Tom Thibodeau has been fired from his position as head coach for the New York Knicks.
Tom Thibodeau brought the Knicks to the first Eastern Conference Finals since 2000, winning against current champion Boston Celtics.
However, some people feel that Thibodeau’s plan isn’t strong enough to take over the Knicks to the final or win the championship.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green shared his thoughts on why Thibodeau didn’t bring the championship to New York. This issue started with Mikal Bridges Trade.
To acquire the bridge, the Knicks gave up three players and five first-round draft picks.
The Bridges have provided decent contributions this season, averaging 17.6 points and 3.6 assists while shooting 50% off the field on average, but the Knicks’ problems didn’t really solve.
“If you beat the Boston Celtics, which everyone thought was a team coming out of the East, you still didn’t make it to the NBA Finals, but there’s a reason for that: I’ll trade it for Mikal Bridge.
“If that’s the case, you don’t have anything completely deep. Now there are people who say that Tib may not use depth, but whether you use it or not, they didn’t have the depth you need to compete at that level, you’ll reach the NBA Finals and win the NBA Championship,” he added.
Instead of having a pick that helps add depth throughout the trade, the Knicks chose limited depth because Thibodeau used too much main player. When injuries and foul trouble hit the stars, the Knicks didn’t have a quality replacement.
“One of the things that hurt them in the end was that they didn’t have depth. When Cat got into foul trouble or Jaren Branson got into foul trouble, they certainly kept running at some of those points.
“If the best players aren’t on the floor together, that’s a problem. To win, they need to add great players to that roster. I’m not going to give money for that, so I can’t speak a specific name.”
“But if you’re talking about championships, I’m just going to tell you from a champion’s perspective and I know exactly what it’s necessary. If they compete for an actual NBA championship, they need to add some great players,” Green concluded.
The four-time champion analysis highlights the delicate balance between star power and roster depth that a championship team needs. And that’s Knicks front office homework and finding a replacement for Thibodeau.