Tom Thibodeau

Knicks Coaching Notes: Thibodeau, R. Brunson, Udoka, Hurley

June 4th, 2025 at 7:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Despite enjoying the most successful tenure of any Knicks head coach this century by a mile, Tom Thibodeau was relieved of his duties following a six-game Eastern Conference Finals defeat by Indiana.

According to Ian Begley and Alex Smith of SNY.tv, Thibodeau will not be given a role in president Leon Rose‘s front office going forward. The three-year, $30MM contract extension he inked with the team last summer has yet to kick in, but the team will simply eat that money.

Thibodeau brought the Knicks to four playoff appearances during his five seasons in charge, posting a 226-174 regular season record and a 24-23 playoff record.

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In another SNY.tv story, Begley says he doesn’t believe the Knicks’ next head coach will be made to hold onto assistant Rick Brunson. However, Begley wonders if firing Brunson – the father of Jalen Brunson – might get the new coach’s relationship with the team’s All-NBA point guard on the wrong foot. The elder Brunson worked under Thibodeau throughout Thibs’ stint with the team.
Although Rockets head coach Ime Udoka has been floated as a possible next Knicks coach, a team source confirms to The Athletic’s Kelly Iko (via Twitter) that Houston does not intend to make him available. That’s also what Marc Stein reported when he first identified Udoka as someone who would be of interest to the Knicks.
Two-time champion UConn coach Dan Hurley has indicated he has no interest in taking the Knicks gig, per Dom Amore of The Hartford Courant. “Not another summer of that,” Hurley said, alluding to the Lakers’ 2024 pursuit of his services. Sources tell Dan Burges of The New Haven Register that the Huskies aren’t seriously worried about the possibility that Hurley would leave.

Latest On Knicks’ Coaching Job

June 4th, 2025 at 10:21am CST by Dana Gauruder

While numerous rival NBA executives believed that the Knicks had a replacement lined up before firing Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday, that’s not the case, Marc Stein reports in his latest Substack article.

The Knicks have fostered the notion that this decision was made by team president Leon Rose but many of the same executives are skeptical of that story, Stein says, considering Rose’s close ties to Thibodeau and the fact that Rose insisted on hiring him.

Meanwhile, numerous league observers acquainted with the inner workings of the Knicks organization believe owner James Dolan has been a “non-fan” of Thibodeau for a long time. Dolan reportedly sat in on post-season meetings with key players.

Two head coaches who are not currently available but said to interest the Knicks are the Mavericks‘ Jason Kidd and Rockets‘ Ime Udoka. However, Stein hears that Houston would deny any attempts by the Knicks to interview Udoka and the Mavs would likely do the same regarding Kidd, though he could not immediately confirm that.

Kidd, who played for the Knicks and interviewed for their head coaching job in 2020, has two seasons left on a contract extension he received during last season’s playoffs. He has also has close ties to Giannis Antetokounmpo, whom the Knicks are expected to pursue in trade talks if Milwaukee makes him available.

Among available coaches, former Villanova coach Jay Wright and Cavaliers assistant Johnnie Bryant — a finalist for Phoenix’s head coaching job — are presumed to be likely candidates. Wright has repeatedly said in the past he’s not interested in coaching in the NBA, though several of his former players are key players for the Knicks.

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Numerous sources told Adam Zagoria (Twitter link) that it’s doubtful Wright would come out of retirement to coach the Knicks. Seth Davis, who has worked closely with Wright at CBS in recent years, is also extremely skeptical about the idea that Wright would want the job (Twitter link).
Their search will include college coaches and won’t be limited to current assistants or former NBA head coaches, Kris Pursiainen of Clutch Points tweets.
The Knicks better find their “Joe Torre,” who won multiple championship with the Yankees, Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post opines, arguing that the decision to dump Thibodeau makes no sense otherwise.
Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reiterates that he’s hearing former Nuggets coach Michael Malone is not a candidate.

Latest On Thibodeau Firing, Knicks’ Coaching Search

June 3rd, 2025 at 6:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The obvious question for the Knicks now is ‘Who is Tom Thibodeau‘s replacement?”

In the aftermath of Thibodeau’s shocking firing on Tuesday, speculation is already running rampant about who the Knicks will choose in the hopes of finally getting to the Finals in future seasons.

