The New York Knicks might be in line for some huge changes this summer, but could those changes surprisingly include a new head coach?
It might seem odd for the Knicks to part ways with two-time NBA Coach of the Year Tom Thibodeau, who immediately turned New York into a playoff team after being hired ahead of the 2020-21 season (the Knicks hadn’t made the postseason since 2013).
At the same time, some feel that the current Knicks roster has underperformed lately. Is Thibs to blame?
On Tuesday, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons made the case for Thibs to be on the hot seat during a new episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast.
“He’s on the hot seat for me if they lose to that weird (Milwaukee) Bucks team in round one or they get absolutely smoked by the (Boston) Celtics in round two,” Simmons said.
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“Defensively, they’re pretty easy to score on. Offensively … I just feel like from a creativity standpoint … I just don’t understand why you’re trading all that stuff for (Mikal) Bridges and then you don’t give a (expletive) about using him ever.”
“I think there’s a version of this team that is way scarier to me as a Celtics fan than they’ve tapped into.”
“I think there’s a real question of whether his coaching style could be sustainable for nine months if you’re trying to win a title, and we’re gonna find out.”
“I don’t think it’s sustainable how he coaches, and I don’t think he’s been creative enough.”
Entering Wednesday, Thibodeau had a 223-170 regular season record with the Knicks since taking over as head coach. He’s 14-15 in the playoffs with New York.
Thibodeau is one of the most respected basketball minds on the planet, so firing him would be a controversial decision from the Knicks’ front office, no matter how you slice it.
Notably, recently axed head coach Taylor Jenkins will be floating around on the market this summer, and whichever team snags Jenkins will be bringing in an elite head coach … just something to keep in mind for Knicks fans if Thibodeau’s seat does indeed grow warm in the coming months.
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