Knicks Fire Tom Thibodeau After Losing Eastern Conference Finals

The New York Knicks have fired head coach Tom Thibodeau less than a week after losing in the Eastern Conference Finals. ESPN’s Shams Charania was first to report.

Thibodeau led the franchise to its most successful period in over two decades. Under Thibodeau, New York made the playoffs in four of five seasons, won at least 50 games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1993-95 and reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years.

Despite the success, it appears the Knicks believed there is nothing more Thibodeau can achieve with this roster. He has long had a reputation of not trusting his bench enough and that played out until it was virtually too late.

Delon Wright and Landry Shamet both received notable minutes after the Knicks fell behind 2-0 against the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. The fact both players proved effective in their time on the floor probably further illustrated Thibodeau was wrong to show such a lack of faith in his bench.

Charania also reported the Knicks front office felt it was time for a fresh voice in the locker room.

Before the dismissal, star guard Jalen Brunson was vocal in expressing his support of Thibodeau. Brunson has experienced the best years of his career playing for Thibodeau, making two All-Star teams and two All-NBA teams.

Thibodeau ends his Knicks tenure with a 226-174 (.565) record. He won the Coach of the Year award in 2021.

Who Might Knicks Replace Thibodeau With?

Immediate reaction pointed to two potential candidates: Michael Malone and Jay Wright.

Malone was with the Denver Nuggets until as recently as the final month of the regular season. He’s a proven winner with championship pedigree and helped guide Denver to a title in 2023. However, one of the frustrations for Nuggets brass with Malone was he didn’t trust young players enough.

Wright famously coached Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart during his days with Villanova. The Knicks have been affectionately called the ‘Nova Knicks, because they also had Donte DiVincenzo. Wright has never coached in the NBA, though.

Former NBA head coaches who are currently free agents include Mike Budenholzer, Taylor Jenkins, Frank Vogel and Mike Brown.

The Phoenix Suns are currently rounding out their coaching search with Cleveland Cavaliers assistants Johnnie Bryant and Jordan Ott.