2:03 pm: The Knicks have formally confirmed in a press release that they’ve relieved Thibodeau of his duties.
“Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans. This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we’ve decided to move in another direction,” Rose said in a statement. “We can’t thank Tom enough for pouring his heart and soul into each and every day of being the New York Knicks head coach. He led us not only with class and professionalism for the past five seasons, but also to tremendous success on the court with four playoff berths and four playoff series victories.
“Ultimately, we made the decision we feel is best for our organization moving forward. Tom will always be a part of our Knicks family and we truly wish him nothing but the best in the future.”
1:41 pm: The Knicks are parting ways with head coach Tom Thibodeau, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link).
The timing of the move is surprising, given that New York just had its best season in a quarter-century, coming within two wins of appearing in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999. While there were rumblings earlier in the year that Thibodeau would be on the hot seat if the Knicks made an early playoff exit, that chatter had quieted down following playoff series wins over the Pistons and Celtics.
Steve Popper of Newsday (Twitter link) says he heard from a source that Thibodeau believed he’d need to win that second-round series against Boston to keep his job. However, even that upset win proved not to be enough. The organization – which is “singularly focused” on winning a championship – believes a new voice on the sidelines can help the team take its next step toward a title, Charania explains (via Twitter).
According to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post (Twitter link), the decision to fire Thibodeau was made by president of basketball operations Leon Rose, with the support of ownership.
Thibodeau, who coached the Bulls from 2010-15 and the Timberwolves from 2017-19, was hired by the Knicks ahead of the 2020/21 season. He posted a 226-174 (.565) regular season record across his five years with the franchise, leading the Knicks to four playoff appearances and four series wins, with an overall record of 24-23 (.511) in the postseason. He was named the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 2021.
Thibodeau has received criticism over the years for his tendency to lean very heavily on his starters and not make much use of his bench. However, his players have typically been vocal in their support for him. Following the team’s elimination from the postseason over the weekend, Jalen Brunson bristled at speculation about his head coach’s future, responding, “Is that a real question right now? You just asked me if I believe he’s the right guy. Yes. Come on.”
The Knicks will still owe Thibodeau at least $30MM in guaranteed money, sources tell Ian Begley of SNY.tv (Twitter link). He had signed a three-year extension last summer that was set to go into effect in 2025/26.
New York will be just the second NBA team to launch a head coaching search this spring, joining the Suns. Phoenix has reportedly narrowed its search to a pair of Cavaliers assistants, Johnnie Bryant and Jordan Ott.
My god what. How stupid can you be.
He had to go if they want to reach the mountain top. His lack of building and trusting bench depth is an issue. He is a limited coach
Knicks will most likely finish worse next year, and then what?
First the coach is not good enough. Then the GM isn’t good enough. Then we realize the players have never been good enough.
If you want Thibs to play his bench and decent players, give him people to play and draft picks with talent to develop.
Its hard to believe people think Precious and Kolek are the answer to KAT refusing to play defense.
No they will not. It’s the new school Nba and this is old school. He took as as far as he can.
Thibs teaches defense, the thing that the Knicks suck at.
It isn’t about Leon Rose not giving Thibs good players. It’s about th not being able to afford good players given how much of their cap space is taken up y their starters. And the reason they can’t spend more isn’t because the owner is cheap, but because the restrictions the CBA places on teams that spend that kind of money make it impossible to acquire additional players.
They have to trade KAT if they want to be the best of 15 teams in the east…I don’t think they needed to fire Thibs.
They are never going any farther with their idiot owner. They played well above their talent level this year. Nice move moron.
As much as I can’t stand the owner myself, he has made zero decisions since he hired Rose.
Yeah Dolan has been out. I think this was about Towns. Not sure which way they will go now. I’m not a big Towns guy either.
@Casor
Could be, although they are pretty far from the top IMO. Who do you think they’re going to hire?
Knicks should do a full rebuild teardown. Brunson’s situation is only going to get worse as his family basically takes over the whole team – it’s toxic as all get out. Trade Brunson and send his stupid father with him.
hilarious
Either you have an elevated sense of humor or you’re a serious contender for the dumbest post of the day award.
Davey J is the “FankeStein” of the board lol.
