No firing of a head coach who fell short of expectations, should be surprising in pro sports. In New York City sports culture, it’s almost expected. Therefore, it was not a shock to those in tune with the high expectations and unreasonable standards organizations often hold for coaches, that Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau would get his pink slip from Leon Rose, just days after losing in the Eastern Conference Finals to the Indian Pacers in six games.
The Knicks were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers with a loss in Game 6 last Saturday night, falling two games short of their first NBA Finals appearance since 1999. It was the fourth postseason trip in his five seasons in New York for Thibs.
Thibodeau has been known for his ability to help rebuild and build teams into playoff contenders. His former teams were known for their grit and hard-nosed defensive mentality. It was an early staple of his teams in New York as he went 226-174, recording the fourth-most wins in history by a Knicks coach.
Reasons Why Tom Thibodeau Got Fired As New York Knicks Head Coach
Thibodeau faced increasing criticisms on several fronts as it pertains to his managing of the team, players and strategy. Issues that became a constant speaking point by fans and analysts were, heavy minutes for starters, outdated offensive philosophies, limited use of bench and rookies, inflexibility with game management and eventually, defensive concerns, as the Knicks became an offensive team with very little defensive grit.
Of course, if the players found a way to defeat the Pacers and advance to the NBA Finals against OKC, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. The head coach who began his career in Chicago and rode the legend of Derrick Rose to a name in the game, immediately endeared himself to New York fans because of his gruff demeanor and defense-driven style that reminded Knicks fans of the Patrick Ewing-led, hard-hitting Knicks of the 1990s.
“I am a Tom Thibodeau fan. He brought this team back,” wrote on X. “I felt he gave every bit of himself and was always looking to improve. I will always be grateful for how far he brought the Knicks. They are relevant again. They are championship contenders again. The Knicks became winners again with him.”
Knicks Fans Not Happy About Tom Thibodeau Firing
Knicks fans reacted quickly and strongly to the news, which many felt was inevitable, despite the growing success that the team had under his watch.
This is the first season that Thibs has gotten the opportunity to coach new additions Karl Anthony Towns, Miles Bridges and OG Anunoby along with established star Jalen Brunson. That’s a formidable four and the organization obviously feels that Thibs has taken the team as far as it can go under his guidance. The front office clearly has other ideas about how they want to run the team and who they want to lead it.
“He led us to the playoffs twice and this is how you repay him smh,” said one fan unhappy with the firing.
“Bet we don’t even make the playoffs next year,” griped another.
“The Bulls fired him 10 years ago saying a similar thing. They have two 1st round playoff appearances since,” added a third fan, citing how the Chicago Bulls have had little success since Thibs’ departure.
Knicks Fans Blame Leon Rose For Bad Moves, Trading Picks
Other Knicks fans blamed Knicks President of Basketball Operations, Leon Rose, for not taking accountability for constructing the current roster and giving up so many assets for players who were supposed to be better than they showed in crunch time.
“How do you trade a zillion assets for Mikal Bridges while watching Luka go for a song and wake up saying yeah, Thibs just doesn’t have what it takes to win a title,” said one fan criticizing the roster Leon Rose constructed.
“The owners always find a scapegoat to blame the defeat on. It is always a good coach instead of some bad players,” said another fan, blaming owner James Dolan for a bad firing.
“Meanwhile ZERO accountability from Leon,” barked another angry Knicks fan.
Now that the Knicks are moving in a new direction fans are also concerned for the future, as they surrendered a haul to get Miles Bridges who was in-and-out and looked uninspired during these playoffs, averaging 14.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 8 games.
It’s pandemonium in Knicks nation with fans’ early reaction being pro-Thibs under the official Knicks X page. If you scroll you will also find some fans who are very satisfied with him being fired and look forward to a younger Taylor Jenkins (former Memphis HC 2019-2025) or Sam Cassell getting a crack at the roster.
