New York Knicks relieve HC Tom Thibodeau of his duties (Report)

Thibodeau, 67, has spent the last five seasons in New York. The basketball lifer coached the Knicks to a 226-174 record and played a significant role in helping the franchise reach levels of success it hadn’t seen since the turn of the millennium.

Most notably and recently, Thibodeau led the Knicks to their Eastern Conference Finals berth in 25 seasons before falling to the Indiana Pacers in six games.

“Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans. This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we’ve decided to move in another direction,” Knicks President Leon Rose said in the team’s official statement.

“We can’t thank Tom enough for pouring his heart and soul into each and every day of being the New York Knicks head coach. He led us not only with class and professionalism for the past five seasons, but also to tremendous success on the court with four playoff berths and four playoff series victories.

“Ultimately, we made the decision we feel is best for our organization moving forward. Tom will always be a part of our Knicks family, and we truly wish him nothing but the best in the future.”

Josh Hart, a known supporter of Thibodeau both as a coach and person, has also already voiced his appreciation for the relationship they built during their time together in New York.

Actions speak louder than words; the moves that Leon Rose and the Knicks’ front office have made since the start of his tenure demonstrate that they’re proactive and serious about contending with the team’s current core and championship window.

Moving on from Thibodeau further proves that they mean business.