Somehow, even with the New York Knicks’ premature elimination from this year’s NBA playoffs, they manage to still make headlines. The firing of now-former Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau was met with mixed reactions. After coaching the Knicks to their first conference finals in 25 years, he was relieved of his duties after five seasons. It should be noted that the Knicks’ roster was different and much improved from last season. But the fact still remained that this was Thibodeau’s first year with this roster. So, the foundational question here? Did the Knicks pull the trigger too soon on a coaching change?
It’s hard to say if his firing was a rushed decision
Yes, on the surface, he did bring the New York Knicks back to prominence in the NBA and in New York City. And sure, he has gotten them further with his coaching philosophies than anyone else in the past 25 years. However, there have been signs throughout this past season and postseason that let us know that not all was rosy in the locker room.
When it comes to how many minutes Thibodeau plays his star players, it’s well documented that he essentially runs them into the ground during the regular season. His mentality is that he is preparing their conditioning for what’s needed in a long postseason run. Midway through this past season, Knicks forward Mikal Bridges reportedly told Thibodeau that he needed to ease up on the minutes during a meeting. Thibodeau is usually listed high on the league’s list of coaches players don’t want to play for.
The Derrick Rose of it all
The NBA’s youngest ever league MVP was Thibodeau’s star point guard for the Chicago Bulls for eight years. Within that time, Derrick Rose suffered several devastating knee injuries that some attribute to his body fatiguing from playing long minutes.
Players and fans alike have been clamoring for Thibodeau to utilize his bench a bit more to allow for his starters to get more rest. But ever so stubborn, Thibodeau rarely went beyond playing seven guys. In this year’s playoffs, Thibodeau went deeper into his bench when the team was in dire straits. That was another indictment of his philosophies that I believe rubbed the Knicks’ brass the wrong way.
It’s simply time for a new voice
Yes, winning does cure everything, and if the Knicks went to the NBA Finals, we probably wouldn’t be having this discussion. But as I like to say, “If wishes were fishes, the world would be an ocean.” We can’t do anything about what could’ve been. We only have the now. Although the Knicks’ coaching search has gotten off to a stale start, I believe we’ll see a more dynamic offensive team next season.
