After the New York Knicks lost to the Indiana Pacers in last year's playoffs, I wrote that their future "looked bright." And it certainly appeared that way. A team decimated by injuries still managed to get to a game seven before finally succumbing to the inevitable. One could certainly be excused for being optimistic about the 2024-25 season. And with the offseason moves Leon Rose made, the consensus was that this franchise was on the verge of achieving something great; something it hadn't achieved since 1973: a title.
But even though this season's roster was more talented than last season's, the toughness and resiliency that had come to define past Tom Thibodeau teams was missing. The Knicks were among the worst teams in the NBA when it came to defending the perimeter. Opponents shot 36.7 percent from three against them. Only the Phoenix Suns (37 percent), Atlanta Hawks (37.7 percent), Philadelphia 76ers (37.8 percent) and Sacramento Kings (38.1 percent) were more porous from beyond the arc.
It was frustrating to watch a team as gifted offensively as the Knicks were be so inept defensively. Was it a matter of chemistry? Perhaps. After all, making two significant trades the way Rose did - the latter coming literally as training camp was beginning - could have upset the apple cart, I suppose. Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo were very popular players in that locker room; losing them no doubt hurt. Indeed, it looked as if this roster had been thrown together in the hopes it would somehow be able to figure it out.
And at times it appeared as though it had. The Knicks went 12-2 in the month of December to improve their record to 23-10. But only one of those wins came against a playoff team. In January and February, the Knicks went a collective 16-10, but were 0-4 against teams ahead of them in the standings. Further, the manner in which the Knicks lost those games was disconcerting, to say the least. They were competitive in only one of them. During the regular season, the Knicks went 0-10 versus the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder. Not a very good sign for a team with championship aspirations. Despite finishing 51-31, it was obvious to even the most casual observer that this was a flawed team.
Going into this year's playoffs, I thought the Knicks, at the very least, had to beat the Detroit Pistons for Thibs to keep his job. But when they upset the Celtics in six, I naturally assumed he was safe. Obviously, I was wrong. The fact is, despite their woeful record against Boston during the regular season, the Knicks were built with the expressed purpose of dethroning the champs. And that is precisely what happened. Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns both had the series of a lifetime, especially Bridges who literally stole games one and two in Boston with his defense.
But against the Pacers, the Knicks were always a step behind, and not just physically. Throughout the series, Rick Carlisle thoroughly out-coached Thibs, who was late making adjustments, and at times reluctant to make substitutions. After dropping the first two games at the Garden, he finally tinkered with his lineup, inserting Landry Shamet and Delon Wright into the rotation. The result was a badly-needed win and a chance to get even in the series. But then Carlisle made his adjustments and just like that the Knicks were on the brink of elimination. They forced a game six, but couldn't will a game seven. In the end, Indiana exposed every flaw in their game. While Thibs was playing checkers, Carlisle was playing chess.
In the executive offices at 4 Penn Plaza, Rose clearly did not like what he saw. Either this team - the one he assembled through series of trades and signings - wasn't good enough or it simply wasn't being coached well enough. To quote Sherlock Holmes, "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." Rose knew it couldn't be the former, so he concluded it had to be the latter.
It is an axiom in sports that you coach the team you have, not the one you wish you had. It was clear from day one that the makeup of this roster clashed with the way Thibs preferred to coach. In short, this was never his team. And unless this is your first day on planet Earth, you have to know that whenever a coach and a GM butt heads over player personnel, it is always the coach who loses.
So now Rose, in addition to fortifying a roster he believes is a contender, will be looking for a new head coach. It won't be easy. Coaches that guide their teams to back-to-back 50 win seasons don't grow on trees. Whoever he picks will have the unenviable task of winning over a core that to a man loved Thibs. Jalen Brunson, in particular, will be a hard sale. I can't imagine Rose made this move without at least giving his captain a heads up.
One potential candidate is already on staff. Rick Brunson - Jalen's father - has been an assistant coach with the Knicks since the 2022-23 season. He knows the roster inside out, and from what little we know of him, he won't make the one mistake Thibs kept making over and over during his tenure: driving this team into the ground. The fact is Knick starters had considerably more minutes on the court than any other team this season. In the clincher against the Celtics, the Knicks were up 35 with less than six minutes to go and Thibs still hadn't put his bench players in. There is simply no excuse for that happening. None.
Now for the sixty-four thousand dollar question: What role, if any, did James Dolan play in this? While there's no evidence that he ordered the firing, it's inconceivable that he wasn't consulted on it, especially given that the Knicks will owe Thibs $30 million to NOT coach the team next season. You don't give away that much money without getting the owner's blessing.
Just to be clear, the Knicks did not fire Red Auerbach; they fired a coach whose stubbornness walked hand-in-hand with his work ethic. Yes, he brought back a culture of winning, but this team was probably not going to win a championship under him. Rose did what he had to do.
So, the Tom Thibodeau era has officially come to an end in New York.
Knicks fans await to see who his successor will be.
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