As we relayed this morning, the Knicks suffered a crushing 111-106 loss to Brooklyn on Wednesday, in which New York blew a 28-point lead, intensifying scrutiny on head coach Tom Thibodeau. The Knicks are just 3-13 over their last 16 games and currently hold a 25-34 record, 12th in the East.
“A byproduct of losing is everyone wants to place blame. And I understand that,” Thibodeau said after the game. “We all have jobs to do. (The season) has not gone as well as it has. It didn’t go great last year until the end, right? Lock into what we have to do. Don’t get caught up in getting distracted. And focus on how we can do better. That’s where I want the focus to lie.”
Sources tell Ian Begley of SNY.tv that, in conversations with owner James Dolan, executive vice president William Wesley has been blaming Thibodeau’s coaching as a significant factor in the team’s struggles this season.
Thibodeau, the reigning Coach of the Year, was hand-picked by Wesley and president Leon Rose, and the three men have known each other for years, Begley writes. However, something is clearly amiss between the coaching staff and the front office.
Thibodeau was angry that the Knicks didn’t make trades ahead of the deadline last week and believed that a roster upgrade would have been beneficial, sources tell Begley. Thibodeau has been consulted with for personnel moves, and although his opinion is considered, New York’s front office has made several roster moves that didn’t align with Thibodeau’s thinking, per Begley.
In a separate article for SNY.tv, Begley states that he would be surprised if Thibodeau was fired before the end of the season — but confidence in the coach has clearly diminished within the organization.
Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News contends that the onus is on Rose to speak up with the embattled coach twisting in the wind. Sources confirmed Begley’s reporting to Bondy, that Wesley has Dolan’s ear and has been blaming Thibodeau for the team’s struggles. Wesley is also unhappy with Thibodeau’s reticence to play younger players.
The front office forced Thibodeau to add two assistant coaches — Johnnie Bryant and Kenny Payne — onto the staff as a condition of his hiring in 2020, sources tell Bondy. Should Thibodeau be fired, Bondy believes either of those coaches could named the next head coach.
Rose hasn’t spoken to the media since September, before the season started, and prior to that it had been more than a year since he’d spoken publicly, Bondy writes. He believes Rose needs to address the situation and back Thibodeau — or not — because the silence is leading to a lack of clarity on the team’s direction.
Wow Knicks back at it again!!
Didn’t take much tbh, they were lucky last year and are getting back to their normal level of bad management and coaching.
This really is the Knicks fault. They had a young and developing team and chose a coach who has always been win now, playing all the starters the highest minutes averages in the league, and prioritizing veterans over developing young talent. To hire Thibs and then get mad that he does what he always does shows a lack of vision or long term planning.
I never agreed to hiring Thibodeau! The NBA just threw that COY award at him to scam NY fans into believing that there would be change, but I saw thru it. He hasn’t changed! He’s a terrible, outdated coach!
Lol yeah that’s why they did it, he didn’t take a bottom feeder to the playoffs or anything
You and I both know it should’ve been Monty Williams last year. Be honest. Quin Snyder should’ve even got it before Tibodeau
Name the next Knicks head coach
Luke Walton
Steve Clifford
this is america after all so it would make sense that those 2 average white guys would get multiple chances before a guy like Cassell or Greg Buckner get their 1st, but this isn’t the NFL, Black coaches do get somewhat of a shot in the NBA
Lloyd Pearce or David Fizdale so
Obviously you just picked 2 random Black guys bc there’s no world in which Fiz becomes the Knicks head coach again but hey you gave it a shot & I’ll take what I can get at this point
Not 2 random but 2 average black coach with multiple chance like the 2 first …
What multiple chances did Lloyd Pierce get? He was fired before he even had 1 real chance tbh & he will most likely not get another. But is it your view that Black/minority coaches get the same opportunities as White coaches? Because that’s a hard point to argue directly after proposing that Steve Clifford or Luke Walton are the 2 best choices for a possible NYK hc vacancy
Nowhere he says that Clifford and Walton are the best candidates. Imho he’s point is that the Knicks are so bad that they will hire another bad coach. That would be my point in mentioning Walton at least.
Fizdale and pierce have 400 games coached in total, that’s not nothing
Blah-blah-blah
lol so basically you don’t like what you read but fail to come up with a coherent response
You’re what my generation called “prejudiced”.
