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Patrick Ewing calls Tom Thibodeau a “great candidate” for Knicks’ head coach job Bleacher report

Butch Dill / Associated Press

Consider Patrick Ewing a fan of Tom Thibodeau’s candidacy for the position of head coach of the New York Knicks.

The former Knicks star has seen Thibodeau’s work closely for years, first when Thibs was a New York assistant during Ewing’s music career and then when he served on Jeff Van Gundy’s staff with the Houston Rockets.

Speaking to SiriusXM NBA Radio’s Initial training, Ewing sang the coach’s praises.

“I think Tom is a great coach,” said Ewing (h / t Ian Begley of SNY.tv). “I had the opportunity to [play for him]being he on [Knicks] personal when I played and I also work with him. It has been around for many years. He knows the game inside and out. He will do all he has to do in terms of preparing his team to play every night. I think he would be an excellent candidate for that job. “

Thibodeau hasn’t trained since the Minnesota Timberwolves fired him in January 2019. Despite his failure in Minnesota, he still has a record overall win at 352-246 and led the Chicago Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2011 and the semifinals of the conferences in 2013 and 2015.

During his stay in Chicago, the Bulls never closed below second place in the central division.

The 62-year-old has long been considered the front-runner for the job, but New York has done due diligence and interviewed a number of potential suitors.

Candidates Begley report that the Knicks have met or are planning to interview including Jason Kidd, Mike Brown, Mike Woodson, Kenny Atkinson, Philadelphia 76ers assistant Ime Udoka, Orlando Magic assistant Pat Delany, assistant of bulls Chris Fleming, assistant of San Antonio Spurs Will Hardy, Dallas Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosely and current Knicks interim coach Mike Miller.

Team president Leon Rose previously told Mike Breen of MSG Networks that he hopes to end the search by the end of July, when the NBA is ready to restart the season in Orlando, Florida.

“It’s very exciting,” said Rose. “There are a lot of really cool candidates … We are looking at many different people with many different mindsets, different philosophies and, for me personally, this is educational. I have to make sure I go through this process and punctuate each ‘i’ and cross every ‘t’ to make the right decision. “

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