Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Johnnie Bryant is more than just a finalist for the Phoenix Suns head coaching job.
He’s also now could be an ideal candidate to replace Tom Thibodeau in New York.
The third-seeded Knicks fired Thibodeau after losing to the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals in six games. The Knicks, which finished the regular season 51-31, announced the firing on June 3.
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While names like Michael Malone, Taylor Jenkins and Jay Wright have been linked to the Knicks job, Bryant spent three seasons in New York as an assistant under Thibodeau before joining the Cavs for the 2024-25 season.
Cleveland Cavaliers associate head coach Johnnie Bryant reacts during a game against the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 16, 2024, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.
Bryant has a familiarity with several Knicks players, including All-NBA guard Jalen Brunson.
Bryant was an assistant under Thibodeau in New York from 2021 to 2024. He and fellow Cavs assistant Jordan Ott are Suns finalists to replace Mike Budenholzer in Phoenix.
Ott, 40, and Bryant, 39, have never been NBA head coaches. Malone and Jenkins have.
Malone coached the Denver Nuggets to the 2022-23 NBA championship while Jenkins was head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies.
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As for Wright, the Hall of Fame coach won two national championships at Villanova, where he coached Knicks players Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and Brunson. Wright retired in 2022.
The Suns fired Budenholzer after a 36-win season to suffer their first losing season since 2019-20. They also missed the playoffs after last doing so in 2019-20.
Kenny Atkinson won the 2024-25 NBA Coach of the Year award with Bryant and Ott as his assistants.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns coaching finalist ideal candidate for Knicks head coach job