The New York Knicks shocked a lot of fans when they announced the firing of coach Tom Thibodeau just a few days after the team had lost in the Eastern Conference Finals.
It was for the first time that the New York Knicks had made the Conference Finals in 25 years and one of the main reasons was Tom Thibodeau’s coaching.
However, he was relieved of his responsibilities, which confused many NBA experts and also Gary Payton, who asked the players to take responsibility for the loss.
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Since the firing, the Knicks have been linked to many names, but no front runner has come out yet.
Jason Kidd, Ime Udoka and Chris Finch, who are all coaches of an NBA team, were the names that the Knicks had in their plans.
But Shams Charania reported that the Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves have both rejected the Knicks’ request to speak to Udoka and Finch respectively.
He also reported the Knicks had not approached the Dallas Mavericks to speak to Kidd, but that request would also be rejected.
The New York Knicks requested permission to speak to Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch and Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka for their head coaching job, but were denied on both, sources tell ESPN. Knicks could request permission for other current head coaches too.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 11, 2025
View Tweet
Photo by Justin Ford/Getty ImagesNBA fans slam the New York Knicks management for decision
The Knicks’ entry into the Conference Finals sent the entire city of New York into a state of euphoria.
Jalen Brunson was brilliant for the team throughout the postseason, but there just was not enough help for him and this cost them massively against the Indiana Pacers.
There were a few reasons behind firing Thibodeau despite his brilliant stint as their head coach, but doing that without having a clear plan has not gone well over with the fans.
One fan said: “So we really didn’t have a plan post Thibs huh.”
While another added: “Interesting that they would go this route knowing how unrealistic it would be This is the problem with firing a coach you got you to the ECF and most playoff wins than the previous 7 coaches combined.”
Thibodeau was the coach of the Knicks for five years and helped them get into the playoffs four times.
He led the team past the first round twice, including a run to the Eastern Conference Finals this season.
The Knicks are jumping out of perfectly good airplanes without a parachutes…
— Sergeant–Sarge for Short (@SergeantMartee) June 11, 2025
View Tweet
One person remarked: “They’re gonna call up all 29 other teams at this rate.”
A Boston Celtics fan took the opportunity to laugh at the Knicks’ unfortunate situation.
Knicks make no sense firing coach with no one in mind already 😂
— CELTICS ☘️ BANNER 19 (@BiggLynch) June 11, 2025
View Tweet
And another said: “Knicks fired Thibs with the plan of “we’ll just steal someone else’s coach”
The New York Knicks need to make a decision
With all three leading names looking unlikely to take over the Knicks job, the organisation will have to start looking in another direction sooner rather than later.
They have a great roster, but bringing in a good head coach is essential to reaching their full potential.
.@WindhorstESPN says the New York Knicks’ vacant head coach position is “one of the more interesting jobs you’re ever gonna see.”
He also mentioned names like Mike Brown, Michael Malone, Taylor Jenkins, Jeff Van Gundy and Jay Wright as possible candidates 👀 pic.twitter.com/CtIJYvuMPv
— First Take (@FirstTake) June 4, 2025
View Tweet
Stephen A. Smith suggested Mark Jackson’s name, but that has not gained enough momentum yet.
With Charania predicting a big offseason, the Knicks will have to soon deploy a head coach as only then will they be able to make decisions to strengthen the roster.
With there being just over 10 days until the draft and some business expected to be done around that time, the Knicks are already losing out on time and have to act quickly if they want to bring another big star to New York.