He just vents regularly here as therapy
Do you think the Knicks would hire Brunson’s dad to coach?
That would be stupid, Brunson’s dad is not a Rhodes scholar.
Of course they will do that. I’m guessing he’s the pick.
I assumed Jay Wright was pricing NY real estate.
Has to be over Towns. Personally I don’t think he ever wanted him. Then they never fixed the bench to help him. I can see Rose’s side. Thought this would happen ….
@KnickAl
Who do you think will be the new coach?
Not really sure man. Wasn’t expecting this, this soon. Considering this is a Rose move. He will go for an offensive mind. Malone should be considered.
@ KnickAl
I think almost everyone wasn’t expecting this. Except maybe Thibs.
Malone is too similar to Thibs, if they want offense and experience they’ll look at Budenholzer.
Thibs likes D. KAT does not like D. Makes sense.
Are you related to Silivan?
Wow, who is the ideal/reallstic candidate to replace him?
Jeff Van Gundy
Sillivan, how is Jeff Van Gundy who hasn’t been a head coach in nearly 20 years qualified to win in the playoffs when Thibs apparently isn’t
Jeff Van Gundy is widely recognized as a top expert in the NBA.
His knowledge is based on years of on-the-court experience, which is comparable to top 3 current head coaches.
Did AI write that summary for you?
Mike Malone
Jay Wright. And if he declines, maybe the Pope. Villanova vibes.
If the Pope declines, maybe the Sports Pope, Mike Francesa.
Ha! That’s Mad, Dog.
D’antoni !
Run-n-gun .. unleash the kraken
Hilarious because it’s the Knicks.
He is not a qualified playoffs coach
1. Leading to fatigue — Play starters too much
2. Defensive weakness — 3 point defense
3. Lack of offensive creativity
I don’t believe that Wolves and Knicks are top 10 teams in the nba
-IF everyone is heatlthy
Huh?? Knicks 1st ranked defense 2 years ago
And 7th ranked defense this past year with their best defender being out all year and the loss of IH in free agency.
Players not picking up their man in pick and rolls has nothing to do with the coach it’s on them not communicating well on the court with one another.
Horrendous fouls on players also that’s not on Thibs.
The one thing you can argue and I agree is he should have 100 percent mixed in the bench more this past season and given the core guys some rotated breather minutes.
I’m just curious about 2 things here.
1. When he was hired after having the EXACT same thing about him said multiple times did they expect him to change?
2. Since the Knicks obviously expected him to change and he didn’t, Then how come that person didn’t go out the door with him?
Randle for Towns is flaw for a flaw. There seems to be plenty of blame to throw around here so why blame only the coach? But I guess that’s the way it goes. raz is right, It’s still funny.
The coach isn’t responsible for the fact that the starters averaged 11.7 turnovers per game in the series versus 7.0 for the starters for the Pacers. The starting 5 lost that series, not the head coach. Worth remembering that 27 other teams were eliminated first….
Oh man, but they got out of the second round and everything.
When you spend all that cheese and make 2 supposed franchise altering trades, leaving not much left, getting out of the second round, gets you fired in the big apple 🍎. IMO.
Has nothing to do with Thibs. Explain to me how it’s on him that the Knicks are absolutely atrocious in transition on both ends of the court. Huge let down from Hart/Bridges basically the entire Pacers series. Massive turnovers from everyone and the fact that KAT needs to learn to actually drive into the paint to draw in multiple defenders. I love the fact KAT can shoot the three as a Big Man but he needs be using his size inside way way more then he actually does. You can’t fault the Coach when you have your players making stupid foul after stupid foul and when the FO traded all those 1’s for Bridges who ended up basically being a dud come Post season with his turnovers and basically non existent defense. Again not saying Thibs can’t do things better or could have tweaked certain things throughout the season maybe resting KAT and JB more and get the bench players more in touch but end of the day I don’t think that warrants him to be removed from his HC duties. It’s on the players 110 percent. You don’t choke Game 1 at home in horrendous fashion the Series could have told another story. They also didn’t have their best defender in MR for basically the entire season. Anyone can spin it on the coach as much as they want this was on the players. When you don’t have your guys picking up defenders on basic pick and rolls and your opponents are hitting wide open threes yeah not Thibs by any stretch
Thanks for saying the same thing I did.
