Shams: New York Knicks Fire Head Coach Tom Thibodeau

[Bank Shot]

I don't hate it. It feels like the Knicks hit their ceiling this year. They got very lucky with injuries given the minutes Thibs was playing the starters. It's unlikely any of the starters are going to make a big jump next year given where they are at in their careers, so trying to squeeze out an extra level through coaching isn't the worst idea. I'm not sure there is a Atkinson-type hire out there though.

[azcatz11]

Great move, no more 7 man player rotations and zero offensive identity.

He’s a fantastic coach. Why can’t nba players play 34 min 3x a week. He will get hired by the Kings

[LofJ]

NY Knicks gonna NY Knicks.
Haven't they learned anything from the past 2 decades?
Such a Knicks move. SMDH.

What the hell?? Lol
They were on the rise, too!

Further down the totem pole in the East they (Knicks) go...

You're welcome, Indiana, Cleveland , Orlando, Philly, Detroit, Brooklyn, Charlotte, ...

I had to And 1 you for listing Charlotte here. I still have a glimmer of hope that I'll get to root for a real NBA team one day.

On topic though this is a shocking move for the Knicks. I thought he was an excellent cultural fit for NY. If they don't have a better candidate in mind it would have been better to keep him. The Hornets fired James Borrego after a winning season out of nowhere like this without a replacement lined up and it's been a disaster ever since.

[ChumboChappati]

Now hire Doc Rivers away from Bucks

[Lalouie]

i don't know about GOOD move but it was inevitable

thibs is a great coach at lifting a bad team and teaching it how to be good. look at his hc history bulls > minnie > knicks.
the worst of the worst with nowhere to go and a bad culture. so thibs prolly did for them what no other coach could do

there are teachers(and i think that's what thibs is a teaching coach) who can communicate with neophytes, but don't have to stuff to bring a good team to the next level. there are high school and college teachers who can instruct on basics, but who don't have the goods for the next level,,,which is why TALENTED students go to PROFESSIONAL schools for advanced training

there will be plenty of jobs for thibs because there are plenty of sukky teams. you can start with atl, who has had a miserable culture this millenium if not for decades

the knicks were the right spot for thibs. the players did not let thibs down nor did thibs let them down. it was a right time for both to join hands. he took them as far as their talent could go. now groundwork is there. now nyk has to add a piece or two and get another coach to help...............and trade kat because this is as good as kat will ever be and as good as any team he plays on will ever get.

so trade kat because, as with thibs, this is where the bus stops

[Chuck Everett]

I don't hate it. It feels like the Knicks hit their ceiling this year. They got very lucky with injuries given the minutes Thibs was playing the starters. It's unlikely any of the starters are going to make a big jump next year given where they are at in their careers, so trying to squeeze out an extra level through coaching isn't the worst idea. I'm not sure there is a Atkinson-type hire out there though.

The same Atkinson who got outcoached by Carlisle (same as Thibs). He played his guys less minutes all season and they still got hurt when it mattered most.

[Optimus_Steel]

Dolan: Isaiah Thomas come on down!

You know he would....

[SkyBill40]

Dolan: Isaiah Thomas come on down!

You know he would....

Nah. He's too busy destroying the Suns with Mat Ishbia to be bothered by that chore.

[JohnnyKILLroy]

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.

Both can be true. As a bulls fan no one knows better than me.

Thibs changes culture and raises expectations. Teams are better because of him. Dudes have to buy in for it to be the most successful. KAT is soft and has no dog in him and has MVP talent- KAT should be the best players on the court every night on both ends and he never is. I can’t think of another player that was or is as skillful and physically gifted as KAT is and is a detriment to your teams success. Hes a bum

[Saints14]

Maybe this works out and they find someone to take them even further next year...but I hate when a guy is rewarded with getting fired for improving the team every year under his watch and bringing them back to relevancy. Victim of his own success

[Sixers in 4]

"Only" the ECF? I think they're standards are just a tad too high

People who are saying this is terrible, didn’t watch every game closely like us die hards did. Thibs is the Buck Showalter of coaches. He makes your organization respectable again, but will never take a team to the next level.

What team has ever gotten to the next level after he left. The Bulls? Wolves? Your analogy is flawed.

Look I like KAT but he doesn't give effort on defense. You think bringing in a coach who is going to go along to get along is going to get better effort out of him? You crazy.

[reload141]

They must have a coach lined up for doing this, can't just fire him that quick

[BigDan245]

What is the point in having Thibs as your coach if your defense is subpar? You can defend him by saying guys like Brunson and Towns hurt the ability to have a good defense...However, then wouldn't it be smarter to have a coach who can devise ways to score more efficiently?

[Marvin Martian]

I get that Thibs is unpopular (Knicks fans seem happy with this move) but did the Knicks really underachieve this year?

They overachieved.

1. Depth is way worse than last year.

2. It was a known fact that switching iHart for KAT would result in defensive struggles

Despite that, the Knicks managed to stay healthy (luck?), upset the defending champs, and reach the conference finals for the first time in decades.

I cannot see them topping this next season

[Childs]

I get that Thibs is unpopular (Knicks fans seem happy with this move) but did the Knicks really underachieve this year?

No. I mean if they got eliminated in the first round, or embarrassed in the 2nd round sure. They were 6 games in the ECF, and those games weren't really humiliating or fireable offences. I thought he should of been given one more year.

Read on Twitter

I mean Brunson said this. Looks like he had the backing of his players, but who knows behind the scenes. This is like if the Raptors fired Dwane Casey in 2016 after they made the ECF. And that was after 2 grueling 7 game series in the first and semis. and 4 embarrassing games out of 6 against Lebron.

[Quattro]

Knicks gonna Knick.

[Optms]

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.

[JujitsuFlip]

Great move, no more 7 man player rotations and zero offensive identity.

He’s a fantastic coach. Why can’t nba players play 34 min 3x a week. He will get hired by the Kings

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.

[chilluminati]

New York's offense is mindless, Thibs really got carried by a squad full of very good players. Thibs is naturally a defensive coach. I'd love to see him be a key part of another coaches camp, but I'm not sure if his head coaching philosophies are very good or sustainable.

[Mi Scusi]

I think this is a bad move. They overachieved by beating a team everyone thought would either sweep them or win in 5. Their lack of depth is what killed them.