The sacking of New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau sent shockwaves throughout the NBA. Taking the Knicks to their first Conference Finals after 25 years, he deserved more in many people’s eyes. With the franchise’s president, Leon Rose, finally pulling the plug on Thibodeau, they intend to appoint a new coach to take them over the finish line.
Moreover, Rose’s statement regarding the termination surely irked fans as he said, “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.”
After all that transpired, an ex-NBA coach, P. J. Carlesimo, came into the conversation, livid with the Knicks’ plans to let go of Thibodeau.
Ex-NBA Coach Sounds Off at the Knicks’ Decision To Sack Tom Thibodeau
Carlesimo appeared on ‘The Ryen Russillo Podcast’ to discuss the termination of Thibodeau and said, “The Knicks always think they’re smarter than everybody else. That’s the Knicks’ philosophy. They think they’re different and we’re smarter than all these other teams, and we know what we’re doing, and I would say they’re normally the opposite. They’re often times their own worst enemy.”
Before Thibodeau arrived at the franchise, the Knicks didn’t make the playoffs for seven years. He then transformed the franchise and got Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns to strengthen the team. It certainly worked, with the team reaching the Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks fanatics enjoyed their run despite losing to the Indiana Pacers in the Finals.
“I’m biased, I’m always going to come down on a coach, but first of all, that’s the Knicks, they don’t know what they’re doing, they’re their own worst enemy, they’ve been their own worst enemy,” mentioned an irritated Carlesimo on the podcast.
Ultimately, he posed the obvious question to the front office and mentioned, “Where the hell are they going? If you’re gonna do a thing like that, you would have thought they had a deal in their drawer or something.”
Lack of Proper Planning May Hurt the Knicks
Nobody knows the franchise’s plans, and there are no coaching prospects in the line besides bringing up a couple of names here and there. NBA Insider Shams Charania detailed how the Knicks approached the Dallas Mavericks to talk to Jason Kidd, but the franchise rejected the option.
Likewise, the Knicks also contacted the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Chris Finch and the Houston Rockets’ Ime Udoka, but the two franchises followed the same suit as the Knicks.
Hence, with the Knicks’ coaching troubles right now, the NBA fans could get restless if they don’t plan to hire a top coach immediately. Whatever Thibodeau built could go down the drain if they don’t hire someone capable.