Knicks top management had to blame somebody so its always the head coach that takes the fall.
Arc it’s a bad roster. No depth and no defense. I’m actually surprised they got as far as they did. Big mistake if they extend bridges imo.
Its one thing if they were picked to win it all but they were not even a top 5 team in the NBA. So why blanme him give him 1 more chance.
“Explain to me how it’s on him that the Knicks are absolutely atrocious in transition on both ends of the court.”
Because he’s literally the coach? I don’t know how I feel about this move but acting like his team not performing in a major facet of the game is not somehow on the coach is bonkers.
When the other team is the better team. I wouldn’t call that roster a championship roster. There was a lot of holes.
Can only do so much with the players your given.
He had the best available all star level roster in NBA,you can’t get any better.But you could see on his face all these series he was out of ideas how to control and lead them,he reached his coaching ceilings and that’s it.You want playoff team,hire Thib.You want to win it all,look elsewhere
Truth is they lost to a team they were favored to beat. Never should of lost gm1. That changed everything. Thibs did get out coached in Pacer series. And the bench he could have handled it better starting after trade deadline. Imo this is more about Towns. Rose can’t look bad here. So the coach has to make it work.
Dumb
He’s not a championship coach. This was a good move. The problem is who can they hire that will certainly be better?
A championship coach is a coach that has won a championship, amirite? Im sure thats not how you meant it though
If you know basketball, You can usually tell coaches who have what it takes to win championships (championship coach) and ones who don’t. Apparently you don’t know basketball given your question.
Who’s a championship coach, oh smart one, Casor?
There is no one who would certainly be better but if you fancy yourself a smart front office and a good evaluator of talent, both on and off the court, it’s a bet you should be willing to make. And although this front office hasn’t been perfect I do think that’s a reasonable bet to make, even if that may scare some risk-adverse fans.
@shea
I agree with you 100% on taking the risk. I’m just wondering who they pick. This is the hard part.
As someone else mentioned Johnnie Bryant could be the guy, and the timing is interesting since he was recently named a finalist for the Suns job (and, of course, was previously a Thibs assistant). If that is indeed the case, at least they should be very familiar with his work. And maybe that kind of assurance gave them the confidence to pull the trigger on Thibs.
It’s weird given all the success he had here, but one could make the case that he took this group as far as he could. It’ll be interesting to see if they have someone lined up like JVG or Malone, or if they’ll have a process. I guess they have someone lined up.
JVG would be bizarre.
It’s gunna be Rick Brunson. How is this not obvious?
I’ve done some hiring and firing in my day. The next guy isn’t always better. Sometimes the next guy is worse. That’s the risk they are taking.
I mean hey, you’ve got to develop role players and give them actual playing time. The starters needed rest those first two games of the pacers series too. I didn’t think it would happen but also not surprised
Knowing the Knicks, they will bring back Van Gundy and lose in the first round next season.
I’m thinking Jay wright
The Knicks of like 5+ years ago, I would agree with you. But Rose actually seems to know what he’s doing.
And the owner has finally stepped out of the way.
Ok, What?
Knicks
Smh.
I hope Knicks find a way to get rid of KAT too. Not a fun player to watch at all. Been annoyed by him for years being a Minnesota resident and watching him on the Wolves.
Fair, but I just don’t see them making any big trades this year unless a perfect deal comes along. Most likely, they’ll bet on a new coach unlocking the offense and another year of familiarity hopefully paying off. And that’s probably the best course of action given the limited assets they now have.
sheagoodbye, agree 100%.
It’s too difficult to change the roster, so this is the only viable move. They have 8 months to evaluate under a new coach.
KAT has zero aura, he isn’t a champion, he will never win a title in this league.
Aura? HAHAHAHAHAHA
??? its been a thing. Champion teams have it, losers don’t. Watch the games.
So, the new coach will be forced to have Rick Brunson on his staff, huh?
Say hello to new head coach Rick Brunson.
It could actually happen.
LOL that guy cannot coach. Brunsons dad is not known for his intelligence. Wow Knicks, if you dont have Malone or someone like that lined up, this was stupid.
