The New York Knicks surprised a lot of people when they decided to fire head coach Tom Thibodeau after a run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Yet, that's the reality of the situation. The Knicks have moved on from Thibodeau despite a deep playoff run and a promising future with some talented players on the roster.
Which direction they go in next remains to be seen, but it will be an important hire to make once again.
The decision has sparked plenty of reactions, and Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle even said he thought it was fake when he spoke to the media on Wednesday, per Marc J. Spears.
“Thibs went in and changed so much. You look at all that and what happened yesterday, I thought (the news) was a fake AI thing. No way possible. I know how the players feel about him, too.”
In five seasons with the Knicks, Thibodeau made the playoffs four times and compiled an overall record of 226-174, so he did fairly well in his time in New York.
The Knicks even had seven straight losing seasons before Thibodeau was hired as the head coach, and their ECF run was the first one since the 1999-2000 NBA season.
So, yes, it was quite a surprise for everybody, and it will be very interesting to see what the Knicks decide to do as far as the next head coach goes.
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