The Athletic staff compiled a list of names, in alphabetic order, that included Dave Bliss, James Borrego, Johnnie Bryant, Mike Brown, Taylor Jenkins, Darvin Ham, Michael Malone, Micah Nori, Chris Quinn, Sean Sweeney and even former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy.

Brown (Kings), Jenkins (Grizzlies) and Malone (Nuggets) were all dismissed from their head coaching jobs this season. Bryant, a former Knicks assistant to Thibodeau, is reportedly a finalist for the Suns’ head coaching position.

Stefan Bondy of the New York Post tossed in some names from the college ranks, including two-time national champion Dan Hurley, who declined the Lakers offer last summer to stay at UConn. Bondy also mentioned Alabama’s Nate Oats and Arkansas’ John Calipari into the mix.

Former Villanova coach Jay Wright, along with NBA head coaching veterans Mike Budenholzer and Frank Vogel, were among the candidates that ESPN’s Zach Kram offered.

Here’s more on the Thibodeau firing and its implications:

In the statement released by the team after Thibodeau’s dismissal, the stated goal was “our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans.” According to ESPN Tim Bontemps’ sources, that is indeed why the move was made. The Knicks decided a new voice was needed to lift this franchise to the next level. Bontemps pointed out that the team’s high-priced starting five was outscored from Jan. 1 through the end of the regular season and also struggled in the postseason until Mitchell Robinson was inserted into the lineup.
The way the front office handled exit interviews after the season was different, Ian Begley of SNY TV reports (Twitter video link). The team’s top players were called in to meetings that included owner James Dolan, though the team’s president was the one who made the ultimate decision. Leon Rose had previously been a staunch supporter of Thibodeau but his feelings waned through this season. “Leon Rose obviously saw something different over the past year-plus that led him to believe that this is the right move for the franchise with James Dolan backing Leon Rose there,” Begley said.
A source told NJ Advance Media contributor Adam Zagoria that New York would be a “good landing spot” for Malone, who has ties to the area. Malone was born in Queens, N.Y. and played point guard at Seton Hall Prep. His late father, Brendan Malone, was a Knicks assistant under Hubie Brown. However, Bondy tweets that Malone replacing Thibodeau is “not going to happen.”
Thibodeau deserved another season, James Edwards of The Athletic opined, considering he was pivotal in bringing the franchise back to prominence. Edwards noted that the core group had just been pieced together this season. Now, there’s pressure to make sure the next head coach is the perfect hire or else the franchise could suffer major setbacks, Edwards concludes.

Knicks Dismiss Tom Thibodeau

June 3rd, 2025 at 2:03pm CST by Luke Adams

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.

Knicks Notes: Hart, Tucker, Towns, Bridges, Thibodeau

June 1st, 2025 at 9:00am CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks just completed their most successful season in over two decades, but that doesn’t guarantee the core of the team will stay together, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. After winning 51 games and reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years, the season ended in disappointment Saturday night with a 17-point loss at Indiana in Game 6.

New York was favored heading into the series and appeared to be good position to reach its first NBA Finals since 1999 after dispatching the Celtics in the second round and seeing the top-seeded Cavaliers lose to Indiana. However, the Knicks let a big lead slip away in the opener against the Pacers and weren’t able to recover from a 2-0 series deficit.

Reflecting on the season, Josh Hart told reporters that changes often follow when teams fall short of their goals.

“You’re always going to hear me say, ‘Run it back,’” Hart said. “I think you heard me say the same thing last year with the guys we had. I’d like to do it. I feel like this team is good enough to make the next step. But it’s a business. And when you don’t get to where you feel like you could’ve or should’ve, changes are made.”

With Hart, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride all under contract for next season, the Knicks have the option to attempt another run at the Finals with the same group intact. But they were in a similar position a year ago and opted for two major offseason trades that brought in Bridges and Towns.

“This is my eighth year. This is my fourth organization. I’ve had six or seven coaches,” Hart said. “It’s tough, we’re going to have to see. Don’t think you can ever be too comfortable. I’ll open [the X app] one day and I’m somewhere else. That’s what’s disappointing the most, knowing there’s a good chance this team might not be back in totality.”

