Thibodeau fired as Knicks coach; Malone, Bryant possibly eyed
Tom Thibodeau was fired as New York Knicks coach even as Mike Malone and Johnie Bryant are floated as possible replacements.
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THIBODEAU FIRED AS NEW YORK COACH AMID DEEP NBA PLAYOFFS’ RUN
Thibodeau was fired as New York coach on Tuesday despite him leading the Knicks to a deep run this year’s NBA Playoffs.
Furthermore, the 67-year-old coach was let go after the Knicks lost to the Indiana Pacers, 4-2, in the Eastern Conference Finals three days ago.
Moreover, Thibodeau led New York to the playoffs in four of his five-year tenure.
He was event two wins away from steering the team to the NBA Finals.
Thibodeau helped the Knicks to back-to-back 50-win seasons for the first time since 1995.
He even signed a three-year extension last summer.
NEW YORK BRASS DECIDES TO ‘MOVE IN ANOTHER DIRECTION’ IN DEFENDING MOVE
New York brass decided to “move in another direction” in defending the move to fire Thibodeau.
Moreover, team president Leon Rose cited the Knicks’ resolve to “winning a championship for our fans.”
Furthermore, the executive described the decision as something that is “best for our organization moving forward.”
“Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans. This pursuit led us to the decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we’ve decided to move in another direction,” Rose said.
“Ultimately, we made the decision we feel is best for our organization moving forward,” he added.
MALONE, BRYANT FLOATED AS EARLY NAMES TO BECOME NEXT KNICKS COACH
Michael Malone and Johnnie Bryant, Yahoo!Sports reported, was floated as some of the early names to be considered as the possible next Knicks coach.
Furthermore, Malone is a New Yorker who is coming off a head coaching stint with the Denver Nuggets where he let the team to the 2023 title.
Moreover, Bryant is a long-time Knicks associate coach under Thibodeau from 2020 to 2024.
However, Malone might be similar to Thibodeau in terms of relying too much on his starters.
Bryant may be ripe for a head coaching position.
But the Knicks might not lure key free agents to play for an untested first-time head coach.