You know why the black coaches you brought up didn’t get hired? Because the owners and front offices realized that they were in a competitive business and they all sat around and thought – gee, what can we do to make sure out team doesn’t win? And they said – let’s not hire a great black coach, lets hire lousy white guys. Then we can lose money and ruin our careers.
And there you have it!
You obviously are hung up on race. Probably a place you shouldn’t go. NBA don’t GAF about race.
Ed Cooley, Kenny Payne or Sam Cassell
I’d like Cassell. If nothing else, the theme nights they could have at the Garden would be legendary. ET, Admiral Ackbar, that little baby alien that comes out of the big alien’s mouth in Aliens, etc. Maybe he could bring back the Big Balls dance.
Silivan.
Mike Brown
Shhhh (keep that quiet) ;)
They need to tank and rebuild. Until they get a playmaking point guard that can hit threes the team isn’t going anywhere. Should have moved some players at the deadline. Now they’ll have to hope they still have some value in the summer.
Which pg do you think they should go after this summer? Simons would probably cost the max & even then Portland still might match. Brunson, Tyus Jones & Schroeder among others should be available in free agency. Fultz & Brogdon among others should be available in the trade market. Zach LaVine & Brad Beal could be available & they can both thrive as a lead guard but obv neither guy would be interested in a rebuild. Which route should NYK go as far as upgrading their backcourt?…
Brunson is overrated especially by knicks fans. Whoever maxes him will regret it. The dude is 1,85 he will get punked by tall PGs as the primary ball handler in a team.
They are tanking for a while without results, they will never do anything like this.
Dolan needs to sell, the new owner needs to find someone like ujiri or connelly and the fans need to grow up, otherwise they will be like these for years to come.
Mark Jackson if he wants it will be the next coach of Knicks
Another overrated coach
Frank Vogel or Doc Rivers
Everyone & their mother knows Thibs is like the worst HC in the league, that a fact…
Now moving on, I think Stack or Cassell would do a great job in NYC looking to the long term future!
But coach of the year and playoffs lol
This stupid board is to blame for hiring Gerson Rosas also …
What coach could win with this Roster? Thibs is not perfect They over achieved last Year setting it for a let down this Year
if Knicks FO did what the Bulls did with Caruso, DeRozan and Ball, Thibs couldn’t care less about rookies development.
Every coach that goes there fails! The Knicks are an absolute joke!! That’s why they haven’t won anything in 50 years !!!
Yet just last summer there were fan delusions of great days ahead, the fans aren’t do ng any good to their team either overrating their mediocre players like randle
Randle is an all star. Yeah must be overrated. You need to learn to criticize him with facts. Why come here to hate. It’s so boring. Randle was on his way out last yr. That’s why they drafted Obi. Randle bought a year and he deserved it. But it’s still a rebuild. And he’s going backwards instead of forward. Nothing that can’t be fixed.
JR is the only star in NYC, but the mediocre players are your young ones, the only that might be salvageable is RJ all the rest of young ones doesn’t even belong in the league right now!
Nothing wrong with getting another lottery pick. I would just play the young guns and go from there. What really the benefit of getting into play in or playoffs. Better if trading into top 6-8
Blaming seems pretty strong to me. Considering he brought in Thibs. Knicks are a rebuilding team. Always has been. So a little success changes everything. Not even Thibs truly believes that. They still got no PG. Therefore it enables Randle to run team. Those two things are on FO and Thibs. So I’d say it’s the media doing the blaming. All Knicks gotta do is draft well.
Next yr FA class has no one. We don’t have money till following yr. Otherwise I’d throw money at Ayton.