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The path to the conference finals wasn’t smooth, as players held several team meetings to help them refocus after losses, league sources tell James L. Edwards and Fred Katz of The Athletic. They note that the team had to deal with disputes on the bench, criticism that coach Tom Thibodeau was leaning too heavily on his starters, and player comments regarding “sacrifice,” “egos” and “agendas.” A players-only meeting following the Game 5 loss at Boston was called by P.J. Tucker, whom the authors say was signed as a free agent to help bring order to the team. The front office believed there was a need for better locker room leadership, so the 40-year-old Tucker, who only appeared in three regular season games, was added in April instead of someone who could provide more help on the court.
Teammates and coaches were frustrated throughout the season by Towns’ poor defensive habits, Edwards and Katz add. Sources tell them that Towns would often fail to execute the correct coverage without explaining why, leading some players to believe he “didn’t grasp the importance of the matter.”
Bridges will become eligible for a four-year, $156MM extension this summer, which will be the next step in seeing if management plans a long-term commitment to the current roster. Edwards and Katz report that Bridges’ fit wasn’t as smooth as expected, as he “shied away from physicality,” missed too many jump shots and didn’t provide the consistent defensive presence that he displayed earlier in his career. He also talked to the press in March about the starters playing too many minutes, which the authors state is a taboo subject to discuss publicly on Thibodeau teams.
Thibodeau’s job appears to be safe, as he has strong support from team president Leon Rose and Brunson, according to Edwards and Katz, although they point out that owner James Dolan has the final decision. Brunson bristled at speculation about his coach’s future after Saturday’s game, relays Jared Schwartz of The New York Post, responding, “Is that a real question right now? You just asked me if I believe he’s the right guy. Yes. Come on.”

Knicks Notes: Bridges, Thibodeau, Brunson, Focus

May 20th, 2025 at 8:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Knicks should prioritize an extension for Mikal Bridges this offseason, Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post opines.

While Bridges isn’t an All-Star at the level of Jalen Brunson, he’s proven his value with game-changing plays during the postseason after an underwhelming regular season, Vaccaro writes. He’s also extremely durable. Bridges could sign a four-year extension worth up to $156MM this offseason, which would make sense for both sides. However, Bridges could choose to wait until free agency in 2026 with the hope of getting a more lucrative deal.

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Tom Thibodeau has been criticized in the past for sticking with the same formula but that hasn’t been the case in these playoffs, James Edwards III of The Athletic writes. New York made more switches defensively than it ever did during the regular season in order to throttle Boston’s attack. Thibodeau also allowed Bridges to initiate the offense more often in pick-and-rolls with Brunson on the bench. The team’s regulars have also made it to the conference finals in good health despite Thibodeau continuing to rely heavily on his starters.
Brunson changed his workout routine after he left the Mavericks to sign with the Knicks, his personal trainer Dave Williams told Mark Medina of RG.org. “The workouts were basically the same, but they evolved,” Williams said. “In New York, I knew he’d have the ball in his hands all the time. In Dallas, he played alongside Luka (Doncic), who was more ball-dominant. So in New York, we focused more on one-on-one moves and shooting off the dribble. We did more pick-and-roll work and had him shooting threes off the pick-and-roll. We increased the threes a lot. When I hear commentators say he got better at shooting off the dribble, that has me smiling inside.”
The Knicks need to take advantage of this opportunity because another one might not come along, Vaccaro writes in another column for the New York Post. While the roster is built to take multiple shots at a championship, they can’t count on getting to this spot again. Vaccaro points out that the NHL’s Rangers, who share Madison Square Garden with the Knicks, made the conference finals last season and didn’t make the playoffs this season.
Peter Botte of the New York Post breaks down the matchups and 10 factors that will decide the series between the Knicks and Pacers.

Karl-Anthony Towns Suffers Hand Injury In Game 3 Loss

May 10th, 2025 at 9:41pm CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns appeared to say “I broke it” (Twitter video link) after getting hit on his left hand in Saturday’s game, writes Bridget Reilly of The New York Post.

Towns declined to elaborate on the injury when talking to reporters after the game. Reilly notes that he was able to remain on the court, although he shot just 5-of-18 in a 22-point loss to Boston.

“It is what it is. I just want to do whatever I can to be out there,” Towns responded when asked if he has a broken finger. “It is what it is. I’m gonna keep finding ways to play, so I ain’t tripping.”

