A third interview candidate has emerged for the Knicks coaching opening.
Minnesota assistant coach Micah Nori became the third person to discuss the vacancy with the Knicks earlier this week, joining former head coaches Taylor Jenkins and Mike Brown, a league source confirmed to the Post.
ESPN first reported the Knicks’ interest in the 51-year-old Nori, who has been with the Timberwolves since 2021. He previously served as an assistant with the Raptors, Kings, Nuggets and Pistons.
The Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau on June 3, three days after they were eliminated by the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals — their deepest postseason advancement in 25 years
They since have been rebuffed by opposing NBA teams in efforts to speak with several current head coaches — including Dallas’ Jason Kidd, Houston’s Ime Udoka, Minnesota’s Chris Finch, Atlanta’s Quin Snyder and Chicago’s Billy Donovan.
The Knicks are interviewing Micah Nori for their head coaching opening. NBAE via Getty Images
Nori took over as acting head coach for the remainder of the clinching game against the Suns in the first round of the 2024 playoffs after Finch tore his patellar tendon in a collision with Timberwolves guard Mike Conley.
Finch returned for the following game against Denver, but Nori essentially ran the team’s game interaction with Finch unable to move around courtside or stand up to call timeouts or interact with the officials.
The Timberwolves defeated the Nuggets in six games before losing to the Mavericks in the Western Conference finals.
With the only current coaching opening in the league, Knicks president Leon Rose hasn’t been in a rush to find Thibodeau’s replacement.
Jenkins and Brown interviewed for the position last week after they were fired during the regular season by the Grizzlies and the Kings, respectively.
Micah Nori (c.) with Chris Finch (l.) and Anthony Edwards (r.) during Game 2 of the Timberwolves’ first-round series against the Lakers on April 22, 2025. NBAE via Getty ImagesCleveland associate head coach Johnnie Bryant, who previously served in that role under Thibodeau in New York, is another name that has been linked to the Knicks, but there has been no indication of contact yet between the parties.
The Knicks also had reached out to the Mavericks about assistant Sean Sweeney, but he declined to interview and subsequently accepted a position as Spurs associate head coach.
He also previously had served as an assistant under Kidd with the Nets and the Bucks.
Sweeney had interviewed earlier this offseason for the Suns vacancy before Phoenix hired Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott to replace fired Mike Budenholzer.