I would imagine a top tier hire is not going to be told that Rick Brunson has to stay on the bench if they are actually serious about wanting to win a ship.
Seems like the perfect situation for Doc Rivers. Once Giannis ask out of Milwaukee Doc will be right behind
Doc good years are all gone now he is just a baby sitter
Doc is the one coach who is worse than Thibs
I hate the culture of firing head coaches after things go wrong but I actually agree with this one. Love Thibs and fully expect him to land another head coaching gig soon but he had the best roster possible, no injuries, and he still couldn’t advance with this team.
Im a warriors fan and hate how this culture does NOT effect Steve Kerr at all, who apparently can have a healthy Curry and lose 3 years in a row. Guess Kerr has a lifetime appointment no matter what happens smh
He’s proven he’s not the problem when it come to winning a championship. But I agree he has the longest leash in the NBA as far as his job is concerned.
There’s been several coaches gone after less than 18 months after winning a title. June 2022 to now is a long time to underperform. Warriors should have easily finished top 4 the last 3 years.
At no point in his tenure including this season has Thibs had a championship contending roster. The knicks shot all their bullets (roster construction assets) and they still came up short. Time to rebuild.
Never has your username been more apt.
Care to make a counter point? You think Thibs has been given a roster capable of winning a championship and he blew it?
You’re making the provocative remark… since when do teams that go to a conf finals follow that up with a rebuild?
It’s on you to justify it.
> Care to make a counter point? You think Thibs has
> been given a roster capable of winning a
>. championship and he blew it?
They were never going to win a championship, even with a better coach. But the team underperformed with Thibs. He was badly outcoached by Carlisle.
Thibs is rigid and stubborn. He’s heard for 15 years that can’t contend without using your bench. He’s always refused to have a varied offense.
At 67 years old, Thibs is not going to change.
I think Thibs is a high floor, lower ceiling head coach who possesses many of the same faults today as he did a decade ago and shows no desire to, if not outright resistance toward, change in key aspects (offensive creativity, minutes allocation, etc). Thibs is who he is, which is an elite transition coach but a mediocre one on a legit contender.
Whether he’s worthy of another shot isn’t the issue; it’s whether I, or surely the front office, thinks he offers the best shot at a championship and I don’t believe that to be the case. Is there risk in switching to an unknown? Yes. But a front office afraid to pull that trigger probably shouldn’t have that job in the first place.
It’s not just about the championship this year. It’s about growth. Players under good coaches develop skills and/or improve every year. The Knicks haven’t shown much of that, and Thibs didn’t put effort into much of that (as shown by bench usage).
Wut?? Brunson became an all-nba player under Thibs.
There are other players on the team besides Brunson…
He won’t be out of work for long.
He’s 67, oldest of NBA coaches.
He’s done.
He’s incompetent and the game has passed him by. Time to take his gold watch and enjoy the games from a beachfront tv.
Yet he got a bunch of bad defensive players to play D.
KAT is overrated and fools gold, so is Brunson. Yes, both can score when they want, but they are poor defenders and do little to make others better on the floor.
Also, the get 3 stars and add water teams never win, unless you have Lebron.
Ask Philly.
Wow East is WIDE open next year. Celtics have a shot.
Nah the Celtics are gunna tear it down and build for Tatums return. Would not surprise me to see them try for a “Warriors 2020” lottery season to grab a cheaper potential young star to pair with Tatum.
Cavs cant keep this squad together because money
Knicks will be mids no matter what they do
Bucks are gunna trade Giannis and rebuild, exactly like Boston
Atlanta and Chicago more likely to blow it up than build
Pacers, Magic and Pistons gunna be the only over .500 teams in the East next year smh
Firing coaches must be the thing all the rich guys are talking about at their dinners.
I wish Lacob would eat with the other rich guys smh
Thank goodness for that, too many HC’s to get fired anyway, right?
Phill Jackson and Pat Riley did nor win there. Thibs should have got another year. Rose mortgaged the Farm on Bridges. They will not win a championship with Rose as DM on moves.
The timing of this (right before the Suns make a decision) tells me that they may be interested in Johnny Bryant.
