speaker 1: list are right. And I got some honorable mentions as well,
Speaker 1: and I'll explain why because I'm going all down the line, right,
Speaker 1: I'm going all down the line. Just to tip off
Speaker 1: my producers are Sam Cassell email, you don't I mean,
Speaker 1: you can talk about coaches of the contract, mind you. Okay,
Speaker 1: the tie Lows of the world, and the Mike Maloons
Speaker 1: and everybody else. Rick Brunton's evens, all of them. I'm
Speaker 1: coming with a second, but let me say before I
Speaker 1: even get into it, let me play a clip for
Speaker 1: you that was very, very interesting doing my day job
Speaker 1: on First Take number one morning show for the last
Speaker 1: thirteen years in counting. Thanks to y'all. By the way,
Speaker 1: thank you so much. Continue to support your brother. I
Speaker 1: was gonna first Take this morning on ESPN. Well, my
Speaker 1: man Jay Williams, and I can't take credit for this.
Speaker 1: I gotta give him credit for this, because my man
Speaker 1: Jay Williams came out with an idea that absolutely positively
Speaker 1: blew me away because.
Speaker 2: I didn't think about it. Why would I think about it?
Speaker 2: I don't know why.
Speaker 1: I think I know why, but I'm gonna tell you
Speaker 1: in a minute, but not before I play this clip
Speaker 1: with me and Jay Williams talking.
Speaker 2: Check this out.
Speaker 3: You can't win in twenty twenty five playing nineteen nineties basketball.
Speaker 2: You have to change up your style.
Speaker 3: And I do think there is a coach out there
Speaker 3: that is currently coaching the Houston Rockets that will be
Speaker 3: the most amazing fit in New York City, and that's Amyiudoka,
Speaker 3: a guy that understands Boston Celtics and how they built
Speaker 3: with Brad Stevens and Danny Ainge and what their personnel
Speaker 3: looks like. Has an understanding of that and has a
Speaker 3: similar but updated culture in Houston with some young dogs
Speaker 3: where he's built a pretty incredible foundation over a quick
Speaker 3: period of time, and understanding how the Western Conference is loaded,
Speaker 3: and look, the Knicks have money to spend. I think
Speaker 3: Imudoka is the choice. I think he's the person you
Speaker 3: run towards, and I think you find any way to
Speaker 3: pry him away from the Houston Rockets organization and bring
Speaker 3: him to the New York Knicks, because I think he
Speaker 3: epitomizes who the New York Knicks are as a franchise.
Speaker 1: Now, what you didn't see there was to me going
Speaker 1: I didn't think of that. It's a great idea. But
Speaker 1: here's why I didn't think about that. I know a
Speaker 1: few people in Houston, including owner Tilament for Tita, and
Speaker 1: I'm telling y'all, ain't no way in hell New York
Speaker 1: Knicks getting email U Doka Forget htown being h town
Speaker 1: because it's pretty fly. Forget it being in the state
Speaker 1: when no state didn't come taxes.
Speaker 2: That's cool too.
Speaker 1: Email U Doka is under contract for the next two years.
Speaker 1: He can't leave unless tilerm and for Tita granted him
Speaker 1: the freedom to do so. And I'm here to tell
Speaker 1: you that shit ain't happening. Ain't happening, email U Doka
Speaker 1: ain't going nowhere if Tilaman and Fetida has anything to
Speaker 1: say about it. He loves that man, His staff loves
Speaker 1: that man. His employees love that man. Email you, Doka.
Speaker 1: Just they't Bosston.
Speaker 2: Where you're sat.
Speaker 1: There and railroaded him out of town. And I ain't
Speaker 1: gonna bring up why. All I'm gonna say is that damnit,
Speaker 1: he won the first and he ain't the last. But
Speaker 1: somehow his personal business, which could have been an HR issue,
Speaker 1: became public consumption.
Speaker 2: I ain't gonna get in effected as a hope, but
Speaker 2: to white boys.
Speaker 1: That were guilty of such proclivities for decades, and we
Speaker 1: ain't hear nothing. I know at least three dudes that
Speaker 1: lost their job in the last couple of years, all white,
Speaker 1: and landed.
Speaker 2: On another NBA team nobody said.
Speaker 1: Nothing we knew, we ain't reported because the team didn't confer,
Speaker 1: because the team didn't want it out there like that.
Speaker 2: They let the people go on about their business.
Speaker 1: But email Udoka, they threw under the bus and tried
Speaker 1: to ruin his career and tell me Fatida and the
Speaker 1: Houston Rockets said, damn that we're.
Speaker 2: Trying to win. It's one of the greatest.
Speaker 1: Coaches of the game, easily top five coaching basketball.
Speaker 2: That brother special, a hell of a coach.
Speaker 1: Who would have coached Boston in a championship.
Speaker 2: But that ended up being joy Missoula.
