#Knicks hiring Tom Thibodeau as next head coach

It took seven weeks, but the Knicks got their man in Tom Thibodeau, according to an NBA source.

The Knicks are finalizing a five-year deal with Thibodeau to become their next head coach.

As of Saturday afternoon no contracts were signed.

The 11-candidate race always seemed 10 outsiders and Thibodeau, despite some late signs of others emerging.

Due to his strong relationship with president Leon Rose, dating back to Rose being his rep at the Creative Artists Agency, Thibodeau had been the frontrunner all along, even amid a report Friday that Jason Kidd had overtaken him as the favorite because of stalled contract talks.

However, the talks didn’t stall too long, as the deal is reported at five years. The Post reported Friday that Thibodeau, the 62-year-old former Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves head coach, was still the favorite, with a source saying he had a 65 percent chance of landing the job.

The Post reported earlier in the week that Thibodeau, despite in the past picking his own staff, would have no problem if the front office helped choose some of his assistants.

Thibodeau’s .589 winning percentage would be the highest of any head coach hired the past two seasons.

He won NBA Coach of the Year with the Bulls in 2011.

Thibodeau becomes the Knicks’ 13th head coach since Jeff Van Gundy left in 2001. At the time, Thibodeau, then a Knicks assistant, was passed over for Don Chaney as head coach. Thibodeau was considered too close to Van Gundy to get the promotion. There were reports of bitter feelings between the Knicks and Thibodeau when he left the organization in 2004.

But that’s in the past. Rose has loved Thibodeau and his old-school demeanor that recently has met criticism.

“I want somebody that we think will be collaborative with the front office,’’ Rose recently said in his lone interview as Knicks president. ‘Someone that when you’re in that huddle, you’re looking in that coach’s eyes, every player that’s looking at him knows that person is driving the ship and going to get the job done.”

There’s a good chance either Mike Miller or Mike Woodson will be part of Thibodeau’s staff. Miller still has one year left on his contract. Thibodeau likely will hire his past assistant Andy Greer, who is from Manhattan and worked with Thibodeau and Van Gundy on the Knicks staff.