The New York Knicks were shocked when the news of their coach, Tom Thibodeau, getting sacked surfaced. Apparently, the Knicks had one of the most successful seasons this year. In fact, this was the first time that the Knicks reached the conference finals since 2000. Thus, such a decision initially baffled both fans and critics alike. However, a bit of digging revealed some interesting facts catalyzing Thibodeau’s exit.
According to Yahoo Sports, the Knicks’ owner, James Dolan, played a vital role in the decision-making. While Dolan held meetings with the players, the Knicks’ owner was never known to be a fan of Thibodeau’s coaching. This personal rift seems to have played a major role in Thibodeau’s dismissal. Moreover, in his chat with the team, some key coaching strategies were questioned.
First up, several players accused Thibodeau of giving the starters extra minutes. According to the reports, such dependence on the starting 5 often limited the scope for others to show their impact coming off the bench. They also accused the head coach of not being able to adjust to the team properly.
James Dolan reportedly “spearheaded” Tom Thibodeau’s firing, per @VinceGoodwill.
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 8, 2025
“What was clear was Thibodeau’s firing being spearheaded by Knicks owner James Dolan, sources told Yahoo Sports. Dolan and team president Leon Rose held exit meetings with key Knicks players and the… pic.twitter.com/1hpjqpamUc
And that was not all. One of the players also pointed out that if Thibodeau came back for another season, it would be difficult for him to continue with the Knicks. Meanwhile, soon after Thibodeau’s exit, Brian Windhorst put forth his own theory, trying to find a plausible explanation.
Brian Windhorst Details Probable Reason For Tom Thibodeau Firing
After five seasons at the helm, Tom Thibodeau and the New York Knicks went their separate ways. Analyzing the seemingly shocking decision, Brian Windhorst from ESPN shared his take on what probably led to Thibodeau’s sudden departure. Speaking in an episode of ‘Get Up,’ Windhorst opined that too many changes during the conference finals might have affected the team.
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“What Tom Thibodeau did to his coaching strategy during the Eastern Conference finals might’ve assured his firing. What I mean by that is after falling down 2-0 in that series, he made a whole bunch of changes,” Windhorst said.
"What Tom Thibodeau did to his coaching strategy during the Eastern Conference finals might've assured his firing."
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) June 4, 2025
—@WindhorstESPN pic.twitter.com/cwTgHAGgBT
Thus, things have gotten quite complicated. And it now remains to be seen what’s next for the New York Knicks and Tom Thibodeau.
