The Knicks fired Thibodeau and have not yet chosen a new head coach. A-Smith said Mark Jackson is the right person.

He said: "I'll keep mentioning the name Mark Jackson because he's been out of the industry for ten years as a coach. There's no doubt that it was the guy who laid the foundation for the Golden State Warriors before Cole was introduced and took over, took advantage of the previous foundation and won four championships. Mark Jackson made his mark at Bishop Lochling High School, shining at St. John's University, and as a New York Knicks player, he has a deep understanding, feeling and resonance in New York."

"He is a native of New York, so if he comes to speak for the New York Knicks, we don't have to worry about hearing James Dolan (he hides from us) or team president Rose (he hides from us too). We have issued a whole-district notice to them, and we don't have to worry about people like that, because you have people like Mark Jackson. But I understand that this is likely not to happen. No one can question Kidd's qualifications, and you certainly can't question Mike Malone's qualifications because he is the champion coach."