NGT- Knicks Fire Thibodeau

[Messiah717]

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

Depends on who the next coach is.  What would change next year with Thibs coaching this group?  It's a win now roster.  Yes, it falls on the players as well but Thibs was out coached often in these playoffs.  They were probably lucky to get by Detroit.  Needed two miracle comebacks to beat Boston and the luck finally ran out against Indiana.  Mainly because the team was gased and he stubbornly waited until game three to use the bench in any way.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

So many questions, with no answers (for fans anyway)

Dolan is an ultrarich azzhole who gave Thibs a 30 million dollar extension just a few months ago...then fires him. That's a nice little severance package. I could do a lot of good - for me and others (mostly me...lol) - with 30 mill for doing nothing

I trust Leon Rose, who I think is the genius behind a lot of the reconstruction of the Knicks, and I'd love to hear what he has to say

I'd like to know which players (if any) had issues with Thibs, and what were they

I've read that the Knicks want the "Greek Freak", Giannis Antetokounmpo and even read that they might be willing to part with KAT, OG, and Brunson to land him    

Who do they have in mind to take over the job???

What was the REAL reason for the firing? Was there bad blood between Thibs and Dolan? Thibs and Rose? Thibs and a star player? Fans want to know!

Somehow, I can't shake the idea that the front office was not happy with the whole trade deal they made to get Bridges. They gave up the entire farm for him, and he's been a bit of a disappointment to say the least, and now they no longer have a stash of draft picks or cap room to do anything else 

[Philosophers]

Unless you hire an idiot which he is jot, the only time you should fire a coach is if the players stop listening to him.  That has not happened.

[andrew_nyGiants]

There's only ONE way that this makes any sense: They've already hand picked his successor and he's either already won a championship or has the pedigree to get it done.

Firing a man whose made our team relevant again after all these years of suffering without a plan is 100% inexcusable.

[DaveBrown74]

Unless you hire an idiot which he is jot, the only time you should fire a coach is if the players stop listening to him.  That has not happened.

How can you know that for sure as an outsider?

For all we know, they could have done end of season player interviews, which most professional teams do, and the front office and ownership's takeaways from those were that a number of players were not fully behind Thibs.

Separately, it may also have been determined that Thibs, despite being a good coach, is no longer the right fit for the roster as it is currently constructed. And this roster is kind of set at this point. It is unlikely we will see anymore major moves anytime imminently.

[Philosophers]

How can you know that for sure as an outsider?

For all we know, they could have done end of season player interviews, which most professional teams do, and the front office and ownership's takeaways from those were that a number of players were not fully behind Thibs.

Separately, it may also have been determined that Thibs, despite being a good coach, is no longer the right fit for the roster as it is currently constructed. And this roster is kind of set at this point. It is unlikely we will see anymore major moves anytime imminently.

Did you see any player revolts during the season?  At the end, when asked about Thibs future, Brunson seemed almost angry that the question had even been asked of him?  Josh Hart's reaction as well speak volumes about his thoughts.  Does it mean all 12 guys loved him?  Probably not but it looks like the key guys did and that is all that mattered.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

I'm still shaking my head at the decision to fire Thibs. Very risky move. After nearly a half century as the laughing stock of the NBA, a franchise that star players refused to come here because of it's reputation, we finally got a coach that takes the team to four playoffs in five years...and star players actually WANT to come here

I get it that the front office wants to "take the next step", because the ONLY thing that matters is bringing home a championship. But history is littered with impatient teams firing their coach to take the "next step", only to discover the new coach has to start from ground zero just to get back to where the team was...usually takes about five years...that is, if the coach is still part of the team by then

There is no guarantee that there is a head coach out there who will magically get more out of this team, than what Thibs did. In fact, there'll probably be a setback and we'll groan, basking the memory of an exciting good team in NY during the last few seasons. Let's just hope that we don't go back to the "lost in the desert" for the next half century in search of the promised land that Knicks' fans are sooo familiar with

[Philosophers]