He already has cohesion with the players, he’s worked with Rick Brunson, he has looked amazing with the Knicks and has done great work with Cleveland.
I think it makes sense.
He is also tight with World Wide Wes who brought him here as associate coach
Kudos to the Knicks here, didn’t think they had the balls to do this but it is most likely the right move. 9/10 teams probably keep him around for another year or two, at which point the window of contention might already be closed due to any number of reasons.
However, firing him is only half the story: you still need to replace him with someone better. And for all of Thibs’s faults, that isn’t a surefire thing. Now the real work begins.
I’m sure many Knicks players (and fans) will be upset about this move but they’ll get over it. We all do eventually. Complain and adjust.
Step 1: check.
Step 2: allow me to introduce Jay Wright.
I saw this coming.
Michael Malone – born in Queens, dad was an assistant with the Knicks. Just putting that out there.
It’s not a bad one. He’s been to the promised land.
I took a dump at laguardia once maybe they should make me towel boy…smdh
That is my bet.
This Knicks team lost to a better team because their 2 best players suck on defense. It isn’t because of Thibs. Thibs did himself no favors by waiting until the ECF to tinker with his rotations – that’s what the 82 game regular season is for (see, e.g. Carlisle, Rick 2025; Nurse, Nick 2019; etc.). But I don’t think he should have been fired.
Now they need to find a new coach. It will need to be one that wants to inherit Rick Brunson. And it will need to be one that is comfortable being unable to fire one of his assistants when things go south again.
In the end, KAT and Brunson suck on defense and that cost them the series. I know their offense went sideways in the second half of the season and wasn’t good enough in the playoffs to overcome their defense….but the offense is what it is because Brunson dribbles the air out of the ball and because they are trying to compensate for Brunson and KAT’s defensive shortcomings by giving significant minutes to guys who are good defenders but can’t make their own shots (Robinson, Hart).
I’m not even a Knicks fan, but this is stoopid with two Os. They should have fired GM.
So many ridiculous takes out there but to say they should fire Rose (I assume that’s who you mean by “GM”) might be the dumbest of them all.
Yeah great GMs give up 4 first rounders for Bridges. Is Billy King around?
Former Agents are usually not great GMs. They are bias and dont understand the game well enough.
I know this is hard for simpletons to understand but…
Bridges pick value comes from him being underpaid by 10-15M per season.
They also traded 100% dead salary (read: no players of value) for him…
5 first rounders, not 4
Wanting to get a new coach is fine, your prerogative but who you getting thats a better coach??
Better than Thibs?!?!?
Just about everyone & their granny, right?
> who you getting that’s a better coach?
Start with the requirement that Rick Brunson has to be an Assistant Coach, which narrows the field. Hoopsrumors has named the early entrants:
1. KnickerbockerAl. First to submit his resume.
2. Dave Fizdale. Never got fair shot, redemption time.
3, Mark Jackson. Dolan and he go a long way back.
Fizdale sucked and has a career 34.6 win%.
Jackson is 60 years old (only 7 younger than Thibs), and blackballed himself from coaching 11 years ago. He hasn’t even attempted to earn his way back as an assistant. He will never coach in the NBA again.
Naming Jackson is ironic as hell since he’s basically what the Knicks are saying Thibs is. He made them competitive and now they are looking for their Steve Kerr.
That is good that you see the irony, but you missed 1.
I can’t believe I’m saying this but I think this is actually the right move. His running players into the ground strategy is not conducive to post season success. I think the Knicks were absolutely gassed in the ECF
They were also gassed because they played a better team, and because the Pacers are deep. The Knicks starters make too much money for the team to also have a bench. That will get fixed by trading KAT, but it won’t be fixed by hiring a coach who isn’t Thibs.
@soxygen agreed on trading KAT, but if you think Thibs is doing anything good as a HC you are mistaken. Anyone besides Doc or Kerr is better.
I don’t disagree they played a better team in both talent and build. My point simply was they were gassed from the style in which Thibs coaches.
It’s the only move they should make.
So so stupid
It’s a move only a 2k’er could love. Maybe Rose is taking it up.
