Tom Thibodeau was shown the door, setting the potential stage for Jay Wright to again coach his former star players at what has been called “The Villanova Knicks.”
Well, not so fast, according to Wright’s CBS colleague Seth Davis.
“I have been working with Jay Wright on TV for three years,” Davis wrote in an X post Tuesday.
“Based on every conversation we have had, I would say there is a greater chance that I will be the next Knicks coach than him. The difference is if they call me, I will say yes.”
Davis, a CBS studio analyst since 2003, has been working with Wright since 2022 after the coach retired following 21 seasons at Villanova.
Wright said at the time he lost the “edge” needed to coach at the highest level.
His tenure was highlighted by leading Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges to two national championships in 2016 and 2018, while Josh Hart contributed to that first title.
Though he’s now an an analyst, Wright has been thrust into the Knicks’ coaching picture after the team was eliminated in six games by the Pacers and then booted Thibodeau.
Wright responded to a question about his dream job on “Pardon My Take” in 2020 and said “the Knicks,” but added “we’re kidding, of course.”
DraftKings oddsmakers have set Wright as a long shot to be the Knicks’ next coach, although The Post’s Stefan Bondy has said the sportsbook’s leader, ex-Nuggets coach Michael Malone, is not an option.
The Knicks’ next coach will inherit a must-win situation following a conference finals appearance and the East possibly more open due to Jayson Tatum potentially missing the 2025-26 season due to a torn Achilles suffered against New York in Game 4 of the second round.
The Knicks reached their first conference finals since 2000.