Mikal Bridges Shares Respectful Message on Tom Thibodeau’s Firing at Knicks Media Day

The Knicks also made some key additions to their roster this offseason as they signed Jordan Calrkson, Guerschon Yabusele and Malcolm Brogdon in free agency to upgrade their bench.

With these moves, the Knicks are looking to make a run at a championship this season, though they will try to do so with a new head coach on the sidelines.

Knicks Turn to Mike Brown After Firing Tom Thibodeau After Last Season

Of course, the Knicks made the shocking decision following their playoff exit last season to fire head coach Tom Thibodeau and replace him with two-time Coach of the Year winner Mike Brown.

This was a surprise move, especially after Thibodeau had helped lead the franchise to the Eastern Conference Finals, though New York felt that it was time for a change.

Mikal Bridges Shares Message About Tom Thibodeau

During media day on Tuesday, Bridges sent a respectful message to his former head coach.

“Anybody losing their job - I'm a human first, always - so I feel for somebody going through that. I always appreciated Thibs here, a great guy and everything. Always felt for him,” Bridges said about Thibodeau.

This was a nice message by Bridges despite the fact that the two did not see eye-to-eye at times last season.

Of course, Bridges publicly expressed his desire for Thibodeau to reduce the starters’ minutes and allow the players off the bench to get more opportunities, something that Thibodeau had been criticized for in the past.

Despite Bridges’ plea, Thibodeau did not take his advice, which was ultimately likely a reason for his firing after their playoff exit.

While the two had their differences, Bridges expressed empathy for his former coach on Tuesday before the Knicks begin the new season with Brown manning the sideline.