New York Knicks move on from Tom Thibodeau and here’s why
USA TODAY Sports’ Lorenzo Reyes explains why the Knicks chose to move on from head coach Tom Thibodeau after years of improving franchise.
Sports Pulse
After crashing out in the NBA Eastern Conference finals, their deepest run in a quarter century, the New York Knicks will nonetheless be looking for a new head coach.
The Knicks announced Tuesday that they are parting ways with Tom Thibodeau as coach. ESPN was the first to report the news of Thibodeau’s dismissal, which USA TODAY Sports confirmed, before New York’s official announcement.
Knicks president Leon Rose thanked Thibodeau in a statement but said, in part, “Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans. This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we’ve decided to move in another direction.”
The move comes a little less than one year since the Knicks had signed Thibodeau to a three-year contract extension that was supposed to keep him with the franchise through the 2027-28 season.
In five seasons with the Knicks, Thibodeau, 67, posted a 226-174 record (.565) and led New York to the playoffs in four of those seasons. This year marked the first time in 25 seasons that the Knicks had reached the Eastern Conference finals, though the Knicks lost the first two games of the series at home, before bowing out in six games to the Indiana Pacers.
The Knicks had made multiple win-now offseason moves ahead of the 2024-25 season in an attempt to compete with the defending champion Boston Celtics and other top teams in the East. New York traded Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo for stretch center Karl-Anthony Towns and also unloaded a haul of picks for wing Mikal Bridges.
The Knicks went on to win 51 games to finish third in the conference behind the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston.
New York eventually faced the Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals, closing out Boston in six games. The Knicks won the first two games of the series on the road, and clinched the series in a 38-point blowout.
Despite the loss in the Eastern Conference finals, New York’s players had expressed confidence that the team was capable of contending for NBA championships. Thibodeau had recently received an unwavering endorsement from New York’s captain and biggest star, Jalen Brunson.
“Is that a real question right now?” Brunson said Saturday, after the Pacers eliminated the Knicks in the Eastern Conference finals. “Did you just ask me if I believe that he’s the right guy? Yes. Come on.”
Despite that confidence, there were concerning signs in New York’s unraveling in the postseason.
For one, the Knicks repeatedly began first and second halves slowly, marked by sluggish energy and effort. Part of that fell to general struggles the starting lineup faced, often leading to significant deficits. The Knicks were also slow to adapt to adjustments made by opposing teams; it wasn’t until Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals — after New York had already lost the first two games of the series at home — that Thibodeau tweaked the starting lineup and extended his bench to get fresher legs on the court to match Indiana’s athleticism and pace.
Known as a demanding coach who plays his starters deep into games — even blowouts — Thibodeau also has had the reputation of being set in his ways, often chafing with other members of an organization.
After a March 12 game against the Trail Blazers – a 114-113 overtime victory – Bridges revealed to reporters that he had approached Thibodeau, asking that he reduce the minutes starters played. According to the New York Post, Bridges described Thibodeau as being receptive to a change, but that “sometimes I think he just gets in his ways.”
Although he has spent 13 seasons as a head coach in the NBA, Thibodeau has never remained at one stop more than five seasons. His first head coaching stint came in Chicago, where he led the Bulls from 2010-15. Thibodeau oversaw three top-three finishes in the Eastern Conference in his five seasons with the Bulls, including a pair of No. 1 seeds in his first two seasons.
A rift with the Chicago front office, however, spelled Thibodeau’s doom with the Bulls, who eventually fired him in May 2015.
Thibodeau was away from coaching for the following season before the Timberwolves hired him in April 2016. He spent two-and-a-half seasons in Minnesota before being fired 40 games into the 2018-19 campaign.
Thibodeau is a two-time NBA Coach of the Year award winner, following the 2010-11 season with the Bulls and the 2020-21 season with the Knicks, his first in New York.
(This story was updated with more information.)
