On Tuesday, the breaking news of the firing of New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau came as a surprise. Thibodeau led the Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals and was two wins away from an NBA Finals appearance. There is nothing the state of New York wants more than a Knicks championship, however, if that is going to happen, a new coach must lead them to glory.

There will be a lot of names circulating the coaching scene and especially for this job. Coaching the Knicks comes with a ton of responsibilities. Thibodeau did a great job of bringing this team back into playoff contention, but he was unsuccessful at getting them over the hump.

After the firing of Thibodeau, names like Jay Wright, Michael Malone, Kenny Adkinson, and Mike Budenholzer seem to be early favorites. Well, that is not what Bovada thinks.

Bovada Sportsbook released the odds for the Knicks' head coaching job. A name at the top of the list is not one you would expect to see there.

Johnnie Bryant is at the top of the list at +240 to become the next Knicks head coach. He is currently the associate head coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers after spending four seasons as the Knicks' associate head coach.

With recent history with the Knicks and the Cavs' dominance this season, seeing Bryant among the core candidates isn't a shock. However, seeing him with the best odds does come to a bit of a surprise.

Betting odds for next Knicks head coach

The shocking betting favorite to replace Tom Thibodeau as Knicks head coach
Credit: Vincent Carchietta

Here are the odds for New York's next head coach.

Johnnie Bryant +240

Kenny Atkinson +400

Mike Budenholzer +950

Patrick Ewing +950

Sam Cassell +950

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James Borrego +950

Frank Vogel +1100

Chris Quinn +1400

Jay Wright +1400

Mark Jackson +1400

Mike D'Antoni +2000

*These odd are subject to change*

A name that stands out there is Patrick Ewing. His coaching career has not been close to his playing career, but as a Knicks legend, it's not shocking that his name is there, although you can almost count on him not being the next head coach.

Adkinson, Borrego, Wright, and Malone all make sense. Malone doesn't have odds as of yet, but after his recent firing from the Denver Nuggets, we could see his name surface more and more.

For the Knicks' sake, they should absolutely not rush this hiring process.