Knicks firing Thibodeau feels cold, but that doesn't mean it was wrong
Tom Thibodeau's reward for leading the New York Knicks to their deepest playoff run in a quarter-century came in the form of his walking papers.
Thibodeau re-established a winning culture in The Mecca, but like many coaches before him, he was ultimately undone by the expectations he helped create. The Knicks averaged 46.3 wins per 82 games in Thibodeau's five seasons, making four playoff appearances and winning four postseason series. In the 19 years before Thibodeau's arrival, New York averaged 32 wins (per 82 contests) and made four playoff trips, winning one series.
Naturally, then, many will feel that New York did Thibs wrong. Critics will call this an overreaction to the team's six-game loss in the Eastern Conference finals, a classic Knicks move, and a sign the club is headed back to its worst impulses. After all, the organization still reportedly owes Thibodeau $30 million. But I'd argue the opposite. This was the action of a title-starved franchise so close to the mountaintop that it can almost touch it - an all-in contender fully aware that even the smallest of boosts along the margins can be the difference between agony and euphoria.
It's fair to point out that improving along those margins - or on the sidelines - might've been New York's only option, given the assets already spent constructing a flawed roster. Thibodeau can't make up for the challenges that come when a team's two best players (Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns) are porous defenders, nor can a head coach recoup all of the draft picks spent on Mikal Bridges. However, Thibodeau wasn't without fault for the Knicks running into a third-round wall.
As the deep playoff run unfolded - reportedly marked by multiple players-only meetings - it became painfully clear New York needed a more creative and modern offensive approach, in addition to requiring more depth. For all of Thibodeau's defensive strengths, no one would ever confuse him with the type of coach who will address those two core issues.
He likely wouldn't have trusted the depth pieces the Knicks add this summer anyway. Thibodeau's insistence on playing his starters heavy minutes has been a trademark throughout his career. Even Bridges, the NBA's ultimate ironman, thought Thibs went too far. As for the offense, the Knicks should've maximized every ounce of Towns' offensive potential and his two-man game with Brunson to negate the duo's defensive flaws. They didn't. Instead, New York ranked 28th in 3-point attempt rate (38.2% of total shots), while Towns, the self-proclaimed greatest shooting big man of all time, posted his lowest 3-point attempt rate in six years.
If one thing did Thibodeau in, it was that rigidity. Look at the head coaches left standing in the NBA Finals. Pacers bench boss Rick Carlisle has adapted his coaching style and offensive philosophies over the years to suit the talent at his disposal. Thunder coach Mark Daigneault threw everything and the kitchen sink at Nikola Jokic on both ends of the floor in a second-round series win. The Knicks don't have the personnel to replicate what Oklahoma City did against Jokic or what Indiana does with Tyrese Haliburton leading the break. But you can bet the team's front office watched Carlisle, Daigneault, and other coaches this spring and were left wanting more from an adaptability standpoint.
The Knicks still have things to figure out before taking that last and toughest leap up the NBA mountain. Among them now, they need to find a head coach who can live up to the standard Thibodeau left behind and then some.
It feels unfair to a tirelessly working basketball lifer, but that doesn't necessarily mean it was wrong. These are the tough, sometimes cold decisions contenders need to make when their eyes are on the prize and nothing else. The Knicks are finally in that space. No one said it'd be easy.
Joseph Casciaro is theScore's lead Raptors and NBA reporter.