The New York Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau as their head coach earlier this offseason. The move was a shock to many, as they had just come off their best season in 25 years, in which they reached the Eastern Conference Finals.
Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns was shocked to see Tom Thibodeau get fired
They later replaced Thibodeau with Mike Brown, who has been a head coach in the NBA for more than a decade and is expected to help enhance the offensive output of the team. Still, some players were not expecting such a significant change to occur.
Karl-Anthony Towns recently sat down with TIME Magazine’s Sean Gregory, and he detailed what was going through his mind upon discovering that Thibodeau would no longer be his coach.
“I didn’t know what was happening,” Towns said. “I just knew that I left to finally get some R & R, and I’m hearing the news, so obviously I was surprised, like the rest of the world.”
Towns and Thibodeau had worked together before last season, as Thibodeau was his head coach with the Minnesota Timberwolves for two-and-a-half seasons from 2016-19. The two didn’t endure as much success as they did in their one season together with the Knicks, and it resulted in a midseason fallout for Thibodeau when he was fired by the Timberwolves in early 2019.
Towns had a great first season in New York
Towns thrived last season with New York. He was named an All-Star starter and was an All-NBA third team selection, as he averaged 24.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, shot 52% from the floor and 42% from three, putting his patented offensive skillset to great use.
The expectations for Towns and the Knicks are even greater next season. He and Jalen Brunson now have a full season of playing together under their belt, so the continuity between them should only continue to grow.
Furthermore, the Knicks have made big upgrades to their bench that make them have one of the deepest rosters in the entire league. The team has enough talent to go on a deep run, and if Towns can build great chemistry with his new head coach, the sky is the limit for this team.