Hey Al you keep talking about our team rebuilding for years but has it led to any improvement no we are still the laughing stock of the NBA. And how can we rebuild when we are terrible at developing our young players with a enept stubborn old coach who still think this is the 1990s. Thibs is a Deadman walking and he deserves to be because he has lost the team and he is being a nightly basis by younger coaches. Thank God one our cornerstone pieces didn’t blow out his freaking Knee while still in the freaking game of a blowout. And as much as I can’t stand watching Randles nauseating game the man is gassed being this enept coach played him dam near the whole first half before he gives him a 30 second breather. But Thibs ain’t the only one to blame let’s point fingers at Leon Do Nothing Rose who is seen less than a Stealth Bomber at midnight who has been asleep at the wheel since he stole Jim Dolan’s money like Phil Jackson and Isiah Thomas. Leon Rose hadn’t made one impactful trade since he got in office other than trade for a over the hill Derrick Rose who we love but is way past his prime. Him and World Wide Wes was suppose to have all this pull when it comes to Free agents and players and they can’t even get a cup of coffee with star free agents the past two free agency when we had all this money that Steve Mills cleared up before he was let go. The Three amigos of Leon,Wes,and Thibs are all a freaking joke and I would be happy if Jimmy Guitar Dolan brings out the Machine Gun and knock off all three of these clowns who are stealing money. And Speaking of Mitchell Robinson who you always seem to say he still out of shape he has been one of the bright spots along with RJ Barrett and Grimes play this year and Mitch is going get paid this off season whether it’s by us or another team because he is a dynamic defender and rebounder who when he is engaged he is dynamic like the night he had 9 blocks . But you will probably say he still not in shape. No it’s probably because this enept Coach had him playing the other night 40 mins even when he was clearly limping.We keep talking lottery picks when we don’t even develop our picks .
For years. It’s yr two. And it’s not even over yet. That’s the only thing I keep talking about. And If I did it. It would get done. Now we jus have to deal with it. But you always look at the upside. Not like we can do anything about it. So enjoy hating. It’s really only noise.
Hey Al I have a question for you champ I’m not hating on you because at times you do make some valid points like when you said trade IQ I didn’t agree with you but he has regressed badly this season and him and Obi sorely miss Derrick Rose being IQ isn’t a traditional point guard so I would trade him for the right package. But what you have seen from Mitch the past month where he was the first Knick since I believe Pat Ewing to record at least 9 blocks in a game would you extend him because when he is engaged he is a elite rim protector who makes up for alot the starting lineup defensive weaknesses. I do like Ayton from Phoenix I believe his name is but Mitch is growing on me. Just want your opinion. He is really underpaid and is due a raise. Would you resign him?
First you need to accept that fans don’t run the team. So at lot of takes an observation. Are based on what we want and what team might do. Trust me we know who is running this. So aside from that.
Imo Thibs has handled Mitch wrong so far. He’s pushed him when he should make sure he is healthy first. He started season out of shape coming back from injury. That couldn’t be something he didn’t know. So to me it shows the pressure on Thibs.
You have to sign him cause you can’t let him walk. But I like Turner better. I also like Obi better with Mitch at this point. So I can see us using Mitch to upgrade.
Last yr Mitch D was better. He’s only recently started playing better. But is still limping lol. Plus Mitch would be much better if we had a real PG. I would sign him at a fair price. We can always move him. I don’t think you let him walk.
Sims has shown potential to be a D center too. So getting Turner is something I support. Seems he’s available.
Fair points . I like Turner as well but he has been injury prone which scares me. But if we let Mitch Walk we should use him in a sign and trade but I agree with you that Mitch needs a point guard and so does Obi because he can’t really create for his self. But fair points on Mitch
Interesting. Thibs is clearly not the right coach for a rebuilding team like the Knucks but World Wide, after getting roasted by Cam Thomas who was sitting there when you drafted Grimes…who are you to point fingers? The bad contracts that wasted the cap space which was such a priority to create handed out to Noel Burks Fournier Rose Gibson.
Wondering if Thibs makes it past all-star weekend and they try to reboot the team for the second half with one of the assistants. These past several games have been a complete disaster and while the players should take blame for losing, Thibs isn’t helping the team close like they should with such leads as they’ve had. The guy always looks upset and miserable – it’s gotta be tough looking at him while walking back to the bench. Lack of motivation.
Hamm
If I were Thibs, I’d would ask for a sit down with Rose and whoever else needs to be there (www/Dolan) and ask for a commitment beyond this year or a mutual parting. He came in under a 4 year plan, and it didn’t involve an AAU butt boy releasing statements to the media (largely kept in the dark during Rose’s tenure) questioning his coaching methods. So, no hard feelings.
