In what was a shock to the entire basketball world, the New York Knicks fired head coach Tom Thibodeau in early June, eventually replacing him with former Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown.
Clippers’ Ty Lue believes the Knicks shouldn’t have fired Tom Thibodeau
Thibodeau had a lot of respect in league circles, as he had a true passion for the game and was in the coaching realm for decades. Los Angeles Clippers head coach Ty Lue did not agree with the Knicks’ decision to let Thibodeau go.
“The city was on fire, the fans were on fire, the players did a hell of a job and Thibs did a hell of a job. … It just doesn’t make sense. I thought Thibs did a great job. Everywhere he’s been, he wins: Chicago, Minnesota, Knicks. It’s just crazy,” Lue said on the Club Shay Shay podcast.
Thibodeau led a very successful regime while head coach of the Knicks. He amassed a 226-174 regular season record and made the postseason in four of the five seasons with New York.
The Knicks hope Brown can make them even better
After he led them to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, many believed he had earned another opportunity to get them a championship. However, the Knicks wanted to take full advantage of what looks to be a wide open opportunity next season, and they were less likely to reach their goal with Thibodeau.
Brown has experience coaching a lot of NBA legends, including LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. He also has reached the NBA Finals as a head coach and led the Kings to the No. 1 offense in the 2022-23 season.
The hope is that Brown can maximize the talent on his roster and get the Knicks over the mountain top and win an NBA title. While Thibodeau set the foundation for their success, he couldn’t get over the big hurdle.