Thibs Tribute Thread

[Davis18]

Thank you Thibs.
You did your best for my Knicks.
It is time to move on.

Thibs is the 3rd best coach after Riley & JVG..
in my lifetime.

[8516knicks]

Lots of good wishes for the best or top 2 Knick coach in 50 years. He lived his dream; got his money - now get a toupee!

Seriously, Tom did the near-impossible - got what had been a cr*ppy Knicks team for decades (except a year or so with Carmello) into the ECF.

[Fat Kat]

Thanks for everything Tom

[Luv those Knicks]

Lots of good wishes for the best or top 2 Knick coach in 50 years. He lived his dream; got his money - now get a toupee!

Seriously, Tom did the near-impossible - got what had been a cr*ppy Knicks team for decades (except a year or so with Carmello) into the ECF.

Thibs might be a top 4 or 5 coach in Knicks history. He's pretty high up there, but credit where credit is due. Leon was the primary catalyst in getting us to the ECF. That's not a knock on Thibs, but Leon was the key guy in the change in Knick culture the last few years.

[BKlutch]

Thank you Thibs.
You did your best for my Knicks.
It is time to move on.

Thibs is the 3rd best coach after Riley & JVG..
in my lifetime.

Thibs is the 4th best coach after Holzman, Riley, and JVG
in my (longer) lifetime

[CharlesOakley]

I was happy when we signed Thibs and he made us better but I'm also happy that he is leaving. 4th all-time seems right.

[Stannis]

Thank you Thibs.
You did your best for my Knicks.
It is time to move on.

Thibs is the 3rd best coach after Riley & JVG..
in my lifetime.

Thibs is the 4th best coach after Holzman, Riley, and JVG
in my (longer) lifetime

Not tryna trigger anybody, but could you rank Thibs over JVG?

JVG inherited a winning culture where as Thibs did not

[BKlutch]

Thank you Thibs.
You did your best for my Knicks.
It is time to move on.

Thibs is the 3rd best coach after Riley & JVG..
in my lifetime.

Thibs is the 4th best coach after Holzman, Riley, and JVG
in my (longer) lifetime

Not tryna trigger anybody, but could you rank Thibs over JVG?

JVG inherited a winning culture where as Thibs did not

You have to see Red Holzman as the best. Whether it's Thibs or JVG after that is debatable, and probably something we could never solve. But to me, that fight where JVG was holding onto Mourning's leg like a dog changed how I felt about him. Although Riley was a good coach, I hate his guts for how he treated us, so he's def my #4.

[Stannis]

You have to see Red Holzman as the best. Whether it's Thibs or JVG after that is debatable, and probably something we could never solve. But to me, that fight where JVG was holding onto Mourning's leg like a dog changed how I felt about him. Although Riley was a good coach, I hate his guts for how he treated us, so he's def my #4.

Not familiar with Holzman. Before my time

I'm a 90s boy, so of course I love JVG..He really stuck it to Riley and the Heat.

But on paper, I put Thibs ahead of him because I think he actually improved the team (inheriting a team that was a laughing stock if we are being honest ) and he won a CotY.

I'll take y'all's word when it comes to somebody like Holzman. But as far as just JVG vs Thibs, I got Thibs...

[BKlutch]

You have to see Red Holzman as the best. Whether it's Thibs or JVG after that is debatable, and probably something we could never solve. But to me, that fight where JVG was holding onto Mourning's leg like a dog changed how I felt about him. Although Riley was a good coach, I hate his guts for how he treated us, so he's def my #4.

Not familiar with Holzman. Before my time

I'm a 90s boy, so of course I love JVG..He really stuck it to Riley and the Heat.

But on paper, I put Thibs ahead of him because I think he actually improved the team (inheriting a team that was a laughing stock if we are being honest ) and he won a CotY.

I'll take y'all's word when it comes to somebody like Holzman. But as far as just JVG vs Thibs, I got Thibs...

Holzman won 2 championships, so that's something. You'll have to ask Clyde (the real player) about him to find out how good he actually was. He seems positive about everything invovling those teams. I was so young at the time I can barely remember him, but to me, he 's like a superhero without a cape. I was so young I asked my dad why he was called Red if he only had gray hair. LOL

[FrozenEnvelope]

Thank you Thibs.
You did your best for my Knicks.
It is time to move on.

Thibs is the 3rd best coach after Riley & JVG..
in my lifetime.

Thibs is the 4th best coach after Holzman, Riley, and JVG
in my (longer) lifetime

Not tryna trigger anybody, but could you rank Thibs over JVG?

JVG inherited a winning culture where as Thibs did not

JVG got to the Finals as an 8th seed and won 57 games one season so I have to put him ahead. Xs and Os and philosophy wise, there was not much difference between the two.

[Stannis]

Thibs is the 4th best coach after Holzman, Riley, and JVG
in my (longer) lifetime

Not tryna trigger anybody, but could you rank Thibs over JVG?

JVG inherited a winning culture where as Thibs did not

JVG got to the Finals as an 8th seed.

I hate to knock this feat, but it was a lockout/condensed season.

On paper, yeah, it was an 8th seed. But it was only a 50 game season. And the Knicks were literally 1 game away from being a 6-7th seed, 2 games away from 5th seed, 4 from 4th seed, 6 games for the 1-3 seeds. It was a tight conference with mostly equals. The Knick players in particular just started ill-prepared and out of shape.

[Jeff Van Gully]

Not tryna trigger anybody, but could you rank Thibs over JVG?

JVG inherited a winning culture where as Thibs did not

JVG got to the Finals as an 8th seed.

I hate to knock this feat, but it was a lockout/condensed season.