Reilly adds that the reaction captured on the ABC broadcast came after Towns battled Luke Kornet for a rebound late in the second quarter. He was also seen wincing in the third quarter following a foul by Jrue Holiday. Towns posted 21 points and 15 rebounds, but he went just 1-of-5 from three-point range and is shooting 14.3% from beyond the arc in the series.

Towns refused to reveal whether he underwent an X-ray or any other tests after the game, saying he would “let [the Knicks] tell you that.”

Coach Tom Thibodeau was also guarded about releasing information on Towns’ condition, according to Brian Robb of MassLive.

“It’s the playoffs,” Thibodeau said. “People are going to get hit and you have to play through things. That’s why you do it the entire season. No one is 100 percent. You have to understand that you can play well when you’re feeling less than your best, that’s all part of it. I think the mental toughness part of this in the playoffs is huge.”

Towns will have one day off to rest the hand before the series resumes Monday night.

Knicks Notes: Brunson, Thibodeau, Bridges, Towns

May 2nd, 2025 at 8:14am CST by Arthur Hill

Jalen Brunson delivered a moment that will live forever in Knicks‘ history when he sank a three-pointer in the final seconds Thursday night to close out their series with Detroit, writes Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post. With Game 6 tied on New York’s final possession, Brunson drove hard to the left, then crossed over to lose Pistons defender Ausar Thompson (Twitter video link from the NBA). By the time Thompson recovered, Brunson had already released the straightaway three that decided the series.

“I found a way to create separation,” said Brunson, who capped off a 40-point night. “I shot a little earlier than I wanted to but I had to shoot it, and I got the ball to go in.”

As Vaccaro points out, Brunson’s heroics weren’t limited to the final shot. After the Knicks let a 12-point fourth quarter lead slip away and faced a seven-point deficit with two and a half minutes remaining, Brunson took over the offense to prevent Detroit from forcing a Game 7. First came a three-point play on a six-foot floater, followed by a reverse layup under the basket. On the next possession, the Pistons surrounded him on a drive to the hoop, allowing Mikal Bridges to easily tip in the miss.

“What can you say?” coach Tom Thibodeau said after the dramatic victory. “He’s timely, he’s at his best when his best is needed. That’s what makes him special.”

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Brunson’s shot altered the team’s future to a degree that’s impossible to measure, states James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. If New York had lost the series, Edwards believes there definitely would have been conversations about replacing Thibodeau, and owner James Dolan would have considered front office moves as well after major offseason deals to acquire Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns put the franchise into luxury tax territory.
Bridges delivered his best game of the playoffs with 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting, per Steve Popper of Newsday. Popper notes that the Knicks traded for Bridges and OG Anunoby to match up with Boston wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and they’ll get that chance in the second round. “Yeah, they’re a hell of players and got moves for days and physical,” Bridges said of the Celtics duo. “Yeah, definitely a challenge, but it’s never one-on-one. You got four guys behind you, your teammates, so it’s just team defense and just helping each other out.”
The Knicks will have to recover quickly from a physically and mentally draining series to have any chance against Boston, observes Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports. Towns has some experience in facing a defending champion in the playoffs as his Minnesota team ousted Denver in seven games last spring. “With that experience, we learned a lot,” Towns said. “You gotta be ready for Game 9, you gotta be ready to have that energy and emotional capacity.”

Knicks Notes: Hart, Towns, Bridges, Payne, Thibodeau

April 28th, 2025 at 10:01am CST by Arthur Hill

Josh Hart has maximized his value to the Knicks by putting aside any personal dreams of stardom, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Throughout his career, which included stops with four teams in six years before he found a home in New York, Hart always believed he could be more than just a scrappy player who tends to make the right play at the right time.

He told Edwards that he adopted a new mindset this season and is now focused on finding ways to make his high-profile teammates better. That led to setting a franchise record with nine triple-doubles during the season and averaging career highs of 9.6 rebounds and 5.9 assists along with 13.6 points per game.

“I think it’s realizing … for me, I feel like I’ve grown in my faith more,” Hart said. “I’ve been trying to take on that servant mentality. I want to make sure I can cater to these guys and make sure that they’re successful and put in the right positions to blossom.”

