Shams: New York Knicks Fire Head Coach Tom Thibodeau

[infinite11285]

Depends on who we get. If we get Michael Malone then that would be a downgrade.

Honest question: What would Knicks fans consider an upgrade?

[Froob]

Im guessing they have to have somebody already.

Mike Malone makes the most sense to me.

What way is Malone an improvement? I think Thibs is arguably better.

[Dubnation]

Knicks should trade a FRP for Doc.

If Doc becomes our next coach, I will indeed riot.

[taikibansei]

Been a staunch Thibs defender here since his Twolves days and thought he did a good job this past season. We need better than good, though. We need somebody willing/able to completely re-envision this team on offense and on defense. Three high-level defenders in the starting five and two on the bench, plus two high-level scorers in the starting five and three others able to step up at any given time--that said, the parts never worked together smoothly, and our bench seemed consistently lost.

As I've posted before, Thibs was our Mark Jackson. Here's hoping we find our Steve Kerr--the young, hungry coach who sees a way to make all these parts fit in a new way.

Other way around, pal. This reeks of Bud to Griffin & Rivers. Prepare for the slide into mediocrity. The Knicks were a team held together by the duct tape that is Tom Thibodeau.

Let's revisit this when we see who the Knicks hire to replace Thibs.

[kodo]

Great time to resurrect this article from 2020:
https://www.theringer.com/2020/05/28/nba/tom-thibodeau-knicks-coaching-rumors

The Five Steps to Every Tom Thibodeau Coaching Cycle
From the initial buzz to the inevitable burnout, the Thibs timeline is pretty well-known at this point. Will we see it again in New York?

1. Toasting the Hire
Fan bases are thrilled when Thibodeau is brought on!
...

2. Auspicious Beginnings
This part is easy! Rallying around Thibodeau is fun at the start
...

3. The Playing Time and the Practices
In Julio Cortázar’s The Southern Thruway, drivers on their way back to Paris find themselves stuck in a days-long traffic jam. Without any clue as to when it’ll end, time melts and relationships grow. Eventually, the motorists form minicommunities and minilives, helplessly stuck, exhausted, overheated, malnourished, begging for water, forced to reckon together with their unending inability to leave. This is how I imagine a Tom Thibodeau practice.
...

4. The Meeting
So the time has come for a “team meeting.” Or, even worse, a “players-only meeting.” The media leaks the story, fans panic...

5. The End
The cycle inevitably concludes. Chicago executives waited 13 days to can Thibs after the Bulls were eliminated in the 2015 playoffs
...
Minnesota’s brain trust, meanwhile, walked into Thibodeau’s office after a 22-point win over the Lakers in January to tell him that he was fired. The timing was odd. Even when a firing is as imminent as Thibs’s was, it usually happens after a particularly brutal loss. Not after a blowout victory and back-to-back wins. Maybe it’ll be easier with the Knicks, who rarely see either. Regardless, prepare for an end as ruthless as the man being sent off.

[DaFan334]

Rince and repeat...

Does Thibs get another coaching job in the NBA? I know he's better than most coaches, but his playing guys into the ground is always the death of his teams.

I would imagine Michael Malone, being a NY guy, has to be the early favorite.

[heatwillbeback]

Im guessing they have to have somebody already.

Mike Malone makes the most sense to me.

What way is Malone an improvement? I think Thibs is arguably better.

He won a title.

I actually think the Knicks are built a lot like Denver. Big who could do everything (though KAT is obviously not as good as Jokic). PG who is clutch at end of games and scores a lot of points. And then defensive/shooting role players.

The offensive big to me is the key part. More of a focus on KAT.

[Chuck Everett]

Wow, there has never been less job security for head coaches than I’ve seen this year.

Knicks should tap Terry Stotts has head coach.

Is Stotts a better coach than Thibs?

[jazzfan1971]

He brought a lot to the team. Be interesting to see if they backslide next year.

[DaGawd]

Read on Twitter

sounds like it was the players decision to get thibs out of here

[Chuck Everett]

Rince and repeat...

Does Thibs get another coaching job in the NBA? I know he's better than most coaches, but his playing guys into the ground is always the death of his teams.

I would imagine Michael Malone, being a NY guy, has to be the early favorite.

If you were Charlotte, Washington or New Orleans, why wouldn't you want him? Heck, if Orlando underachieves next year, why wouldn't you want Thibs coaching Paolo and Franz? Guy is a legit floor raiser. I am critical of the guy as a coach, but it's because I believe he could be even greater, not because he sucks.

