The New York Knicks appear to be throwing as many darts as possible right now.
The Knicks spoke with Arkansas head coach John Calipari about their coaching vacancy, Kris Pursiainen of ClutchPoints reported on Thursday. A key member of the Knicks front office spoke to Calipari in a discussion that was described as “exploratory in nature.” However, that conversation ultimately reached the conclusion that there was nothing to discuss further, Pursiainen adds.
The 66-year-old Calipari does have experience coaching in the NBA, but that came all the way back in the 1990s when he coached the then-New Jersey Nets from 1996-99. Calipari has since become one of the winningest coaches in D1 college basketball, piling up 877 wins (tied for seventh all-time) to go along with six Final Four appearances and a national championship victory with Kentucky in 2012.
Calipari also just completed his first season as head coach at Arkansas, going 22-14 and leading the Razorbacks to the Sweet Sixteen. Currently in the midst of a five-year, $38.5 million deal with Arkansas (not counting incentives), Calipari will have to give back a reported $6 million if he leaves the Razorbacks prior to the end of his contract.
As such, Calipari was never a realistic option for the Knicks, who are looking for a new head coach after firing Tom Thibodeau. The Knicks’ head coaching search is now looking increasingly disorganized and chaotic, especially after they were rebuffed no less than five times in their attempts to interview currently-employed NBA head coaches.
New York was also recently linked to Jay Wright, another former NCAA champion head coach, but Wright had no interest in the job. Now the latest indications are that the Knicks could be zeroing in on a currently-unemployed ex-NBA Coach of the Year instead.
