A few thoughts on the Knicks relieving Tom Thibodeau of his duties and what’s next for the franchise…
It’s hard to remember now, but things weren’t going well in Jalen Brunson’s first few weeks as a Knick. In early December of 2022, Luka Doncic and the Mavericks embarrassed the Knicks at home, outscoring New York by 26 in the third quarter of an easy win. The Knicks had lost six of eight and were getting booed at The Garden. They hosted Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers the next night. Thibodeau’s job was certainly on the line at that point. If Thibodeau was going down, team president Leon Rose was going down with him, according to people familiar with the matter.
The Knicks beat the Cavs that night and reeled off eight straight wins, changing the season and changing the immediate fate of Rose and Thibodeau.
You know how things played out from there. Behind Brunson, New York went on to win its first playoff series in 10 years that spring, beating the Cavs in the first round.
They won a first-round series the next season and won two series this spring, making the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years.
So why did Rose fire Thibodeau three days after the end of the Knicks’ most successful season in decades? Why was he willing to go down with Thibodeau in 2022 but willing to separate himself from the coach less than three seasons later?
The word out of the Knicks on Tuesday was that the team needed a new voice. They appreciated everything Thibodeau had done, but they didn’t view him as the right coach to get them to their ultimate goal: an NBA title.
“Everything now is looked at that way; it’s about winning (a championship),” one person familiar with the decision said.
ROSE’S CALL?
The decision, ultimately, was Rose’s to make. Yes, owner James Dolan supported the decision to fire Thibodeau. I understand, based on past history, why Knicks fans would think Dolan was being heavy-handed here. He has a long history of getting overly involved in basketball decisions. For what it’s worth, I think he stopped forcing his executives to make decisions once Phil Jackson came aboard as team president. Dolan obviously cares about all moves made and holds his teams to a high standard. But he didn’t force Rose to make a decision that the team president wasn’t comfortable with. IF Rose didn’t want to fire Thibodeau, he would have resigned alongside his head coach on Tuesday.
He didn’t do that, which tells you that he wasn’t forced to do anything against his will here.
MONEY, MONEY, MONEY
The Knicks are obviously making a big bet here. The bet is that the next coach they hire will get them to the next level. The bet is that this decision is worth the $30-plus million to the franchise. That’s the amount of guaranteed money Thibodeau had left on his contract, which was extended last summer.
At least $30 million. That gives you an idea of how strongly Rose felt about the decision and the degree to which Dolan supported it.
MEETING OF THE MINDS
As SNY noted Sunday, the Knicks conducted a review of players and coaches in the post-mortem of this season. The setup of these meetings was different than the traditional exit meeting. Based on what I know, these exit meetings are traditionally conducted by the leading executive. Each player meets individually with the top executive. Sometimes other front office members are present. I’ve heard of at least two instances where the head coach was present.
But this assessment was different. It didn’t involve all of the players. Only a select few were interviewed. I believe Thibodeau was interviewed as well as members of his coaching staff. Dolan was present as well.
So this was less an exit meeting and more of an assessment of what went wrong and what needed to be fixed. Obviously, the end result was Thibodeau getting let go.
So what happens next?
CANDIDATES?
Former Knicks associate head coach Johnnie Bryant is a finalist for the Phoenix Suns job, according to reports. The Suns are reportedly going to make a decision by the end of the week. If you connect the dots, it’s easy to wonder if the Knicks timed the firing of Thibodeau in a way that would allow them to hire Bryant. In talking to people in touch with the team on Tuesday, I don’t think the two events were tied together. I would be surprised if the Knicks made a decision on their next head coach by the end of this week.
Does that mean Bryant isn’t a priority in their search? It could. People in touch with the team recently also downplay the idea of Mike Malone being a slam-dunk hire here.
What about Jay Wright? I don’t see it. Neither does someone who has spent a lot of time around him recently.
My early read is that Dan Hurley isn’t at the top of New York’s initial list. So who is? Marc Stein reported late Tuesday that Ime Udoka and Jason Kidd are two coaches who are said to intrigue the Knicks. Udoka is a name that I’d heard as well. To hire Udoka, the Knicks would have to get permission from Houston and give the Rockets compensation to let Udoka out of his deal.
I can’t see Dallas even entertaining the idea of letting Kidd go.
Knicks executive Gersson Rosas hired Chris Finch in Minnesota. But the Timberwolves just reached consecutive Western Conference Finals under Finch. Why would they allow him to leave?
The Knicks have to have plans that don’t involve a current head coach leaving his team. Mike Brown, Frank Vogel, Mike Budenholzer, Monty Williams and Taylor Jenkins are among coaches with experience who are available. Jeff Van Gundy is back in coaching, but I would bet a significant amount of money that Van Gundy wouldn’t take the job even if he were offered it. Why would he take a job that was vacated by his close friend?
WHAT ABOUT THE CURRENT STAFF/RICK BRUNSON?
The follow-up question from many media members on Tuesday was about the future of Rick Brunson, Jalen’s father and Thibodeau’s lead assistant. I can’t see the Knicks forcing any coach to keep Brunson. But I also don’t think they would have to force the issue. If you’re a new head coach and you want to connect with the face of your franchise, would you want to piss him off by firing his dad? It doesn’t strike me as a logical move.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR THE ROSTER/PURSUIT OF GIANNIS?
That’s unclear. Even before Thibodeau was fired, it seemed that the most likely path for the Knicks was to add a rotation player or two via free agency. The pie-in-the-sky scenario is the Knicks trading for Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo. But that was the case before the firing of Thibodeau. As it was, the odds of New York landing Antetokounmpo were not good. To make a deal happen, Antetokounmpo would have to request a trade and ask Milwaukee to send him specifically to New York. Milwaukee would have to work with Antetokounmpo on sending him to New York while eschewing stronger offers from other teams. So there are several massive hurdles in the way of Antetokounmpo to New York. The Knicks, like every other NBA team, will monitor the Antetokounmpo situation. But so much has to fall into place for them to have a shot at landing him.
What about Kevin Durant? I believe that it’s unlikely that the Knicks would ultimately pull the trigger on a trade for him.
FREE MEALS FOR THIBS
Whether you loved Thibodeau, hated him or fell somewhere in between, you have to acknowledge the strong record he had in New York. The Knicks reached the conference final this season for the first time in 25 years. They won 50-plus games in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1993-94 and 1994-95. They made the playoffs in four of Thibodeau’s five seasons. They also won at least one playoff series in three consecutive seasons. From 2000-01 to 2019-20, the Knicks had won just one playoff series in total. So even Thibodeau’s biggest detractor would acknowledge that he helped build a winning culture here.
If the Knicks and their next head coach win the title, Thibodeau should be among the group of players/coaches/execs who never have to pay for a meal in New York again.
