The New York Knicks made a surprising head coaching change this summer when they fired Tom Thibodeau after five seasons. The longtime head coach was replaced by another veteran head coach, Mike Brown.
Tom Thibodeau felt betrayed after he was fired by the Knicks
Thibodeau is largely credited with the turnaround of the Knicks’ franchise, as they were one of the worst teams in the league before he came along. According to The Athletic’s Ian O’Connor, Thibodeau felt betrayed by New York following his dismissal in June.
“When you find out that people you helped either weren’t with you in the end or didn’t fight for you like you fought for them, that stings,” a source close to Thibodeau told O’Connor.
Thibodeau turned the Knicks from a bottom-feeder to a perennial playoff team. They made the postseason in four of the five seasons that he was their head coach, and they reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years just this past spring.
However, many felt that the lack of adjustments and inadequate rotations was what led to his firing. The starters tended to play a lot of minutes during the regular season, which ultimately led to fatigue during the playoffs.
The Knicks hope Brown can bring home a title
Additionally, many felt that they had reached their ceiling under Thibodeau and that they were never going to win a championship with him at the helm. That idea is what prompted them to make a change, which isn’t common for a winning team.
Now, the Knicks’ expectations in Brown’s first year are sky high. Many feel that the team is good enough to reach the Finals and perhaps win the whole thing, but that is also contingent on how the group adapts to Brown’s system, which is vastly different than Thibodeau’s.
New York will have their work cut out for them early, as they begin the season Wednesday night against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both teams will be missing a few key players, so it will be next man up to begin the new era.