Employed in 2020, Thibodeau went 226-174 with the Knicks. He turned the primary coach since Mike Woodson (2012-14) to finish his tenure with a profitable document and elevated a franchise that had been irrelevant for a lot of the 2010s.
Whereas Thibodeau must be celebrated for what he completed, together with main New York to the Jap Convention Finals for the primary time since 2000, the Knicks wanted to make this transfer.
The workforce has a proficient core, and it is truthful to marvel if Thibodeau received it so far as he may.
Regardless of being thought-about one of many sport’s high defensive-minded coaches, the Knicks could not cease the Pacers of their six-game collection loss, permitting 116.8 factors per sport.
With the workforce’s greatest stars, level guard Jalen Brunson and heart Karl-Anthony Cities, struggling defensively, Thibodeau’s type did not mesh with the workforce’s high expertise.
The Knicks want a coach who can maximize their offensive strengths whereas minimizing their defensive liabilities. With a finite variety of seasons as a bonafide contender, they could not look forward to (or count on) Thibodeau, 67, to turn into that coach.
Thibodeau additionally relied extra closely on his starters than every other coach, taxing the unit with substantial minutes. That wear-and-tear is not sustainable, and New York’s starters would doubtless have been subjected to the identical utilization in 2025-26 beneath Thibodeau.
The choice may backfire, however with some glorious candidates available on the market, together with just lately fired former champion head coaches Michael Malone and Mike Budenholzer, plus youthful former Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins, New York has intriguing choices to get the group again to the NBA Finals.
It is cheap to be skeptical of the Knicks, who we have grown accustomed to seeing get issues fallacious extra usually than they get it proper.
Thibodeau’s firing comes with dangers, however sustaining the established order would have had its personal penalties.
As an alternative of taking the identical method and anticipating a special final result, New York is attempting one thing totally different. What’s so loopy about that?
