Tom Thibodeau is going to be entering his 3rd season with the Knicks on the hot seat despite winning the Coach of the Year award in his 1st season. A lot of fans and some members of the front office have placed an asterisk on that 1st season since it wasn’t a normal one due to the pandemic. They believe that last season, 2021-22, was more indicative of how the team will perform going forward if Thibodeau continues as the head coach.
It has been reported that William Wesley, aka World Wide Wes, a prominent member of the New York Knicks front office is the one pushing the hardest to replace Thibs. Wesley’s power comes from the relationships he has cultivated with a plethora of individuals at all levels of basketball; high school, college and pro. Then on the business side with long time friend Leon Rose, the Knicks team president.
Leon was probably been able to keep Wes at bay because they have his preferred choice to replace Thibodeau already on the staff. The thought was that if the 2022-23 season gets off to a bad start and Thibs is deemed to be the reason why, then Johnnie Bryant, the Associate Head Coach could take over. Bryant is highly respected and has great relationships with some the NBA’s best guards, most notably Donovan Mitchell. However, if recent reports are true, then that could be a wrench in Wesley’s succession plan.
Quin Snyder Is Out in Utah!!
The rumors have been confirmed, Quin Snyder has resigned as Head Coach of the Utah Jazz. Coach Snyder had one year left on his contract plus a coach’s option and was offered an extension. However, he felt it was time to go, that it was time for a new voice. Utah Jazz already had a huge summer ahead of them, having to revamp a dysfunctional roster. The issues start and end with their two stars, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. It was reported that Donovan Mitchell was disappointed and unnerved by the news of Snyder’s resignation. So Utah now needs to do whatever it takes to keep Donovan Mitchell from using Snyder’s resignation as an excuse to request a trade.
That has been reported that one of the leading candidates to replace Snyder is no other an the Knicks Johnnie Bryant. This could set off Leon Rose’s right hand man William Wesley which is a big deal since he has James Dolan’s ear. New York Knick fans will find out if it’s a good or bad thing. Two former Knicks who aren’t fond of the Leon Rose and World Wide Wes connection are Rasheed Wallace and Stephon Marbury. Let’s hope they are wrong.
The concern over losing Johnnie Bryant is real since he is held in high regard as confirmed by Marc Berman of the New Post when he was interviewed by us. The Knick of Time Show co-host Raw Hebrew Remnant asked Marc Berman during the interview if Thibodeau was on “the hot seat” and Mr. Berman responded “No question, no question about it“.
When asked if Johnnie Bryant would be considered the successor if Thibodeau was fired, Marc Berman responded as follows; “I mean if William Wesley calls the shots certainly so. He was behind Johnnie Bryant’s hiring”. Berman went on to elaborate on the great relationships Bryant has with players, most notably Donovan Mitchell, and how he was very close with Kemba Walker, especially when was benched by Thibodeau.
Thibodeau wants Johnnie Bryant gone!
Tom Thibodeau’s main support comes from his former agent, Knicks President Leon Rose, who has the last say on the head coaching job. But with the Utah Jazz job opening up, Leon will most likely not have the luxury of seeing how the 2022-23 season unfolds before having to make a decision on Thibs. William Wesley is not about to lose his security blanket without a fight. Wesley is capable of reaching out to Dolan again in order to keep Bryant. While the best thing that could happen for Thibs is for Johnnie Bryant to get the Utah Jazz job. But is Leon Rose willing to lose a shot at a star like Donovan Mitchell as he enteres his 3rd season as team president? Things are about to get extremely tense in the Knicks’ organization.