Speaker 1: That email Udoka, Oh my lord, everything I said about
Speaker 1: the Knicks yesterday that raked my damn nerves, even their
Speaker 1: weak ass statement.
Speaker 2: By president Leon Rose. I would have forgave that. If
Speaker 2: they came and.
Speaker 1: Said, yo, man email Udoka is the head coach of
Speaker 1: the New York Knicks, all would have been forgiven. All
Speaker 1: would have been forgiven because that man, not Leon Rose.
Speaker 1: Email Eudoka is a hell of a coach, and that
Speaker 1: brother right there, if they could get him, fine, but
Speaker 1: he's got two years left on his deal in Houston.
Speaker 1: And I called the source within an organization five minutes ago,
Speaker 1: and they said you couldn't pay us enough. He ain't
Speaker 1: going nowhere. I know it's a double negative. He ain't
Speaker 1: going nowhere, but he ain't gone nowhere. Grammatically and correct
Speaker 1: and all. He ain't gone nowhere. He may you don't
Speaker 1: can stayd in Houston.
Speaker 2: But let me give you a list of names you
Speaker 2: might want to consider.
Speaker 1: I want to throw out Sam Cossel, assistant coach with
Speaker 1: the Boston Celtics, because he should be a head coach
Speaker 1: in this game, and he deserves an honorable mention. It
Speaker 1: just may not necessarily need to be in New York
Speaker 1: because you know he was in Boston last year. You
Speaker 1: didn't even want to contaminate us, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1: You know he's Boston's New York. I don't know about that.
Speaker 1: But Sam Conceptius does to be a head coach in
Speaker 1: the NBA, so he gotta throw his name for consideration.
Speaker 1: All right, I'm gonna throw out these names for you.
Speaker 2: You ready.
Speaker 1: I'm gonna throw out Jay Wright, former head coach at
Speaker 1: Villanova to Tom National champion, four trips to the Final four.
Speaker 2: You're gonna say why. Jalen Brunston is the start of
Speaker 2: the team.
Speaker 1: Josh Hart and Michel Bridges are on the team for
Speaker 1: the foreseeable future.
Speaker 2: They ain't going nowhere.
Speaker 1: And on top of it all, not only are they
Speaker 1: not going anywhere, even though Michael Bridges might end up
Speaker 1: being moved because he'll be looking for a contract extension
Speaker 1: in the year, the bottom line is all three played
Speaker 1: at Villanova. Jay Wright is a consideration. I'm gonna throw
Speaker 1: out another name for you. Rick Brunson, Jalen Brunton's daddy,
Speaker 1: who's been on the bench last couple of leagues, that's
Speaker 1: two three years, who I can tell you knows his basketball.
Speaker 1: You start Temple, played in the NBA, rough and rugged,
Speaker 1: no punk in him at all. You're gonna be tough
Speaker 1: playing for him. You're gonna be accountable playing for him.
Speaker 1: I like Rick Brunton. I think he's somebody that we
Speaker 1: should keep our eyes on for future opportunities in the NBA. Personally,
Speaker 1: i'm'a let you know that right now. I'm just throwing
Speaker 1: them on my list. Number three on the list Mike Malone,
Speaker 1: former coach in Denver, one of the NBA Championship a
Speaker 1: couple of years ago. Just work with me doing the
Speaker 1: Western Conference finals I would have no problem if the
Speaker 1: New York Knicks picked him as the next head coach
Speaker 1: of the franchise, no problem whatsoever.
Speaker 2: I know he departed on.
Speaker 1: The tense terms because players kind of needed to hear
Speaker 1: a new voice. He was big on player accountability. He
Speaker 1: didn't have the greatest relationship reportedly anyway with the GM
Speaker 1: Calvin Booth, and so both of them ended up getting
Speaker 1: booted out of there by the gron Keys.
Speaker 2: Who on the team. But Mike Malone is a champion.
Speaker 1: And a damn a damn great basketball mind who is
Speaker 1: proven he could coach. We ain't sleeping on that, so
Speaker 1: he would definitely be on my list. Wouldn't put him
Speaker 1: top two though, I put Mark Jackson at number two.
Speaker 1: Remember the Mark Jackson used to coach a Golden State.
Speaker 1: Remember Mark Jackson and starred at Saint John's. Remember the
Speaker 1: Mark Jackson that was Rookie of the Year in the
Speaker 1: NBA for the New York Knicks. Remember the Mark Jackson
Speaker 1: that played for the Indiana Pacers. Remember that Mark Jackson
Speaker 1: that ultimately coach the Golden State Warriors and groomed the
Speaker 1: Splash Brothers for Steve curR to capitalized off of remember
Speaker 1: that that Mark Jackson. Can somebody explain to me why
Speaker 1: this man is still black ball from the NBA, not
Speaker 1: even an assistant coach, as good of a job as
Speaker 1: he has done, as knowledgeable as he is about the
Speaker 1: game of basketball, me personally him Van Gundy.
