Knicks' Decision to Fire Tom Thibodeau Was Brewing For 'Months'

From the outside, the New York Knicks' decision to fire head coach Tom Thibodeau after the team's most successful playoff run in 25 years came as quite a shock. But, per a new report from ESPN's Ramona Shelburne, that might not have been the case inside the organization, where concerns regarding Thibs and his future leading the team had been allegedly percolating for some time.

Indeed, as one source told ESPN, the choice to replace Thibodeau "had been trending in that direction for months," Shelburne wrote. "The team simply wasn't maximizing its talent, despite having two All-NBA players in [Jalen] Brunson and [Karl-Anthony] Towns. And after meeting with the select group of players and coaches this week, sources said, it was clear to Rose that the organization needed a new voice."

After the team's playoff elimination at the hands of the Indiana Pacers, team president Leon Rose and owner Jim Dolan met with the "top rotation players" to get "their opinions on the state of the franchise and how the team should move forward," Shelburne continued. And what they gathered was that "the players hadn't tuned out Thibodeau, one source told ESPN, but there was doubt that he could lead them to the Finals after the way the Knicks lost to the Pacers."

"He got outcoached," a source said. "The Game 1 collapse was insane. If they don't have that collapse, who knows what happens."

As Shelburne noted in the piece, some of the concern and critique surrounding Thibodeau centered on his reluctance to rely on his bench; forward Mikal Bridges even publicly stated as much back in March, though Thibs denied the pair ever spoke about it.

Still, it would now seem that his decision-making both during and outside of the Eastern Conference finals, as well as doubts regarding his ability to produce a title, have caught up to him.