Thom Thibodeau led the New York Knicks to their first Eastern Conference Finals in 25 years, but the head coach couldn’t secure a job.
Shortly after the exit from the Knicks’ humiliating meeting final, the front office decides to fire Coach Thibodeau.
The NBA community is split by this decision. After all, in just five seasons, coach Tibbs acquired a team that missed the playoffs for seven years in a row, leading them to the postseason in four of their five seasons.
But was the Knicks wrong to fire him? If anonymous players can be trusted, it’s because Tom Thibodeau reportedly lost his trust in his locker room.
Trusting a starter is important for any head coach to succeed in the NBA. However, that does not mean ignoring role players.
Unfortunately, what happened to the team during the 2024-25 NBA season was that coach Thibodeau was rewarded with a particular Knicks player in a big few minutes, with little enjoying consistent playing time for the rest.
In fact, in a recent report by Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill, several Knicks players anonymously shared criticisms about Thibodeau.
“Thybodeau played the starter in just a few minutes and felt he couldn’t adjust, sources said another player wouldn’t feel like he could play for Thybodeau if the coach returns next season,” Goodwill wrote.
Given that the current Knicks roster is the best the team has had over the years, it wasn’t surprising that Top Brass decided to fire Thibodeau.
After all, no matter how good the Thibs are, teams can’t make a big impact on the playoffs without making the most of their quality roster.
Since the looting news was released, many experts have shared their opinions on the real reasons behind Coach Thibodeau’s firing. Brian Windhorst believes that the decision of GM Leon Rose played a role.
Others denounced owner James Dolan for the same. But it was only former NBA star Gary Payton who correctly predicted the reason for this decision.
In an exclusive interview with NBA Analytics NetworkPayton denounced the players for firing Tibbs.
“I don’t blame the coach. I blame the players because we got the players in the situation and put them there. Then they have to play,” Payton said.
At the end of the day, players win this fight as Thibodeau is gone in the organization, and the Knicks are actively looking for a replacement for him before the 2025-26 season.