Insider: Knicks Could Make Change Without Playoff Run

Always in motion is the future but it could be particularly fast for the New York Knicks.

How the Knicks fare in this upcoming NBA postseason could set the stage for how the rest of this decade plays out: New York faces the Detroit Pistons in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs and a meeting with the defending champion Boston Celtics likely awaits if they move past the Motor City.

The pressure is mounting on several major Knicks representatives, including head coach Tom Thibodeau. SNY Knicks insider Ian Begley hinted that the upcoming duels with Detroit—and potentially beyond—could cause the Knicks to re-evaluate the Thibodeau plan.

"I do think that there's a strong possibility, a solid possibility that changes are coming if [the Knicks] flame out against Detroit or even if they're non-competitive in the second round against the Boston Celtics.

Earlier this year, somebody asked me about Tom Thibodeau, and I… pic.twitter.com/yQyWQ4i4Fd
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) April 14, 2025

"I do think that there's a strong possibility, a solid possibility that changes are coming if [the Knicks] flame out against Detroit or even if they're non-competitive in the second round against the Boston Celtics," Begley said on his web series "The Putback." "Earlier this year, somebody asked me about Tom Thibodeau, and I thought based on everything that I'd heard coming into the year, I didn't think there was a scenario where the Knicks would change their head coach."

"Now, more recently having conversations with people, seeing which way the wind is blowing, the stakes are high for Tom Thibodeau going into this postseason."

Joining Begley as a guest alongside Coty Davis of the Detroit News, fellow Knicks insider Steve Popper of Newsday concurred with Begley, remarking that the postseason as a whole could be a "make-or-break period" for Manhattan's finest.

The pressure is no doubt mounting on Thibodeau, who signed a contract extension with the Knicks over the offseason. New York has undoubtedly become a better team under Thibodeau's watch but it's clear that the team is looking for more than mere first-round victories this time around.

The Knicks are one of three teams (alongside defending champions Denver and Boston) to win at least one playoff round in each of the last two seasons and they have the sixth-most regular season wins in the Association in that span (101). But all that and more wasn't enough to save colleague Michael Malone, who was shockingly ousted by the aforementioned Nuggets despite a resume that includes the 2023 championship.

Driving or sputtering against the Pistons could go a long way in determining Thibodeau's fate, and even then questions will no doubt linger as New York seeks something grander on the postseason front.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns as and so much more!