Pacers Coach Reacts to Knicks Firing Tom Thibodeau

And following the Knicks' announcement to part ways with Thibodeau, we saw a bundle of notable names both in and around the NBA coming out with their reactions and thoughts on New York's major move on the sidelines –– one of those names being Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, coming fresh off his conference finals win over Thibodeau and the Knicks.

For Carlisle, like the rest of us, the news was nothing short of a shocker.

"I mean, I get asked frequently about these things, and sometimes you get numb and say you're not shocked," Carlisle said, as transcribed by Newsday's Steve Popper. "The Knicks have such a unique situation with so much attention, and such a large fanbase, and such a worldwide following, it's one of the most difficult jobs to take. The guys that have been successful – Red Holzman, Pat Riley, Jeff Van Gundy, Rick Pitino – had a short run, but a very effective run. And then, you know, there were a lot of lean years."

"Thibs went in there and changed it so much," Carlisle continued. "You look at all that, and then what happened yesterday. When I first saw it, I thought it was one of those fake AI things. No way. No way possible. And, I know how the players feel about him, too. There's not much else to say. Teams and ownership can make these decisions unilaterally, and it's their right to do that. And so, Tom will certainly be fine. I don't think he's going to have any problem finding his next job. It's just going to depend on when he's ready to jump back in."

"I have great respect for Thibs. I go back with him a very long way. I was surprised."

Clearly, a ton of respect radiated from the Pacers' head coach throughout their extensive battles against one another, seeming nothing short of confident that Thibodeau will end up back on his feet in due time, wherever that may be.

In the days and weeks ahead, time will tell how exactly both the Knicks and Thibodeau plan to go about their separate ways following the shake-up.