Unfortunately, the real problem remains. The defense the NYK played this past season is not consistent with title contention. Maybe the needed personnel changes were too difficult to make, so Rose decided to instead fire the HC, always the easiest move to make. Hopefully that’s not the case, and he intends to do the hard work too. But its hard to see this move as one leading to upgrading the NYK defense on the court.
Michael Malone is a great coach. If I were starting a team, he might be my first choice of HC’s. I’d love it if the NYK hired him at this point. WARNING to the 2k’ers though: You won’t like him, he’s a younger, louder Thibs. It took Malone a few years, but he eventually got Jokic and Murray to play defense, if, in the latter case, only for a year. Maybe he could do the same with KAT and Brunson. Still, though, to fire a real HC (Thibs) and then hire another real HC (Malone) would be the strangest of moves. Real HC’s are usually succeeded by Babysitters, and that’s what I expect here.
Thats who I like. Don’t have a clue what Rose will do
No clue either. But I think Rose already knows who he’s going to hire or at least where he’s going hunting. I don’t expect rounds of interviews like PHX is doing. More likely a former client of his.
Considering how quick this was. I agree he has a plan.
If you honestly think Thibs “play everyone as close to 48 mins as possible” style is one anyone would love, you are delusional.
LOL. You’ve obviously never played (or known anyone who has, at least anyone who would talk to you), and that’s typical of most here. Any real player, at any level, wants the HC to give him as many minutes as possible. If they get tired, they’ll ask out. The minutes obsession is a 2k issue only.
You must have never watched a single Warriors game in your life. Makes sense.
FankenStein ……. learn to argue and debate.
You will live longer …. trust me
> Any real player, at any level, wants the HC to give
> him as many.
Right, just ask Mikal Bridges.
Bridges was lobbying on behalf of his teammates. Another concept those like yourself seem to have a hard time grasping.
It’s a billion dollar industry, trust me when I tell you, what the players want DOES NOT MATTER.
Every single player thinks “I’m making millions, of course I want to play all 48”. It’s idiotic to listen to them.
Not true lol. There are players who look not to play. Look at Zion, Embiid, Wiggins. They get paid whether they play or not. You know catch a breath
I said “real” player.
I get why the Suns fired Bud but this and the Nuggets are certainly head scratchers. Mike Brown, come on down! You’re the next scapegoat for the NYK!
It won’t be Mike Brown, more likely to be Michael Malone
The Nuggets did just fine without Malone.
Cancun.
*With Lebron
Bring back Phil Jackson!!
I think it’s a good move and also think they will hire Michael Malone.
As soon as Denver fired Coach Malone, I immediately thought about that Idea and the major links he has to the organization. I did not want to see Thibs fired, but Malone makes sense. Jay Wright as well maybe?
Malone not too dissimilar to Thibs. Another “my way or the highway ” guy who doesn’t play and develop bench.I fail to see how he would be an improvement. I do feel that Thibs was outclassed by Carlisle. It happens.
I think you might know ball!
Johnnie Bryant, come on down. You’re the next head coach of the New York Knicks.
Dolan fires this guy but keeps Chris Drury.
Dolan had nothing to do with this. This is Rose’s firing.
Dolan never fires anybody who doesn’t ask to be fired (other than Mills).
His apologists must be dealing with severe anxiety…
Not like Raptors apologists/fans are worse…
Such a terrible HC, never once deserved this role.
Knicks achieved a level of relevancy they haven’t enjoyed for decades .. and they do this .. almost like the franchise is cursed .. wonder how long it will take them to forget how to play defense?
So the GM gave a three-year extension, set to begin next season, to Thibodeau last year. He then fires him after the guy makes it to the Eastern Conference Finals?
What changed between now and then? Or did he give a 3-year extension out to someone knew he was going to fire if he didn’t at least make it to the NBA Finals?
It seems really stupid. And, to me, it makes the GM look pretty bad.
He did get out coached by Carlisle …
Never used his bench till it was too late. Bench problems are not all on him. But he’s know it since end of season. Thibs took the hit for this. I get it.
My concern right now. Is Rose sold on Towns. Imo this is more over Towns.
