Latest On Knicks’ Decision On Tom Thibodeau, What’s Next

Those meetings took place shortly after New York was eliminated by the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals and were aimed at assessing the current state of the franchise and determining next steps.

Shelburne reports that Thibodeau’s dismissal had been quietly building for months, with growing concerns inside the organization that the team was falling short of its potential.

Despite having All-NBA performers in Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, there was a sense that the Knicks had hit a ceiling, and that Thibodeau was no longer the coach to take them beyond it.

One league source told Shelburne, “He got outcoached. The Game 1 collapse was insane. If they don’t have that collapse, who knows what happens.”

The Knicks led nearly the entire way in the series opener and held a 14-point advantage with 2:50 to play before Indiana stormed back with a flurry of three-pointers. The Pacers went on to win Game 2 at Madison Square Garden, and the Knicks never regained control of the series.

Thibodeau’s strategy came under scrutiny as the series progressed. Shelburne notes that Towns was kept on the bench late in Game 2 while the team’s offense faltered, and the decision to reinsert Mitchell Robinson into the starting lineup didn’t come until Game 3, by which point New York was already in a precarious position.

Also contributing to Rose’s final decision, according to Shelburne, was Thibodeau’s continued reliance on heavy minutes for his starters — an approach that has long been a defining trait of his coaching style.

Brunson posted the highest usage rate of his career, and though he remained effective, he also missed games due to ankle and calf issues. One source expressed concern that the wear-and-tear could eventually mirror what happened to Derrick Rose during Thibodeau’s tenure in Chicago.

The Knicks, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Post, will prioritize coaching experience in their search for Thibodeau’s successor but are not expected to rush the hire ahead of Summer League, which begins July 10.

Bondy lists recently dismissed Kings coach Mike Brown and former Lakers and Kings head coach Luke Walton as names under consideration. Jason Kidd, currently with the Mavericks, has also come up in conversations, though Bondy notes it’s unclear whether Dallas would make him available.

As the Knicks assess their next move, the focus now shifts to finding a coach who can elevate a team that believes it should be contending for an NBA title. Thibodeau helped reestablish a competitive culture and delivered multiple playoff runs.

But in the eyes of team leadership, the next step — reaching the Finals — requires a new voice.

Or, as one insider put it: a new direction, before the window starts to close.