The New York Knicks have dismissed head coach Tom Thibodeau after guiding the team to its first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since 2000. Fair or not, the deed is done. The question is: What now?
Suddenly, New York is in the market for a new voice amid its most successful five-year stretch since the beginning of this millennium. Parting ways with Thibodeau has always sounded easier in theory than in practice, which is probably why they haven't done so sooner. How will Knicks president of basketball operations Leon Rose and the club move forward? Is there a ripple effect created by this stunning yet understandable move?
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Who's on the Knicks' radar to replace Tom Thibodeau?
Mmoving on from Thibodeau has, and still could prove to be, easier said than done. There's been a contingent of Knicks fans calling for his head for quite some time, but a viable alternative has yet to present itself. That hasn't changed, leaving many wondering who will be the heir apparent in New York.
We know the Knicks' ties to Villanova basketball run deep, starting with franchise centerpiece Jalen Brunson. Could the superstar floor general, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart's former college head coach, Jay Wright, be an option? SNY's Ian Begley loosely floated the idea before Thibodeau was officially let go.
Begley also named ex-Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone as a possible successor. But like Thibs, the one-time NBA champion was relieved of his duties in April for similar reasons. Chief among them is a reluctance to trust younger players or extend the bench. Does pivoting to a retread with comparable deficiencies or someone with no experience in the Association make sense? We'd say not, so let's see if the Knicks have a trick up their sleeve.
What does Tom Thibodeau's firing mean for Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart's futures in New York?
Due to payroll and apron constraints, any wholesale changes to the roster would require the Knicks to give up a core player(s). It remains to be seen how big of a fish New York tries to reel in, if any. Depending on the size, All-NBA big man Karl-Anthony Towns and veteran wings Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart's salaries can all be viewed as potential bargaining chips. The same can be said for talented but oft-injured center Mitchell Robinson, whose value is likely at its peak following an impressive playoff run.
If Thibs' firing and Leon Rose's tenure in New York have taught us anything, the Knicks' lead exec isn't afraid to be aggressive. With that in mind, nothing can be taken off the table until the front office or a reputable source says otherwise. Based on his postgame comments following Game 6 of the ECF, Hart ostensibly understands this.
A blockbuster swap between the Knicks and Phoenix Suns involving Towns and Kevin Durant has been a popular talking point. The money works, and both squads can get a fresh start with a new dynamic duo. But does this improve New York's title odds in 2025-26?
Everything the Knicks do must and presumably will be looked at through the lens of: "Will this get us closer to a championship?" Is Durant, who turns 37 in September and has appeared in 62 regular-season games or fewer in four of the past five seasons, an upgrade? From a pure talent and defensive standpoint, he's a safer bet than Towns. Nonetheless, health and availability are concerning issues that don't figure to improve with age.
All eyes are on Leon Rose to justify the Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau decision
New York may have waited a little too long to oust Thibs and chose an awkward time to do it. The bottom line is the squad was two wins away from its first NBA Finals appearance in a quarter century. But the cat's out of the bag and there's no turning back. Good or bad, how they respond will mark a defining moment in the Rose-Knicks era.
Rose, Thibodeau and Brunson have been in lockstep since they joined forces. Their well-chronicled connection far predates the time spent together in New York. So, this couldn't have been easy for all parties involved.
Despite their long-standing relationship, Rose elected to ax Thibodeau with the support of owner James Dolan. The head of the Knicks' brain trust once represented their now-former sideline chief when he was an agent for the Creative Artists Agency (CAA). This only further adds to the pressure of justifying such a stunning termination.