Knicks Coach Tom Thibodeau Says Kenny Payne Would Be ‘A Great Fit’ At Louisville

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has already seen one former assistant become the head coach at Indiana.

Now he may see one take the Louisville job as well.

After Mike Woodson left the Knicks to become the Indiana head man ahead of this season, former Louisville standout Kenny Payne is the favorite to replace Chris Mack on the Cardinals bench.

“I think (Payne) has great comfort in the college game because of the great success that they had at Kentucky,” Thibodeau told reporters in Milwaukee before the Knicks lost 123-108 to the Bucks on Friday. “I think for him, the Louisville job is obviously appealing because it’s his alma mater.”

He added that Payne would be “a great fit” at Louisville.

Payne, 55, played at Louisville from 1985-89 and was a member of the 1986 Final Four team under coach Denny Crum. He then played for the Philadelphia 76ers from 1989-93 before entering into coaching at the college ranks beginning at Oregon in 2004. Payne spent 10 years on John Calipari’s staff at Kentucky from 2010-20, helping Calipari recruit a slew of one-and-dones and McDonald’s All-Americans while winning the 2012 NCAA championship.

He’s now in his second season on Thibodeau’s staff for a Knicks team that is 23-27.

“He’s come into the league; he played in the league,” Thibodeau said. “And obviously having been in college, he studies the game, great with players. But he’s fit in seamlessly.”

He added: “He’d be ideal for (Louisville). He’s strong on both sides of the ball, he’s strong with individual development. And he’s been around. He brings a lot of experience to any situation that he goes to.”

Auburn’s Bruce Pearl had also been linked to the Louisville job, but the school on Friday locked him into an extension “for life” after Pearl guided the Tigers to the No. 1 ranking for the first time ever.

Other names linked to the Louisville job include Alabama’s Nate Oats and Arkansas’ Eric Musselman.

The school agreed this week to buy out Mack for $4.8 million after he failed to win an NCAA Tournament game in three-plus seasons and then appeared to lose the locker room in recent weeks.