Big Blue Huddle

https://x.com/rydunleavy/status/1929971670774596013?t=q-xCuXV7pJBmA6HcB9pPdA&s=19

Knicks being the Knicks

 

I can't believe it. This is the team he put together, and it's the best team in the last half century. What is the reasoning???

Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on June 03, 2025, 02:52:14 PM

I can't believe it. This is the team he put together, and it's the best team in the last half century. What is the reasoning???

They didn't give a reason whatsoever.

Don't disagree with it at all.  His history is he only gets you so far.  They now need a younger guy more tuned to today's NBA.  Plus, that game one loss is absolutely inexcusable.

Very surprising, quite frankly..Some thought you can't change the team, change the coach. Well, I applaud Thibs for rescuing a sunk ship historically..and they must have a guy immediately in mind.,bench coach.

No lll will to Thibs. His team simply constructed was dysfunctional and I believe not championship caliber.

Quote from: Messiah717 on June 03, 2025, 03:06:23 PMDon't disagree with it at all.  His history is he only gets you so far.  They now need a younger guy more tuned to today's NBA.  Plus, that game one loss is absolutely inexcusable.

I don't have a problem with replacing Thibs depending on who is the replacement.  The Knicks are now relevant in large part because of Thibs but there are definitely better options.  That said, I hope the gsmr one loss was not the trigger for 2 reasons.  First, if you blame him for the loss, he deserves credit for beating the Celtics especially the 2 comebacks.  Second, Haliburton's shot was a miracle shot and both Kat & OG missed critical free throws that would have iced the game

Thibs took the Knicks as far as he could.  I have no problem replacing him because it was time.

They better nail replacement though

So what are the choices going forward?

Joe Torre?

Maybe Cavs assistant HC, former Knick assistant Johnnie Bryant. He seems like a logical choice. I hear Jay Wright with the Nova connection from some..but I don't buy it. He has a great life...does he need the stress and travel the NBA demands?

Please no Van Gundy. Malone. 

My first reaction to this was that I hated it. The Knicks were a complete disgrace for 20 years before Thibs came, and under his coaching they have gotten steadily better, having back to back 50-plus win seasons and just getting to the Eastern Conference Finals and going out in six. It seems odd to fire the coach in that situation.

After mulling it for a few hours though, I'm more circumspect. I think Thibs is a good coach, but he may not be the right stylistic fit for this roster. The Knicks have two major defensive liabilities in Brunson and Towns, but those two guys also happen to be their most talented offensive players by leaps and bounds. This team needs to be able to win high scoring games. I thought the offense struggled a bit under Thibs, more than it probably should have given the players they have.

They may have another coach in mind who is a better fit. I'm not saying I love the move of firing him... I don't. I just want to see the replacement first before I give it a final judgment. There may be guys out there who are a better fit for this roster. If so, and if they plan on hiring one of them, then I may end up being ok with this even though it feels incredibly harsh to me right now.

I guess you gotta crack some eggs to make an omelette. Not sure how I feel about it. There is not much of a rotation and when things got physical from indiana after 90 games this season the knicks wore down. Very top heavy team. The pacers could create great mismatches with fresh players with their team. Our bench players aren't that bad, they should have been ready to play. As Giants fans would say, we need some "dawgs". I thought Josh Hart was, but him playing last couple of games was like a Benny Hill skit. Seriously, ridiculous he was even left in the game at that point.

The knicks probably will have an easier road to the finals, I don't think the pacers can keep some free agents, and Tatum probably won't play next season.

Isiah Thomas


        

Quote from: DaveBrown74 on June 03, 2025, 06:18:11 PMMy first reaction to this was that I hated it. The Knicks were a complete disgrace for 20 years before Thibs came, and under his coaching they have gotten steadily better, having back to back 50-plus win seasons and just getting to the Eastern Conference Finals and going out in six. It seems odd to fire the coach in that situation.

After mulling it for a few hours though, I'm more circumspect. I think Thibs is a good coach, but he may not be the right stylistic fit for this roster. The Knicks have two major defensive liabilities in Brunson and Towns, but those two guys also happen to be their most talented offensive players by leaps and bounds. This team needs to be able to win high scoring games. I thought the offense struggled a bit under Thibs, more than it probably should have given the players they have.

They may have another coach in mind who is a better fit. I'm not saying I love the move of firing him... I don't. I just want to see the replacement first before I give it a final judgment. There may be guys out there who are a better fit for this roster. If so, and if they plan on hiring one of them, then I may end up being ok with this even though it feels incredibly harsh to me right now.

I think you nailed it.  Thibs is a good coach and has done a good job  coaching the team.  But, he's not the coach to take the next step with the talent on that roster.  Both Townes and to a lesser extent Brunson dont play anything close to the defense that Thibs wants to play.  With those 2 fixtures, and I think they are, they want an offensive coach.

As to the speed of the move, I see 2 possibilities.  First,  Rose made the decision and ripped the bandage off.  Or, Rose supposedly really like Johnie Bryant, a highly regarded assistant with Cleveland.  Supposedly, Bryant is contending with another assistant for the HC coach at Phoenix and the decision is coming soon.  Bryant has no HC experience but its a possibility

There is so much more downside than upside to firing Thibs.  I cant believe folks are considering this.