I'm still shaking my head at the decision to fire Thibs. Very risky move. After nearly a half century as the laughing stock of the NBA, a franchise that star players refused to come here because of it's reputation, we finally got a coach that takes the team to four playoffs in five years...and star players actually WANT to come here

I get it that the front office wants to "take the next step", because the ONLY thing that matters is bringing home a championship. But history is littered with impatient teams firing their coach to take the "next step", only to discover the new coach has to start from ground zero just to get back to where the team was...usually takes about five years...that is, if the coach is still part of the team by then

There is no guarantee that there is a head coach out there who will magically get more out of this team, than what Thibs did. In fact, there'll probably be a setback and we'll groan, basking the memory of an exciting good team in NY during the last few seasons. Let's just hope that we don't go back to the "lost in the desert" for the next half century in search of the promised land that Knicks' fans are sooo familiar with

Exactly.

I woke up this morning thinking, "did Dolan and Rose like the Pacers pace of play and full court pressure D and wants to consider Rick Pitino?  He said not interested at Yankees game but I dont believe him.

[Giantleap56]

I like Thibs he is a good coach and can turn a team around. But we all knew his weaknesses. Short rotations to much starter minutes lack of development of bench. Good players gone missing from lineup. Offensively he is not that good. It's the 90's offense that solely relies on half court sets slow pace.

This team was talented and to winning 51 regular season games, that's not enough they should have won more games. It's attributed to starters wearing out. Keeping starters in for blowout minutes what coach does that. He is a very good defensive coach, that reached his potential. Not a championship coach, but good coach we all see the struggles on offense when other teams turn up the dial he didn't even have an answer for full court press, starting the offense at the half court mark. The writing was on the wall.
Talent is still in the Knicks an another good coach will come in and maybe take the team to another step up.

[DaveBrown74]

Did you see any player revolts during the season?  At the end, when asked about Thibs future, Brunson seemed almost angry that the question had even been asked of him?  Josh Hart's reaction as well speak volumes about his thoughts.  Does it mean all 12 guys loved him?  Probably not but it looks like the key guys did and that is all that mattered.

I think Brunson loved him because Thibs allowed him to play iso and bully ball, and to take an inordinate amount of shots, which I think not every other player on the team was necessarily a huge fan of.

[Philosophers]

I think Brunson loved him because Thibs allowed him to play iso and bully ball, and to take an inordinate amount of shots, which I think not every other player on the team was necessarily a huge fan of.

That's fair.  Also throw in KAT's seemingly ridiculous 3 point attempts 10 feet beyond the arc and maybe you have a couple of guys playing beyond where they should.

[DaveBrown74]

That's fair.  Also throw in KAT's seemingly ridiculous 3 point attempts 10 feet beyond the arc and maybe you have a couple of guys playing beyond where they should.

Good point.

I'm not saying he was universally hated by the players - to be clear I definitely don't think that at all. I think he was broadly liked. I do get the sense from some of the local media here though that a few players were not thrilled with the way things were being run.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

Lots of rumors and speculations about when and why he was fired. Some posit that Dolan was angry with Thibs because he didn't get KAT to play the kind of defense necessary...especially after (from the Athletic) "...game 2 when Pascal Siakam erupted for 39 points, including 13 in the final frame. The Knicks needed defense. Towns couldn't provide it. Towns is a defensive liability..."

Rumor 1: Dolan was apparently incensed over KAT's lackadaisical defense and blamed Thibs for not getting on him. Rose was against firing Thibs, but eventually came around...who knows 

Rumor 2: Dolan wants Denver HC Michael Malone, who was fired with three games left in the regular season. Malone kept a low profile in the first few weeks after he was fired, but joined ESPN's coverage of the Western Conference finals. (Again, from the Athletic), "You better believe that the Knicks are looking at Malone to take over for Thibodeau. Michael Malone's CAA connection to the Knicks can't be ignored. Not only is Malone a native New Yorker with championship experience, but CAA also represents him. The Knicks are closely tied to CAA due to Leon Rose, who previously headed the agency's basketball division before joining the Knicks as the president of basketball operations.

