Knicks Coach Must Learn from Tom Thibodeau’s Mistakes

Tom Thibodeau marched to the beat of his own drum. The former head coach of the New York Knicks didn't care if his strict in-game methods frustrated players in or out of his rotations, and certainly didn't do much to attempt to salvage his decaying relationship with the team's front office. Whether he cared or not, he committed a wide variety of transgressions that ultimately led to his being relieved from his duties.

The mixed bag that was the Thibodeau experience did have its moments, with the experienced coach starting his tenure in New York with his second Coach of the Year award and ending it with the team's first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 25 years, but their decision to replace him with Mike Brown was done with clear intentions to move in a direction that better suited management's vision.

Brown was reportedly as prepared as anyone the Knicks talked to in interviewing various candidates to consider for the job, which makes sense considering his track record and experience around the league. He's no spring chicken, having been around the league for the entirety of the 21st century, but his willingness to build around the Knicks' current stars reportedly appealed to New York.

According to Yahoo Sports' Vincent Goodwill, the Knicks also prioritized someone who'd manage a better relationship with the front office, a feature they were known to be searching for before evidently finding it in the gregarious, well-connected Brown.

James Dolan, the majority owner of the team, is the biggest name of concern. His grating disapproval of Thibodeau only grew with the years, and it was his curiosity of what the players thought of him that led to the coach's demise.

Dolan was drawn to Brown’s success as a head coach, relative to other candidates like Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, former Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins and former Charlotte coach James Borrego," Goodwill wrote. "Whether it’s ingratiating himself with Dolan or knowing what he wants, that’s the extra element of this job, beyond the challenges of New York and the franchise itself, and the belief the conference is wide open due to all the catastrophic injuries to the top teams."

Brown is certainly qualified for the role, having reminded the NBA of his offense-first creativity in bringing the Sacramento Kings back to relevancy at his last stop. He'll be a better fit for this iteration of the Knicks than defensively-tilted Thibodeau was, so he'll have to keep on playing the political game off the court to please the team's toughest in-house critics.