Edwards states that Hart often points to Celtics guard Jrue Holiday as an example of sacrificing individual glory for the greater good. Holiday was a two-time All-Star who accepted a reduced role in Boston’s offense to help produce a championship, and he’s in a unique position to understand Hart’s value to the Knicks.

“Even though people might say, like, he doesn’t shoot the ball well enough or do whatever, he makes plays, and he makes the game easier for everybody else based off his play,” Holiday said. “And it’s not just his effort. He’s really smart. He gets to the basket. He offensive rebounds. Things that guys don’t really want to do, he’s excellent at it. Guys who really take that to heart and can really play that type of game, I feel like you can be in the league as long as you want to if you play that way.”

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Karl-Anthony Towns scored eight of the team’s final 10 points in Sunday’s win at Detroit, and one of the clutch shots was a fadeaway he developed while working with Kyrie Irving last summer, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Towns said Irving taught him the finer points of the shot, including where to hold the ball and how to launch it above the defender “It’s something that I never really had,” Towns said. “And it didn’t look as good. And I was able to iron my game out watching a great like him. One of the most talented players the NBA has ever seen and just did it as best I could to add my little flavor to it. It may not look as good as his — I ain’t going to lie, I think it’s pretty damn ugly — but it’s effective when I need it to be.”
Mikal Bridges hit two late three-pointers Sunday after shooting just 1-of-10 from the field in the first three quarters, per Jared Schwartz of The New York Post. Bridges said he drew inspiration from his teammates, particularly Cameron Payne, who has seen limited playing time since scoring 14 points in the series opener. “I think the biggest is Cam Payne,” Bridges said. “He’s big on voicing, helping me out. Sometimes, him calling me some not good names helps as well. It just feeds off that.”
Coach Tom Thibodeau deserves more credit for the adjustments he has made throughout the series, including getting more shots for Towns after he was shut down in Game 2, contends Ian Begley of SNY. Begley notes that Thibodeau’s job might have been in jeopardy with a first-round loss, but he has responded with a high-level coaching performance.

Knicks Notes: Game 3 Adjustments, Toughness, Hart, Brunson

April 24th, 2025 at 6:25pm CST by Earnest Marshall

All eyes are on Tom Thibodeau ahead of the Knicks’ Game 3 against the Pistons, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post writes in a subscriber-only story.

New York should theoretically have an advantage as a team that went all-in on its roster last offseason against a less experienced Detroit squad. At the time of writing, the Knicks went on a quick early run to get ahead of Detroit. The series is tied at 1-1 entering Thursday’s game, though the Knicks were a late Mikal Bridges three-point attempt away from tying Game 2.

“If that [Bridges] shot goes in, we’re probably not talking about the other stuff. But that’s playoff basketball,” Thibodeau said. “And then, what do you learn from the game, and how do you reset and get ready for the next one. And I think all that stuff is important. Each game, take what happened in the previous game, study and get ready for the next one.”

As Bondy writes, the Pistons were able to exploit the Knicks with hard screens and box outs in Game 2, and so the onus is on Thibodeau to counter those moves. One suggestion Bondy adds is for Thibodeau to turn to the big pairing of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson more often. Pistons center Isaiah Stewart is out for Game 3, per The Athletic’s Hunter Patterson (Twitter link), and so going big could help counter Detroit.

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The Pistons’ run to the playoffs after being the worst team in the league last year is a testament to their grit and strength, Jared Schwartz of the New York Post opines. So far in their first-round series against the Knicks, they’ve out-muscled New York. Detroit’s Tobias Harris implied that the difference in the two teams’ physicality is a core tenet of the team’s playoff game plan, and the Knicks will need to respond appropriately in Game 3.
Josh Hart took accountability for part of what went wrong for the Knicks in Game 2, Bondy tweets. Hart said he needed to stop complaining to the refs as often due to it distracting from the game. “It definitely takes you off your game,” Hart said. “I think controlling it that just comes from within, kind of focusing on controlling what you can control. We can’t control what they’re calling. … We can just control how we respond to it. Last game I responded terribly. I have to make sure I fix that, [Towns] fixes that, and move on from it.“
Star guard Jalen Brunson won the Clutch Player of the Year award on Wednesday after averaging the most clutch points in the league. He spoke on the honor to SNY’s Ian Begley (Twitter link). “It means a lot,” Brunson said. “It’s a credit to us winning close games and my teammates and coaches having my back.”

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