Possibly the biggest question of the Knicks offseason has already been answered.
Just days after being eliminated from the Eastern Conference Finals, New York made the announcement that they have relieved Tom Thibodeau of his duties as head coach, meaning a team that just made a deeper playoff run than they had in the previous 25 years will need a new leader on the sidelines next season.
That key offseason question was answered quickly and swiftly, but now, that decision brings up a load of new questions about the fallout of this decision, and where the Knicks go from here.
The obvious first question is who the Knicks will task with getting the team over the hump and to an NBA Finals. Recent champion Mike Malone was fired by the Nuggets just before the end of the regular season, and former Thibodeau protégé Johnnie Bryant is another name to watch. But what will that new head coach bring to the locker room? What changes will he make to Thibodeau’s staff?
It’s no secret that assistant coach Rick Brunson has deep Knicks ties in addition to being the father of the team’s biggest star since Patrick Ewing. Would a new head coach bring aboard a new staff that would push Brunson out? How would Jalen Brunson react to such a move?
On the subject of Jalen, the face of the franchise, he was borderline incredulous when asked about Thibodeau’s job security after the Knicks dropped game six to the Pacers. After being dumbfounded by the question, he made it clear that he had the utmost confidence in Thibodeau’s ability to get New York to a championship. After all, a big reason Brunson wanted to sign with the Knicks was to play for Thibodeau. So, what does the team captain think of this move? How will it impact a player who famously took a significant hometown discount and sacrificed loads of money to put the team in a better financial position moving forward?
Based on his demeanor since arriving in New York, Brunson will handle the move like a consummate pro and give his all for whatever coach takes over. But obviously, should his father be removed as well, it would have to be considered that the team’s star would be at least a bit frustrated or disappointed with the front office’s direction.
Next, we move to Rose, who has been just as integral as Thibodeau and Brunson in turning the franchise around. He and Brunson reportedly have a great relationship, and given reports that the Thibodeau decision was made by Rose, it will be interesting to see if the relationship between executive and superstar changes at all, or if Brunson was asked at all about the team’s head coaching situation before Thibodeau was relieved of his duties.
Rose has clearly not been shy about shaking things up to get the Knicks closer to a title. So far, those moves have worked. He traded homegrown talents RJ Barrett and OG Anunoby in a move that has unequivocally made the Knicks a better team. He then dealt the original face of the team’s resurgence in Julius Randle, as well as Brunson’s close friend Donte DiVincenzo, to the Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Towns. The result was another step towards a title with a conference finals appearance. But will this change be the one move that was perhaps too aggressive or too reactionary, and the one that trips up the franchise in its sprint towards winning it all with this core?
It's a fair question, especially given the success Thibodeau had as the Knicks head coach. In five seasons, he made the playoffs four times, got out of the first round in each of the last three, and then made a conference finals, something the Knicks hadn’t known since 2000. It’s also fair to wonder if Rose knows that a coaching change and a different strategic philosophy could be what gets this team over the hump. There were plenty of situations throughout the season where Thibs caught heat, from his reluctance to use a two big-man lineup until the season was in dire straits to his refusal to try Deuce McBride as a starter over Josh Hart to get more spacing within the offense. But overall, his tenure was an undeniable success given the state of the team when he arrived, which makes it fair to at least question whether or not this was the right move.
We won’t know the answer for a while, so for right now, as the dust settles, fans can only debate whether it was the right move, and what awaits the Knicks on the other side.