Thibs went against Rose when he signed Founier. And he killed that move made Rose look bad. They weren’t even able to trade him. This to me looks like its over Towns. And Rose can’t lose there.
> Never used his bench till it was too late. Bench problems are not all on him.
> But he’s know it since end of season. Thibs took the hit for this. I get it.
The problem wasn’t that the Knicks bench was weak, but that Thibs, as is his fatal flaw, refused to use 6-9. The Knicks bench was not deep, but a strong 6-9 (McBride, Robinson, Achiuawa and Payne), was grossly under-utilized and unprepared for the playoffs. Meanwhile, as in Chicago and Minnesota, valid criticisms around fatigue and over-use injuries hung over the team.
From the outside, it’s complaints about the Knicks bench ring hollow. The Knicks invested in the most expensive starting 5 in the game. That always means 10-15 will be weak. You can’t have your cake and eat it too.
McBride is a 6’1″ shooting guard.
Achiuwa is a center in a PF’s body.
Payne is a backup PG on a team with Brunson and McBride.
This is not a strong 6-9. These Knicks were 6 deep and it showed against a team with actual playoff depth.
To me like in the Malone’s firing there’s a lot behind the scenes that wont be revealed. IMO he lost the locker room after game 2 and it was too late to make amends. He was forced to move his bench bc all the critics against his will and end up playing guys like Shamet or wright in the last quarter. I was watching him and he was not vocal only standing there with that stupid sour face, almost waiting for the season to be over at last. And thats what lead Rose to fire him, he saw that Thibs wasnt fighting anymore
Knicks doing something smart… Kudos to them… never gonna win a title with a starting 5 that plays as much as they do under Thibs during the regular season…
Next they need to move KAT…
Thibs lost his job with his horrible interviews in between quarters. Seemed very unpleasant and easy to hate as he would avoid eye contact, give two short answers and leave without saying thanks – every time. Well deserved firing for keeping d rose in the game up 10 with 50 secs to go.
lmao same ole knicks.
I saw this coming since the first round. The Pistons had the Knicks beat 5 games before the Knicks went on a run to win. Then they beat the Celtics and thought maybe he’ll keep his job. When you have two guys in Michael Malone and Taylor Jenkins who might be better suited for what the Knicks are trying to accomplish it’s a no brainer. Nothing against Thibs he’s a great coach.
What did I say —- 30 gms into season.
Start Precious he helps Towns look better on D. It also forces Bridges to be more aggressive on offense. Then Hart helps the bench. All Precious had to do was play 20 mins. Nobody listens to me —
What really happened here ????
Towns big man D was exposed —-
Brunson one on one D was exposed —
Knicks depth was exposed —
Bridges didn’t live up to star status —
These are the biggest things imo. Defensively Towns and Brunson is a bad mix. And having Hart a 6’4” player helping Towns and Brunson will not work. Hence put Precious there. But what you really need is defensive stud PF. That can play on perimeter. Thats how you help Towns n Brunson.
Bridges plain and simple has to level up. He had a good season. Is a good 2way player. Knicks got him to be a star. 18 pts a gm won’t get it. Has to be at 22 pts a gm. And be more clutch …..
Towns has to play decent team D. I see him give up on plays. I see him not box out. He takes plays off. There are ways to rest in gms. Without hurting your team. Obviously he hasn’t learned that yet. You have to manage his mins cause he will hurt you when he is tired.
The best way you help Brunson on D is by having a rim protector. A solid team D behind him …..
It’s up to Rose to help build this team for his coach. Yes there are cap restrictions. It still doesn’t mean you don’t do it. Knicks waited on Mitch and did nothing for bench. Rest of season. They never did anything for bench. Getting PJ just screams we are doing nothing for bench.
They didn’t listen to me.
I said sign TJ for playoff run. Thats a no-brainer.
Thibs has to take blame on bench . Also on not coaching up Towns on D. This is not all him. But we all know someone has to take the fall……. yeah
Imo Thibs is not a Towns guy. And Rose is right now.
So its best to part ways now.
I get this move. Unfortunately our history is not good when it comes to coaches and building teams.
