The dismissal of Tom Thibodeau as head coach of the New York Knicks following their run to the Eastern Conference Finals came as a surprise to many including him. “Thibodeau was deeply wounded over the loss of the only job he ever really wanted,” according to Ian O’Connor of The Athletic.
“But he also had a sense of betrayal,” a source close to him said. “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.”
James Dolan sat in on player and staff exit interviews and ultimately decided that it was time to part ways with Thibodeau. Leon Rose had reportedly protected Thibodeau’s job over the past few seasons, but when it became clear that Dolan was moving back in that direction, both Rose and Jalen Brunson were done “stepping in front of the bus.”
According to a second source, Thibodeau was “philosophically misaligned with several other members of the front office who were too eager to overlook the coach’s strengths… and to focus on his flaws.”
“In their world,” the source said, “the players were 51-0 and Tom was 0-31.”
The Knicks hired Mike Brown as Thibodeau’s replacement after pursuing a number of currently employed head coaches including Jason Kidd and Billy Donovan.