[hundreth]

Been a staunch Thibs defender here since his Twolves days and thought he did a good job this past season. We need better than good, though. We need somebody willing/able to completely re-envision this team on offense and on defense. Three high-level defenders in the starting five and two on the bench, plus two high-level scorers in the starting five and three others able to step up at any given time--that said, the parts never worked together smoothly, and our bench seemed consistently lost.

As I've posted before, Thibs was our Mark Jackson. Here's hoping we find our Steve Kerr--the young, hungry coach who sees a way to make all the parts fit in a new way.

You realize the two situations aren't remotely the same? For starters, there is no Steph Curry on the Knicks. And simply there is no more that you can squeeze out of this roster as currently constructed. They exceeded expectations and were 2 wins away from the Finals.

Firing Thibs has massive repercussions and for what? No coach will get more out of this roster than an ECF next year. What is the goal here? To play 9 guys instead of 7 and get bounced in the second round instead?

You think that was as good as the Knicks could have played? Ok.

I watched this team all season. Not even close. There was so much left on the table.

[Marvin Martian]

This forum is hilarious to me.

You guys spend most of the time trashing Thibs, his rotations, his minutes distribution, etc, then he gets fired and you all act like he's an amazing head coach.

Hire him for your team if you think he'll win you a title.

The guy is a good coach and works hard but he has limitations that will never get him over the hump. Look at his resume. It speaks for itself. Just because he took a team that was going nowhere and made them respectable doesn't mean the team needs to be married to this dude forever.

It's really hilarious. He's a defensive minded coach who team played mid defense, and also ran one of most basic and primitive offense in the league. Omg how could he possibly get fired?!

The team started playing mid defense because they swapped iHart (an above average defender) for KAT (a terrible defender)

[WargamesX]

KAT got him fired. if KAT was a decent defender they’re in the finals.

KAT didn’t make Thibs over play the starting five and build no role for any of the roleplayers.

KAT has always been soft. Stop making excuses for a tier 2 level big that makes Chris Bosh look like Charles Oakley.

It doesn’t change the fact that KAT didn’t make Thibs coach bad. Thibs got stubborn and failed to make adjustments like he has his whole career.

[azcatz11]

Well, because when your starting 5 is something like 2nd, 4th, 6th, 17th, and 20th in MPG... There are zero roles for anyone on the team.

How wild is it that Thibs did not go 10 deep until the final 2 or 3 games of the season? It's like too late buddy, you had these guys collective anus glued to the bench.

I need proof anyone was burned out. If we’re blaming thibs for the collapse I need proof.

The proof is in the pudding (Thibs is fired).

But the rumbles of the coaching staff getting mad at Bridges for calling them out for too many minutes.

And also the rumbles of the coaching staff being mad KAT did not take defense serious enough.

It's time for a new voice. Thibs playground offense does not work when push comes to shove. Thibs has never been to a Finals as a head coach, not by coincidence.

Knicks starters averaged a cumulative 20 more mpg than the the median...so we are talking 4 minutes per game on average. 12 minutes per week of game action. Players don't even practice anymore. You think that's a big deal?

[zzaj]

I have zero horses in this race, but I do find it interesting. To me this is damning of Dolan...

He knew full well what he was going to get from Thibs.

So the only thing this indicates to me is that Dolan foolishly thought Thibs would be able to win NY a championship, and anything even close to that would be a fireable offense.

If that's Dolan's standard, I don't really see an available coach that can "get" NY a championship.

I think we have to assume too that Thibs is an absolute nightmare to be around/work with.

[TinmanZBoy]

The ugly scene of Knicks transition defense showed Thibs lost his voice in the locker room… Thibs is known for his defense acumen, I really can’t fathom a Thib’s team playing such poor defense… They also have two elite wing defenders, but the way the team played makes them looking bad too… I am looking at KAT and Brunson, they can not win with them

[TwitterFingers]

I’m a big fan of Thibs, but can’t say whether on not this is a good move before we know who is the successor.

[ibraheim718]

What coaches are under CAA umbrella?

Look out for John Calipari.

[Billl]

Yeah, that was happening in the next year, but it's sooner than I thought. Thibs is a great floor raiser. He gets teams to play tough defense and holds people accountable. Eventually though, you need to get something out of bench guys even if they are flawed. With today's salary cap, you need to design some sets and systems to get production because you can't just go spend an extra $20 mil and overpay an 8th man.