The New York Knicks shocked the NBA world earlier this month when they fired Tom Thibodeau, just days after the Knicks were eliminated from the NBA playoffs by the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Despite back-to-back 50-win seasons and playoff series wins in consecutive years, New York decided to go in a different direction. But what has followed hasn’t inspired much confidence in their long-term plan.
NBA insider Shams Charania shed light on the Knicks’ coaching search this week, and if his comments are any indication, New York’s next hire may be more uncertain than fans realize.
NBA Insider Shams Charania Calls Out Knicks for Chaotic Coaching Search After Firing Tom Thibodeau
Appearing on the June 13 episode of “The Rich Eisen Show,” Charania was direct with his assessment of New York’s front office.
“If you’re firing a coach like Tom Thibodeau, who took you to four playoff runs in five years as head coach, that took you to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years, that’s a big deal,” Charania said.
“And you fire a coach like that, you would think that they have a person lined up, that they have a course of action in place. This process shows that they probably were flying more in the dark than a lot of us thought they were, that they were really still searching, that this was going to be a true search.”
That lack of clarity has played out in real time. Charania rattled off a list of five current head coaches the Knicks reached out to — and were turned down across the board. Among those to reject New York’s inquiry: Dallas Mavericks (Jason Kidd), Minnesota Timberwolves (Chris Finch), Houston Rockets (Ime Udoka), Atlanta Hawks (Quin Snyder), and Chicago Bulls (Billy Donovan).
New York has now pivoted to former NBA head coaches. They plan to interview ex-Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins and former Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown this week. That marks a sharp shift from their original strategy of trying to lure an active coach away from a contending roster — a move Charania called “a first in the NBA.”
“You talk to people with the Knicks,” Charania added, “and the response that I get is this is all part of the process … an educational process for us to do due diligence.”
But the optics are hard to ignore. The Knicks dismissed a proven coach still under contract, then launched a wide-ranging search with no clear front-runner. Even more perplexing: Thibodeau, 67, had just guided New York to its deepest playoff run since 2000, and they still owe him an estimated $30 million after signing him to an extension last year.
For a franchise long accused of instability, the decision has opened the door to renewed criticism. Thibodeau wasn’t perfect, but his tenure brought relevance and structure to a team that had missed the playoffs in 14 of the previous 17 seasons.
As of mid-June, the Knicks are the league’s only team without a head coach. Technically, there’s no rush — training camp doesn’t begin until late September. But if Charania’s evaluation is accurate, patience may be masking panic.
“I really do believe the Knicks are going to be patient now,” Charania said. “But this was definitely an unorthodox process … we’ve never seen that happen in the league.”