The new coach will not be a guy who can continue on the current classic rebuild path. If only because it requires a real HC who can build an identity and culture, and there aren’t many of those, and the few out there aren’t taking this job. We would need to switch, immediately, to a tanking model of rebuild. We have plenty of coaching candidates for that. Maybe WWW can do it himself, since he knows so much about coaching.
Rose should consider that it might not just be Thibs that unsuited for a tanking team. The value of a FO who’s forte is relationships might become suspect during a period when you’re just trying to lose and get elite talent at the top of the draft. They were hired to bring stars here after the team got to a certain level, and that’s now at least 3-4 years away, not the 2 or so remaining in his original timeline. Their best draft picks to date (Quickley, Grimes and McBride) were based largely on Thibs’ scouting, not that of endless team of scouts.
Mark Jackson new head coach
Knicks would do better with a lesser known, quickly rising up the ranks, forward-thinking coach. Don’t go for the name, go for the vision/work ethic/dedication/communication.
We don’t need someone trying to feed their “legacy”, we need someone without any legacy – yet.
I would not be against getting a legit look at Jonnie B.
I totally agree with you our beloved NY Knicks should give the keys to Johnnie Bryant or Kenny Attikson in my estimation. . Thibs won’t change even though it’s a hundred ways to skin a cat. This is how stubborn this enept delusional coach is. But on the bright side with Thibs getting out coached on a nightly basis we should be getting another Top Ten pick which I pray the basket ball gods help us get into the the Top Four so we can get that stud combo guard Jonnie Davis who reminds me of Jamal Murray and his mid range game is as lethal as DeMar DeRozan who Our Never Seen or Heard from President Leon Do Nothing Rose didn’t even have a cup of coffee with only to sign a one legged Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier who I like but he ain’t a DeMar DeRozan who is playing like a MVP candidate.
Kenny At would be amazing
That’s facts bro Jonny Bryant or Kenny Attikson would be my choices to Replace this delusional stubborn ass coach Thibs.
Rose healthy we win 5-6 more gms. And it’s a different story with Knicks. Rose is great as the backup PG. We need a starting PG. And I’d rather see Obi start and move Randle. This team is much better off getting a lottery pick this yr. Top 10 has good talent. We can even trade into top 5. You get Randles value up and just move him at the draft.
Randles stats last 6 gms.
10 reb, 3 ast, 31 pts
13 reb, 10 ast, 30 pts
16 reb, 6 ast, 28pts
16 reb, 7 ast, 28 pts
10 reb, 6 ast, 28 pts
And he’s 27 yrs old. There’s a team who wants that. NY is not for him. Pressure is getting to him.
I agree we need a top 10 pick but last year’s draft was the draft for a point guard but this year draft has a couple of combo guards that are going be future stars in this league.Only way we get a point guard is free agency or a trade but with these clowns Leon Do Nothing Rose who is asleep at the wheel while the past two years he couldn’t even get a cup of coffee with free agents and you know we are in trouble when this season savior is a Derrick Rose who is injury prone and way past his prime. We might have a legit point guard sitting on the bench in Duece McBride but this stubborn grumpy delusional coach won’t even dust him off for 15 or 20 mins a game. But with this enept coach getting out coached on a nightly basis we are now in tank mode. And your so confident in us moving up in the draft with a front office that couldn’t even trade some of it’s dead weight like Kemba,Alex Burkes,and Leon’s big off season acquisition of Fournier while he couldn’t even get a cup of coffee with Lonzo Ball, DeMar DeRozan,Fred Vanbleet,or Klye Lowery and couldn’t pull off a trade for Halliburton or even your favorite Spencer Denwitte . So what makes you think they will pull off a draft night trade when Leon Rose is still asleep at the wheel. SMH it’s a joke .
IMO , the front office is responsible for this entire debacle. They didn’t manage the cap well, added multiple scorers that don’t play good defense and need the ball to produce (Looking at you Kemba and Evan)
Let one of the glue guys go. (Bullock)
Traded back multiple times in the draft, and while I like Grimes, they should have packaged their picks to move up, not back.
They selected Obi What Can You Show Me (over Haliburton and Maxey)
Thibs pulled off a miraculous feat last year
A big reason was they ran the offense through Randle, now they aren’t… So now he’s unhappy and the team hasn’t gelled.
The team has taken on the soft identity of their ball-handlers rather than the roughneck Randle ways of yesteryear.