Knicks bringing in strange face for head coaching interview

The New York Knicks are bringing in a Minnesota Timberwolves coach to interview for their open head coaching job…and it isn’t Chris Finch.

Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the team is formally interviewing Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori. The Knicks have already interviewed Mike Brown and Taylor Jenkins since firing Tom Thibodeau on June 3.

Recently, James Borrego was also mentioned as a possible candidate to land an interview before Nori did. 

Nori has never been a head coach but is a longtime assistant in the NBA. Since 2009, Nori has been on staff for the Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, and now the Timberwolves.

The Knicks were previously shut down by the Timberwolves earlier this offseason after requesting permission to speak with their head coach, Chris Finch. New York was also denied by the Chicago Bulls (Billy Donovan), the Atlanta Hawks (Quin Snyder), the Houston Rockets (Ime Udoka), and the Dallas Mavericks (Jason Kidd). 

After the initially wide net being cast in their coaching search, the Knicks seem to finally have a sense of who is considered a serious candidate to replace Thibodeau, with Nori now becoming the third coach to formally receive an interview.