Knicks Should Have Appreciated Tom Thibodeau More

The grass isn't always greener on the other side.

During last year's NBA Finals, New York Knicks former head coach Tom Thibodeau was relieved of his coaching duties with the organization putting out a statement on their X account speaking of the decision.

"Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans. This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we've decided to move in another direction," it read. "... Ultimately, we made the decision we feel is best for our organization moving forward. Tom will always be a part of our Knicks family and we truly wish him nothing but the best in the future."

There are situations where teams move on from head coaches. However, for Thibodeau, who was coming off a conference finals appearance, this was an unusual situation.

Tom Thibodeau's coaching style.

Thibodeau began his head coaching career back in 2010-11 which at that time was a different time. Today, with the game more finesse, fast paced, and high velocity of three pointers attempted. During the early-mid 2010's, the game was centered around physicality and interior play. So when people question Thibodeau's style of coaching, we have to look at the era he started from.

May 29, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau looks on in the first quarter against the Indiana Pacers during game five of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The next question, is how effective Thibodeau was as the Knicks' head coach? From 2020-2025, four of the years consisted of playoff berths, within the last two seasons he achieved a conference finals and semifinals appearance. Beating some of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, such as the Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Boston Celtics and Detroit Pistons. Both of the playoff losses came at the hands of the Indiana Pacers. By the Knicks standards, that is overachieving with the franchise not being in the Conference finals since 2000.

Thibodeau is who he is. A tough minded, defensive oriented coach who believes in holding his players accountable. That style allowed him to accomplish some monumental things with the Knicks, but unfortunately some of that goes under appreciated while being scapegoated.

Tom Thibodeau leaves New York with four playoff series wins.

The Knicks had just one playoff series win since 2000 before Thibs arrived 😳 pic.twitter.com/vAMkDibYgd
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 3, 2025

Why was Thibodeau fired?

Going back to the team and individual success Thibodeau had with the Knicks, the following question must be considered: why was he fired? The organization didn't go into specifics of the unexpected departure, but the last time Thibodeau was on the sidelines has been the center of discussion.

Following Thibodeau's firing this offseason, ESPN's Brian Windhorst, on the show "Get Up", spoke about the 2025 Conference Finals series loss to the Pacers where his strategy style came into question.

“What Tom Thibodeau did to his coaching strategy during the Eastern Conference finalsmight haveassured his firing,” Windhorst explained. “What I mean by that is after falling down 2-0 in that series he made a whole bunch of changes.

“He changed his starting lineup … he extended multiple players into his bench— something that players and team personnel and people across the league had been begging him to do for months. He also changed some of his strategies within the coaching of the game, and it worked,” he pointed out.

“They won two of the next three games, got themselves back into the series… But in way that just highlighted how his rigidity might’ve held the Knicks back a little bit.”

While looking at what Windhorst said, this exposed something. Which is the false perception that Thibodeau doesn't adjust to. Going back to the main point, being who you are and has it been successful? He has been the same coach for his entire career, and more times than not it has led to high seeds, playoff berths, and conference title appearances. So, what was the problem?

The adjustment he made to go deep in his bench and not rely on "overplaying his starters" was made in the conference finals. For those that said he should have made the adjustment sooner, what is there to exactly adjust if the team has been successful in winning games and playoff rounds?

The NBA is a players league.

It is no secret. Coaches get moved left from right.

In this case, it wasn't for underperformance. So, the next thing, would be to look at did certain players not agree with Thibodeau's style of coaching or his beliefs that players need to be held accountable?

Players such as Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson and Donte DiVincenzo all shared Thibodeau's beliefs and that made for a perfect match on the court. However, Thibodeau isn't for everyone, and in a league where players have more leverage over the coach, this could be controversial.

Did certain players on the Knicks have issues with the style of coaching Thibodeau demanded from day in and day out? Possibly.

If practicing consistently while relying on your starters to play for many minutes is an issue that those things can be adjusted through communication from player to coach. However, for an immediate firing with only two wins away from a championship appearance is quite shocking. The Knicks will need to pick up where Thibodeau left off not only in the regular season, but also in the playoffs.

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