On paper, yeah, it was an 8th seed. But it was only a 50 game season. And the Knicks were literally 1 game away from being a 6-7th seed, 2 games away from 5th seed, 4 from 4th seed, 6 games for the 1-3 seeds. It was a tight conference with mostly equals. The Knick players in particular just started ill-prepared and out of shape.

don't knock it. the 50-game season was a factor in being the 8 seed at all. injuries and out of shape discombobulation. they got it together late, if i remember. no 1 seed wanted the knicks. nor would a 2 seed when we knocked them off from 7.

[mrbochin23]

I debated starting a new thread for this, but I think it fits perfectly as a tribute to Thibodeau.
I've been a member of this forum for a while (though it shows 2016; I might’ve had a different username or maybe the forum got upgraded; honestly, I don’t remember).

My Knicks journey began in the early ’90s, back in the Dominican Republic, when I was in high school. At the time, everyone rooted for Michael Jordan, but I couldn’t stand the Bulls. The Pistons were fading, and since I had family in New York, I naturally gravitated toward the Knicks. I still remember that 1992 playoff series, Knicks vs. Bulls, Round 2, seven tough games. We had no business being there, but it showed the Knicks were on the rise. I fell in love with that team, even when I was the only Knicks fan in a classroom full of Jordan fans.

When I eventually moved to the U.S., one of the things I looked forward to most was watching the Knicks regularly. That dream became real when I moved to NYC in 2000, although today, I live in Central Florida, and yes, I still miss New York.

Fast forward to 2007. I remember watching my first Knicks game in HD: November 29, 2007, against the Celtics. We got humiliated 104 to 59 on national TV. I still remember Garnett saying something like “the Knicks quit,” which stuck with me. That same night, someone on this forum commented, “Who is their defensive assistant? I want that guy here.” That was the first time I heard the name Tom Thibodeau. Boston went on to win the title, and it became clear how much of their defensive identity had Thibs’ fingerprints all over it.

He eventually took over in Chicago. One of my best friends, a diehard Bulls fan, used to tell me: “Say what you want about Thibs, but guys who play for him love him. They’d run through a wall for him.” That always stuck with me.

As I learned more about Thibs, I romanticized the idea of him coming back home, a New Yorker, a former assistant under Riley and Van Gundy, to lead the Knicks. When we finally hired him, I couldn’t have been happier.

Sure, Thibs isn’t perfect. We can debate his rotations, minute management, or in-game adjustments. But let’s not forget where we were when he arrived and where we are now. He brought grid and belief back to this franchise. Based on results alone, he's the best coach we've had in 25 years.

This playoff run brought back that ‘90s energy. I found myself “doing chest bumps greetings” with my kids & my wife during that Boston crazy comeback in Game 1 & 2, also the Game 1 comeback vs Detroit. It was joy that I hadn’t felt in decades, rooting for the Knicks. There’s still more to do, but the progress is real, in the end :

Before Thibs:
No culture
.309 win% % over 6 years
Worst record in the NBA
No playoffs in 7 years

Under Thibs:
Culture restored
.565 win % over 5 years (8th in NBA)
4 playoff appearances in 5 years
Eastern Conference Finals 2025

Thank you, Coach Thibs.
Once a Knick, Always a Knick

[CharlesOakley]

JVG got to the Finals as an 8th seed.

I hate to knock this feat, but it was a lockout/condensed season.

On paper, yeah, it was an 8th seed. But it was only a 50 game season. And the Knicks were literally 1 game away from being a 6-7th seed, 2 games away from 5th seed, 4 from 4th seed, 6 games for the 1-3 seeds. It was a tight conference with mostly equals. The Knick players in particular just started ill-prepared and out of shape.

don't knock it. the 50-game season was a factor in being the 8 seed at all. injuries and out of shape discombobulation. they got it together late, if i remember. no 1 seed wanted the knicks. nor would a 2 seed when we knocked them off from 7.

Getting to the finals with two backup point guards, a broken LJ and Ewing and a weirdly constructed roster with no true small forward on the team - was an incredible achievement. Our current team is more talented.

[Zenzibar]

Lots of good wishes for the best or top 2 Knick coach in 50 years. He lived his dream; got his money - now get a toupee!

Seriously, Tom did the near-impossible - got what had been a cr*ppy Knicks team for decades (except a year or so with Carmello) into the ECF.

Thibs might be a top 4 or 5 coach in Knicks history. He's pretty high up there, but credit where credit is due. Leon was the primary catalyst in getting us to the ECF. That's not a knock on Thibs, but Leon was the key guy in the change in Knick culture the last few years.

Yes you're correct about Leon, but this is a tribute thread for a man who sleeps 3 hours a night just to overcome his weaknesses, have his teams work hard, off the stage and be the best prepared as he knows it.

Additionally, Thibs handled the media like a champ, which very few coaches can do that in NYC and he did it for 5 years straight.

Leon definately has been our basketball savior and I'm sure neither one of us wants a Leon Rose appreciation thread any time soon.

[matchman]

Last time I checked in my realgm days for over 20 years, Thibs has brought my beloved Knicks to the farthest place in the playoffs! That alone is enough for me to have a special place for him, with that said leaving at this moment is much better than any time of next season. Let the other coach take this ultimate challenge: "ECF, Finals or bust".

And Thibs, if you decide to call it a career as a basketball coach, go pursuit your love and do whatever you want to or even try something else like being a basketball analyst, or as an announcer?

[WaltFrazier]

From his appearance on the Nova podcast he came across as a good guy and funnier than his gruff sideline demeanor. Gotta respect the turnaround job he did. But it was time.

[BKlutch]

Read on Twitter

A very professional and humble message that shows him at his best.

[MrDollarBills]

Tom is a good man by all accounts. I hope as a person he will be okay. Yes he got a golden parachute but for someone who basically lived in the gym, I hope he finds something to fulfill him.