Speaker 2: I splashed them together.
Speaker 1: I loved them being on the same coaching staff because
Speaker 1: I missed them calling the games.
Speaker 2: Love the job JJ Reddick did calling games.
Speaker 1: Loved the job that Richard Jefferson with Dorris Burke and
Speaker 1: Mike Breen do calling the games. Loved the job that
Speaker 1: Tim Legler does. Love my man Ryan Ruko, the whole bit.
Speaker 1: No shade on nobody. I'm proud to call these folks colleagues.
Speaker 1: They're great. But I'm not gonna lie and tell you
Speaker 1: that I don't miss Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy, who,
Speaker 1: by the way, Jeff and Gunny is a leader sistant
Speaker 1: on the Los Angeles Clippers bench. I think if Mark
Speaker 1: Jackson would get a head coaching job, Jeff Van Gundy
Speaker 1: should be his top assistant. I think if Jef Van
Speaker 1: Gundy gets a head coaching job, Mark Jackson should be
Speaker 1: his stop assistant.
Speaker 2: That's how I'm flowing with it. That's how I'm flowing
Speaker 2: with it.
Speaker 1: And not only that, when you consider New York in
Speaker 1: the sizzle that you need since players, since people like
Speaker 1: Leon Rose don't want to talk to the media, you know,
Speaker 1: it helps to see a guy like Mark Jackson talking
Speaker 1: because he's one of our own in New York. You understand,
Speaker 1: we love Bishop Locklan, Saint John's Nicks.
Speaker 2: Is Mark Jackson one of the greatest point guards in New.
Speaker 1: York history, by the way, and you're talking to a
Speaker 1: brother that grew up the great Kenny Nsen. Don't get
Speaker 1: me wrong, one better than these dudes. But he was
Speaker 1: in that ballpark because he was a safe to Rod
Speaker 1: Strickland just saw him the other day at the Knixt game.
Speaker 1: Stephon Marlbury might be the greatest point guard in the
Speaker 1: history of New York.
Speaker 2: Let's not sleep on that, brother.
Speaker 1: Okay, you got the Nate tiny Archiballs, the Stephar Marlbury's,
Speaker 1: the Rod Stricklands, the late great d Wayne Pearl Washington,
Speaker 1: the greatest show in the history of college basketball.
Speaker 2: You think I'm lying, go back and watch the tape.
Speaker 2: Go back and watch the tape. Listen d Wayne Pearl
Speaker 2: Washington and went to Syracuse. We had some great point
Speaker 2: guards Kennedy and Jet Smith. Let's not forget him.
Speaker 1: Kareem Reid out of Saint Ravens, Let's not forget him.
Speaker 1: God Sham god Well, one of the greatest handles in history.
Speaker 2: Let's not forget him. With all of that being said.
Speaker 1: Still got to mention Monk Jackson. Still got to mention
Speaker 1: mank Jackson. He's one of us in New York City
Speaker 1: with him as the head coach worth consideration. Just can't
Speaker 1: put him number one at the list against another dude
Speaker 1: who's under contract, and I put email you doak in
Speaker 1: this category, slash him number one with the great Ty
Speaker 1: Lou for the Los Angeles Clippers, a champion, some man,
Speaker 1: somebody who continuously overachieves, who makes in game adjustments. Who
Speaker 1: if James Harden was short for Game seven, who knows
Speaker 1: where far he would have want he would have gone.
Speaker 1: I'm just sorry. I love James Hardiper Damn. I'm just
Speaker 1: saying these are things to consider. So I got ty
Speaker 1: lu slash email you Dooka. Both under contract teams ain't
Speaker 1: letting them out their deals. We understand that I got
Speaker 1: Mark Jackson, who everybody should have on their list to
Speaker 1: be a head coach in the NBA. I got Mike Malone,
Speaker 1: who everybody's have, on the list to be a coach
Speaker 1: in the NBA. He's a champion, okay. I got Rick Brunston,
Speaker 1: and I got Jay Wright with an honorable mention for
Speaker 1: my man, Sam Counsel and Boston who deserves a head
Speaker 1: coaching opportunity at some point, if not already.
Speaker 2: That's just me, that's just me.
Speaker 1: A producer in my ear brought up Danny Hurley really really,
Speaker 1: you know he's at Connecticut. Yeah, Yukon, you know what
Speaker 1: I'm saying. I mean, you know he's can coach, Danny Hurley.
Speaker 1: I mean, I'm not I'm not gonna pooh pooh that.
Speaker 1: The Hurlies are the Hurlies. They're an institution, so we
Speaker 1: know we I was getting ready to get on my
Speaker 1: producer about that, but he's actually right, And since he's right,
Speaker 1: I'm gonna leave it at that.