Mike Breen tempers concern on Knicks coaching search: ‘There’s no need to rush’

Mike Breen is the voice of the NBA Finals, he’s the voice of the New York Knicks, and he’s also the voice of reason.

Despite leading them to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in a quarter-century, the Knicks fired head coach Tom Thibodeau. And since the firing, the Knicks have been mocked for appearing like a team without a plan. New York has requested to speak with five different head coaches around the NBA and they’ve promptly been rejected five different times by those organizations.

Wednesday night, Charles Barkley ranted, “the Knicks gotta be the stupidest people in the world.” But Thursday morning, Mike Breen joined The Dan Patrick Show and didn’t sound quite as alarmed.

“They’re obviously turning over every stone right now,” Breen said. “There’s a lot of good candidates still out there, it’s been interesting to see how many teams have quickly said, ‘No, you cannot talk to our coach.’ Although that’s understandable while under contract. And at this point, I think, Dan, they can take their time…there’s no need to rush it now. They really need to do their homework…and do an exhaustive search because there’s no need to rush it now, it’s such an important decision.”

The Knicks may not have identified their next head coach, but they did identify that Tom Thibodeau should no longer be their head coach. It’s fair to debate the firing, and time will tell if it was the right decision. But teams shouldn’t need to have their next head coach identified before deciding their current coach isn’t the best fit. If a team is confident their head coach is the wrong one, then the first step should be moving on. Finding a replacement is the second step.

Chasing after five head coaches that are already under contract might seem like a same strategy, and it’s one the Knicks have reportedly pivoted on after being rejected five times. But just because they were rejected from pursuing Ime Udoka, Jason Kidd, Chris Finch, Billy Donovan Quin Snyder, doesn’t mean one of those head coaches won’t end up with the Knicks this offseason.

If Kidd tells the Mavericks he has no interest in coaching Dallas anymore, they’re not going to force him to stay, especially as they look to jumpstart Cooper Flagg’s career. But if Dallas is interested in letting Kidd go to New York, they’re not going to reveal that interest without maximizing trade leverage first.

As the voice of the Knicks, obviously Breen wasn’t going to go on The Dan Patrick Show and bash the team. But his measured response is more impartial than the panicked reactions that come from each report of another team denying the Knicks an opportunity to speak with their contracted head coach.