After Charania (Senior NBA Insider for ESPN) broke the news, he said on The Pat McAfee Show that he believes the Knicks will go after someone who can develop the bench and work well with the front office. The Knicks could value Malone's resume above all else. One can assume that Malone would be interested in returning to New York. Why wouldn't he want to go home to lead the team that he grew up cheering for as a kid?"

Rumor 3: "There is a chance the Knicks have circled Jason Kidd's name in orange-and-blue hearts because they think it will help them trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two-time MVP is reportedly mulling over his future with the Milwaukee Bucks, and New York continues to be mentioned as a possible destination despite its glaring lack of assets.

Hiring Kidd could go a long way toward convincing Giannis to force his way to The Big Apple. Just like Jalen Brunson, he has expressed immense respect for the coach with whom he spent three-plus years in Milwaukee.

This logic tracks if the Knicks can guarantee Kidd would leave the Mavs for them, and that his hiring would, in turn, guarantee Giannis demands a trade to them, and only them. New York cannot be assured Dallas will even let Kidd go, let alone that his arrival would make it the odds-on favorites to land Antetokounmpo."

And on and on the rumors spin like a roulette board...where it stops, nobody knows

[Philosophers]

Lots of rumors and speculations about when and why he was fired. Some posit that Dolan was angry with Thibs because he didn't get KAT to play the kind of defense necessary...especially after (from the Athletic) "...game 2 when Pascal Siakam erupted for 39 points, including 13 in the final frame. The Knicks needed defense. Towns couldn't provide it. Towns is a defensive liability..."

Rumor 1: Dolan was apparently incensed over KAT's lackadaisical defense and blamed Thibs for not getting on him. Rose was against firing Thibs, but eventually came around...who knows 

Rumor 2: Dolan wants Denver HC Michael Malone, who was fired with three games left in the regular season. Malone kept a low profile in the first few weeks after he was fired, but joined ESPN's coverage of the Western Conference finals. (Again, from the Athletic), "You better believe that the Knicks are looking at Malone to take over for Thibodeau. Michael Malone's CAA connection to the Knicks can't be ignored. Not only is Malone a native New Yorker with championship experience, but CAA also represents him. The Knicks are closely tied to CAA due to Leon Rose, who previously headed the agency's basketball division before joining the Knicks as the president of basketball operations.

After Charania (Senior NBA Insider for ESPN) broke the news, he said on The Pat McAfee Show that he believes the Knicks will go after someone who can develop the bench and work well with the front office. The Knicks could value Malone's resume above all else. One can assume that Malone would be interested in returning to New York. Why wouldn't he want to go home to lead the team that he grew up cheering for as a kid?"

Rumor 3: "There is a chance the Knicks have circled Jason Kidd's name in orange-and-blue hearts because they think it will help them trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two-time MVP is reportedly mulling over his future with the Milwaukee Bucks, and New York continues to be mentioned as a possible destination despite its glaring lack of assets.

Hiring Kidd could go a long way toward convincing Giannis to force his way to The Big Apple. Just like Jalen Brunson, he has expressed immense respect for the coach with whom he spent three-plus years in Milwaukee.

This logic tracks if the Knicks can guarantee Kidd would leave the Mavs for them, and that his hiring would, in turn, guarantee Giannis demands a trade to them, and only them. New York cannot be assured Dallas will even let Kidd go, let alone that his arrival would make it the odds-on favorites to land Antetokounmpo."

And on and on the rumors spin like a roulette board...where it stops, nobody knows

The Knicks would also owe the Mavericks for Kidd.  Least favorite one for me. 

Malone wore out his welcome with the Nuggets players.  Think he would do the same.

[spiderblue43]

Kidd makes the most sense..


But the Mavs aren't letting him walk. No way.

Here's the thing: How can the Knicks be so Knuckleheaded.

Fire THIBS..then have no reasonable option. I think they overreacted here.
Unless they do have someone in mind..a plan