The New York Knicks went through years of mediocrity. Misses in the draft. Misses in head coaches. Misses in the ownership. The once successful franchise was mired in a state of stale and lackluster expectations. Then the franchise hired Tom Thibodeau. Things changed. Now he’s gone.
During Tom Thibodeau’s tenure, the New York Knicks escaped from that mediocrity. They had a semblance of what success looked like, including back-to-back 50-win seasons and being in the conversation of the Eastern Conference’s elite teams. The Knicks were one series win away from reaching the NBA Finals.
Under Thibodeau, the New York Knicks scraped their way out of the bottom pits of the league and made a seat at the table for themselves. Jalen Brunson entered the superstar stratosphere. Life for Knicks fans changed.
Then, a few days after the Knicks were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, Tom Thibodeau was fired as the Knicks’ coach. In some ways, the argument could be made that the dismissal was justified. The Knicks had struggled defensively and offensively in the series against the Pacers. The Pacers’ Game 1 comeback left a sour, if not nauseating, taste in the mouth of New York fans, and almost justifiably so; it seemed the Knicks never recovered from it.
Much could be said about the series, so yes, in some ways, the dismissal of Thibodeau could make sense. But it makes zero sense. Even more so, now it seems that the Knicks’ leadership has zero semblance of a plan. Firing one coach, who had been as successful as Thibodeau, requires some well-mapped-out plan for his successor. The Knicks have, apparently, no plan.
The request is to speak to coaches who already have a job. Slightly comical. Buzz around requesting to talk to Jason Kidd…makes sense. But just because it makes sense doesn’t mean it does. Jason Kidd and the Mavericks brass hit the proverbial jackpot when they landed the #1 draft pick in the upcoming draft. After what was a confusing, albeit interesting, choice to trade Luka Doncic midseason, the Mavericks could not have asked for a better change of their luck. Sure, Kidd could say he is done with all the chaos and head to the Mecca of basketball, but he could also choose not to do that. That leaves the ball entirely in Jason Kidd’s court and not the Knicks.
Dismissing Thibodeau seems to be a rash decision to put a Band-Aid on a season that ended disappointingly. There wasn’t a coach lined up to be his successor. And now with talks of Mike Brown and Taylor Jenkins, both of whom were dismissed from their coaching jobs unjustly, the Knicks seem to have landed in the stratosphere of every other team looking to find a new head coach.
Find someone. Anyone.
What Tom Thibodeau did for the New York Knicks should not be undervalued. The continued conversation of not utilizing the bench and overplaying his starters undermines the work he did. After several missteps, Thibs brought stability and respectability back to the Knicks.
“Say what?” in New York (photo courtesy USAToday)
There was never a doubt that a Thibs team would be prepared or focused on the game that they were playing. Even with the missteps throughout the season, the Knicks persevered against hardships and devastating losses. They were a team defined by hard work and grit, which started with Tom Thibodeau.
Once a joke of the league, under Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks became anything but. Whoever replaces him must take the Knicks to the next level. The next level is the NBA Finals. That will be the only way that Thibodeau’s dismissal will make sense. Currently, the Knicks’ leadership appears to have made an ill-timed decision, prompting the fan base to question whether the past five years of competency were just a blip.
The seesaw of the NBA offseason has already consumed the New York Knicks’ fan base. Searching for a new coach.
–Will the new coach keep the current staff or hire a new one?
–Will the team chemistry still be intact?
–Will the roster make any notable changes?
A myriad of questions with no current answers. The problem is that the Knicks had a coach. Then they let him go.
For what it’s worth, Tom Thibodeau quietly walked out the door and didn’t cause a stir. He treated the New York Knicks’ organization with respect. When they fired him, they sent out a statement and didn’t have media availability.
Five years of stability and relevance get you a push out the door with barely a thank-you note.
Good luck to the next guy.
