New York hired Tom Thibodeau to take over as the team’s head coach ahead of the 2020-21 season. Things went well early on; he won Coach of the Year in his first season at the helm and helped the Knicks return to the postseason. Year two was a down year, but New York advanced past the first round each of the last three seasons and made the Eastern Conference Finals this season. During his five years leading the team, Thibodeau led the Knicks to a 226-174 record in the regular season and a 24-23 playoff record, which included four series wins. Thibs’ 226 wins are the second most by a head coach in franchise history.
On Tuesday, his time leading the franchise came to an end. ESPN’s Shams Charania was the first to report on the situation, but the Knicks also released a statement that they had moved on from Thibodeau.
So, where do the Knicks go from here? The last head coach to lead the Knicks to the playoffs before Thibodeau was Mike Woodson, and the coaches after him weren’t the most inspiring bunch. From Derek Fisher to Jeff Hornacek to David Fizdale, New York would like to avoid a repeat of one of the darker eras in the history of the franchise.
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With the talent currently on the roster and a few draft picks to work with over the next few seasons, this should be an enticing spot for potential coaching candidates. Of course, that will come with plenty of expectations, especially with the Eastern Conference set up to be weaker than ever next season.
Raphielle Johnson: Well, here we are. While the Knicks’ decision to fire Thibodeau is surprising on the surface level, especially with the team reaching the conference finals for the first time since 2000, how stunning is it? Thibodeau leaned on his starting lineup to the point where there was no experimentation until desperate times arose, with the Knicks headed to Indiana in a 0-2 hole. There’s no question that he did an excellent job in turning around a franchise that was the laughing stock of the NBA when he took over.
Multiple playoff appearances, a trip to the conference finals, and consecutive 50-win seasons for the first time in 30 years are nothing to scoff at. However, while he undoubtedly raised the Knicks’ floor, it’s fair to question the team’s ceiling with Thibodeau in charge. Sometimes, the person best equipped to begin the climb isn’t the one who should get you to the summit of the proverbial mountain.
As for where the Knicks go from here, Leon Rose will have to find someone willing to expand their rotation, especially early in the season. That’s where a team can experiment with different looks and combinations, while also keeping the key players somewhat fresh for the stretch run. And what can the new coach and their staff do defensively? If the roster remains intact at the top, you’re talking about a defensive system that will have to compensate for the presence of two “minus” defenders in Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Lastly, the culture built by Thibodeau can’t be overlooked. But this move is a sign that the Knicks will rely even more on Brunson, the team captain, to maintain it.
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Noah Rubin: At the end of the day, this is a league that is based on results. Every team has a different definition of what that looks like every season, and team president Leon Rose obviously felt that, regardless of what Thibs has accomplished, he wasn’t the right man to lead this team to a championship next season. It’s that simple. Only time will tell if it was the right decision.
This team could benefit from some offensive creativity from their next coach. In the playoffs, the Knicks had the worst assist percentage in the league. Nearly half of the team’s made shots in the playoffs were unassisted. In contrast, the Pacers have had the best assist percentage in the postseason. The Knicks also averaged 10.9 isolation possessions per game in the playoffs. Aside from the Celtics, every team that spent more time in isolation than New York lost in the first round, and most lost in four or five games. They have two players who have averaged more than 25 points per game in a season, and two more talented wings who have come close to averaging 20 points per game. As tremendous as Jalen Brunson is when playing hero ball, it isn’t the most sustainable style of play for the entirety of a playoff run.
Thibs was known for relying heavily on his starters. This past season, Mikal Bridges made it known that he talked to Thibodeau about lightening the load on the starters. During the regular season, all five starters for the Knicks averaged at least 35 minutes per game, and both Bridges and Josh Hart were over 37 minutes per game. New York was blessed with health on their side, with all five starters playing at least 65 games, but that is a lot of miles to put on their knees, especially if they want to be able to win 16 playoff games.
Though it’s unclear how drastic a change would be, the next head coach will likely use a more balanced rotation. That means that the production of the starters will likely take at least a slight hit, while Miles McBride, Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa could spend more time on the floor. Of course, New York could make roster changes this offseason that also alter the rotation. Still, whoever ends up as the Knicks’ primary reserve options will likely see more opportunity than they did during the Thibodeau era.
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Kurt Helin: Who are you going to get that’s better?
Firing Thibodeau is a massive gamble by team president Leon Rose and owner James Dolan. Thibs, for all his flaws as a coach, built a culture of winning, brought stability, and earned buy-in from the players. Sources have talked to me about how Thibs’ messaging was unclear and didn’t get through to Karl-Anthony Towns, and that his old-school, grinding style turned off some potential free agents/trade targets, but at the end of the day the Knicks made the playoffs as many times in Thibodeau’s five years as coach as they had the previous 20 years.
So, who are the Knicks getting that’s better?
Fired Denver coach Michael Malone is the first name to come up in conversations, and he brought the Nuggets their first title ever (with a little help from Nikola Jokic). That said, he is similar in style to Thibodeau, albeit a little more flexible in using his bench. Both coaches tend to wear on players over time.
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One name to watch: Jonnie Bryant. He was a Knicks assistant coach under Thibodeau who joined Kenny Atkinson’s staff in Cleveland last season and helped that franchise take a leap to the next level. However, hiring a first-time head coach to take over a win-now team, in the nation’s toughest media market, is a significant risk.
Former Villanova coach Jay Wright comes up and would be popular with the ‘Nova Knicks players (including Brunson), but does he want to take on this NBA job (or any NBA job)? UConn coach Dan Hurley’s name also will come up, although some front office executives around the league question if his coaching style would translate to the next level.
There are long-shot possibilities — former Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins, Heat assistant Chris Quinn — but if you really want to watch your Knicks fan friends’ heads explode, bring up Doc Rivers. (There is no way Rivers gets this job, but the reaction is priceless.)
Whoever the Knicks hire, the bigger question may be, does it matter if 40% of your core starting five are negative defenders?
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