So now we wait to see where this goes. I’m not a big Towns guy. And being capped out. Means you can’t really help him. I would trade Towns. Have no clue what Rose will do. The new coach hire should be telling. Here we go again NYK
KAT is a major road block for the new coaches success…
But at least the Knicks have a chance to figure it out with a new coach… KAT and Thibs was never going to work…
Trade for Steve Kerr.
If GSW swaps out Kerr for Andre I will cry tears of pure joy and never complain about anything ever again!!
I’m a Pacers fan.
Thibs refuses to play his bench if he doesn’t absolutely have to. he’s been that way since the Bulls.
His lack of playing any roster depth kills every team (and some players) come playoff-time. He’s great with players, gameplay, and builds a hard-knose culture.
His teams flame-out in the playoffs because his starters are gassed.
There is truth to what you say. Knicks didn’t have a bench. Thats not all on him.
Better assistant than head coach…
aristotle
June 3, 2025
> who you getting that’s a better coach?
Start with the requirement that Rick Brunson has to be an Assistant Coach, which narrows the field. Hoopsrumors has named the early entrants:
1. KnickerbockerAl. First to submit his resume.
2. Dave Fizdale. Never got fair shot, redemption time.
3, Mark Jackson. Dolan and he go a long way back.
—————————————
I’m not coaching material. I am more a talent evaluator a GM type. But i’m good as a scout lol.
Tell me having TJ wouldn’t have helped. They screwed him. Its why he left without saying nothing.
> I’m not coaching material. I am more a talent evaluator
> a GM type. But i’m good as a scout
Modest to a fault, as always.
If they’re not going to give you the whole operation, like a Pat Reilly or a Popovic, they should retain you like the Warriors or Clippers did with Jerry West, where you contribute behind the scenes. It only takes a couple of genius-level insights Iike your TJ recommendation to win a title.
But I can see how you’d
Mark Jackson is a decent idea. Definitely no to Fizdale and didn’t Rick Brunson get in trouble a couple years ago
In Thibs we Trust —- 🙏
Thank you sir ….
Thibs helped build this team. He helped all his bigs. He helped all his draft picks. Look around. Every player that came across him is doing better as a player now. The man is a lifer. They are special. That kind of gent is special to the game. This game I love … Enjoy your time off coach. 🙏
Hey Knicks, how about the Celtics trade Mazzula to ya?
Then you can have that wonderful 3 pt offense that works so well…until it doesnt.
Really? You went from nothing to ecf. Knick are nothing, really really nothing before he came. I really love thib, he dooesnt deserve it. Now who will be knick new hc? Fizdale? Lol… G0d d4mn you dollan…
It’s understandable that reaction to the firing is mixed, but I think Rose was thoughtful and unemotional about the decision. Thibs js a very good coach, but not a great one. He is excellent at making bad teams into good ones, but I have always felt his coaching style would prevent him from taking a team to a championship.
There’s almost no chance to get through 82 games and 4 playoff rounds riding your starters the way he does. He changed it up some the last 3 games but that’s too late.
Rose thinks this team has to win now and Thibs is the wrong guy. I think he’s right.
Unfortunately no team that includes KAT is ever winning a championship either, so let’s see if Rose is willing to address that. Plus Bridges, OG and Hart are all similar players and they need another scoring threat.
Tuck2, that’s the best analysis to date.
I don’t think KAT is himself the problem. Dirk heard similar criticisms in his career. Kevin Love did too. His defense at the four is fine if you have a rim protecting center next to him, but the problem is the Knicks didn’t have that option until the tail end of the year due to Mitchell Robinson’s injury/health, and they weren’t able to replace Hartenstein externally otherwise due to the apron.
In terms of the spacing (and rebounding) he provides, the Knicks basically ran Josh Hart as a 6’4″ center. I think Thibs overreliance on Hart (who embodies Thibs to a T) was ultimately his downfall as this was the reason his starters were “overworked”, and why they were slow to adjust as necessary in the playoffs.
If they think Thibs is the wrong guy, as someone who took them to 10 playoff wins this year, the next one has a nigh impossible high bar to clear in a short period of time. It doesn’t sound like they had a successor lined up. Especially if they’re throwing Jason Kidd’s name out there.
Thanks for laying the foundation down but we don’t appreciate anything in NY. Hold the door for me f … U