The New York Knicks are reeling after going down 0-2 to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Tom Thibodeau has come in for the majority of the criticism in the wake of a very bad week, but as the series heads to Indiana, it's clear that Thibs can't really win with his lineup decisions.
Thibodeau has come under fire for his commitment to sticking with a starting five that has been downright awful in recent weeks. According to Kristian Winfield of the New York Post,"Knicks starters are -29 in this round and -81 in the playoffs".
The squad is currently starting Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns. Notably, Mitchell Robinson has been sitting on the bench in this series despite the squad needing some defensive help against Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner and the rest of a deep Pacers frontcourt.
The big man has struggled to stay on the floor at times in the Conference fFnals due to him being unable to make his free throws. Robinson has sometimes been able to beat the Shaq-a-Hack, but his shaky form remains an issue. As a whole, it's clear that the big man needs to replace Josh Hart in the lineup. But it's just as clear that Thibodeau doesn't have many options at his disposal.
Tom Thibodeau needs to go, but the coach is in a hard spot
In all reality, it's hard to see a world where Delon Wright is an upgrade over Cameron Payne minutes despite the poor play from the former 2014 first-round pick in this series. And that highlights the real problem: New York doesn't have many buttons to push in this series. Yes, it would make more sense to start Robinson over Hart, but it's reasonable to question how Robinson would hold up over a starter's workload. Deuce McBride should probably be playing more, but beyond that, who else can fans reasonably expect Thibodeau to trust right now?
While the series is only two games in, it's clear that this is extremely similar to the 2023 Western Conference Finals when the Los Angeles Lakers got swept by the Denver Nuggets in a series that only had a +24 point differential. In that series, the Lakers were coached by Darvin Ham, whose coaching struggles were masked by a roster that ran out of suitable rotation players.
In order to keep themselves contenders for the next two to three years, the Knicks likely need to fire Thibodeau due to his stubborn inability to pivot when a plan isn't working. Still, it's obvious that the franchise doesn't have many options in this series if Hart continues to struggle. Whether that happens or not, it's clear that coach Thibodeau is in a hard spot.