The New York Knicks read the room — and the writing was on the wall for head coach Tom Thibodeau.
The Knicks parted ways with Thibodeau, the fourth-most winningest coach in franchise history, just three days after their season ended in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers on Saturday, a league source confirmed to The Daily News.
The organization’s focus remains winning a championship. And while they’re thankful to Thibodeau for building the foundation for contention at Madison Square Garden, team president Leon Rose ultimately believed a new voice was needed in the locker room — and had the backing of owner James Dolan to make the move.
Under Thibodeau, the Knicks reestablished a winning culture, snapped a seven-year playoff drought, and made back-to-back second-round appearances before breaking through to the conference finals for the first time since 2000.
But the front office gave Thibodeau weapons he failed to maximize — assets that cost five first-round picks (Mikal Bridges) and two core rotation players (Karl-Anthony Towns) — only for a healthier, upgraded version of last year’s team to once again fall to the same Pacers.
Now, the Knicks are searching for a head coach who can better elevate the talent at hand — though roster changes are all but inevitable in what’s already shaping up to be one of the most active NBA offseasons in recent memory.
Whoever takes over next will need a sharper vision for how this Knicks offense should function.
Jalen Brunson led the NBA in touches and dribbles — often at the expense of ball movement — while Towns, a five-time All-Star, went long stretches without meaningful involvement. Bridges and OG Anunoby had their most productive stretches when Brunson was sidelined, and the on-court numbers for Brunson and Towns together were brutal throughout the playoffs.
If the Knicks plan to move forward with their All-Star duo intact — the first to score 20 points apiece in five straight conference finals games since Kobe and Shaq — the next coach must implement a system that better highlights their strengths and masks their weaknesses. This year’s team, for example, featured seven respected three-point shooters — yet finished in the bottom four in attempts from deep. Players not named Brunson often struggled to find rhythm on offense — and urgency on defense. Better ball distribution, which begins with coaching, creates a better team.
Thibodeau’s short rotations didn’t help. Nor did his decision to suddenly expand it with the season on the line — a move that only underscored how players like Delon Wright and Landry Shamet, labeled “situational,” should have been part of the mix all along. The Knicks also could have benefited from giving Precious Achiuwa spot minutes just to give the high-usage players a rest — or from developing rookies Pacome Dadiet and Tyler Kolek with an eye toward long-term playoff viability.
But it wasn’t just offensive stagnation. The defensive issues were even more glaring. Thibodeau, after all, built his reputation on that side of the ball, yet the Knicks couldn’t contain dribble penetration, couldn’t defend the pick-and-pop, couldn’t consistently close out on shooters or hold their own in transition — and they routinely let a hot hand reach a roaring fire rather than find ways to extinguish the flame.
The absence of Mitchell Robinson — who didn’t return to the rotation until late February — loomed large. Still, the breakdowns extended beyond missing personnel. Thibodeau said one thing. The team did another.
Brunson rejected that notion after Game 6, passionately defending Thibodeau and brushing off the idea a coaching change was the solution.
With a shocking decision Tuesday afternoon, the front office disagreed vehemently.
They read the room — and made their move. Sentiment isn’t driving decisions. Winning a championship is. After moving on from Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle last offseason — and dismissing Thibodeau before the confetti finished falling in Indianapolis — the Knicks have made one thing clear: no move is off the table if it brings them closer to hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy.