Knicks Rumors: Confidence in Tom Thibodeau 'Diminished' Among 'People of Influence'

New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau could be on the hot seat after his team fell to 25-34 following a disappointing loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. 

"Even before the brutal loss to the Nets, confidence in Thibodeau had diminished among some people of influence at Madison Square Garden," Ian Begley of SNY reported.

Begley also reported executive vice president William Wesley "has been laying the blame for the season—at least in part—on Thibodeau’s coaching." 

The Knicks blew a 28-point lead against the cross-town rivals Wednesday, even though the Nets were without key players like Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant or the newly acquired Ben Simmons. It was the third straight loss for New York, which has a 3-13 record over its past 16 games.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith also discussed Thibodeau's status during a rant on NBA Countdown:

"Thibs, we're hearing that the New York Knicks as an organization ain't too fond of him these days, he might be out," Smith said (:29).

The Knicks have undoubtedly fallen short of expectations, entering Thursday with the fourth-worst record in the Eastern Conference. They are 3.5 games away from even getting into the play-in tournament.

It's a steep drop from last season when the squad earned the No. 4 seed in the East with a 41-31 record.

Thibodeau was named the NBA's Coach of the Year last season, but the inability to follow it up has created questions within the organization.

The coach does still have support in the locker room, including from forward Julius Randle:

The execution certainly leaves a lot to be desired, especially for Randle after last year's All-NBA performance. His scoring has dropped from 24.1 to 19.8 points per game, while his field-goal percentage is down from .456 to .421.

Other veteran players like Kemba Walker and Alec Burks have struggled with efficiency, while injuries to Derrick Rose and Nerlens Noel have also hurt the team.

The buck still stops with Thibodeau as the head coach, which could lead to a change if the losing continues.