Reaching the Eastern Conference Finals was not enough for Tom Thibodeau to keep his job.
According to multiple reports, including ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Knicks have relieved the head coach of his duties just days after falling in game six to the Pacers on Saturday night. According to SNY NBA insider Ian Begley, team president Leon Rose made the decision with the support of ownership and James Dolan.
The Knicks released a statement shortly after confirming the news, as Rose thanked Thibodeau for his five seasons that saw New York rise from afterthought to relevancy, and ultimately a contender.
“Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans,” Rose said. “This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we’ve decided to move in another direction. 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...ultimately, we made the decision we feel is best for our organization moving forward.”
The debate over Thibodeau’s job security raged on throughout the playoffs, even as New York was making a run to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years. Questions lingered about his use of the bench, his commitment to his starting five (though he tweaked the lineup after game two of the conference finals), among other criticisms regarding his game plans and rotations.
Despite those criticisms, Thibodeau led the Knicks to consecutive 50-win seasons for the first time in decades, and put the franchise back on the map after their surprising run to the playoffs in 2021.
In Thibodeau’s five seasons as Knicks head coach, he compiled a 226-174 record and missed the playoffs just once. His team had won a playoff series in each of the past three seasons, but per Sharania, the front office is focused on winning a title, and believed a new voice was needed to get the team over the hump.
Jalen Brunson took exception to being asked about Thibodeau’s job security following New York’s loss in game six, declaring he had the “utmost confidence” in his head coach, who he has a great relationship with. Now, there will be a new era in Gotham as the Knicks look to continue to climb off the foundation that Thibodeau helped build.