Shams Says Knicks Want 'More Lenient' HC That Trusts Bench After Tom Thibodeau Firing

The New York Knicks want a "more lenient" head coach that trusts the bench after firing Tom Thibodeau, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

The Knicks are also loking for a "new voice" to take the next step, per Charania.

The Knicks just reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000 but lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games. New York went to the playoffs four times in five years under Thibodeau after making the postseason on just four occasions from the 2001-02 through 2019-20 seasons.

During his NBA head coaching career, which includes stops with the Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves and Knicks, Thibodeau has long held a reputation of playing his starters big minutes and rarely using his bench.

That was the case again this year, as evidenced in the Pacers series. Only two bench players (Mitchell Robinson, Miles McBride) averaged more than 13.2 minutes per game, and the five starters posted 33 or more minutes per game.

One of the reasons the Pacers beat the Knicks was their depth and talent off the bench, which Indiana utilized well in this series. Reserves Obi Toppin, T.J. McConnell and Bennedict Mathurin all had huge moments and games to catapult Indiana to the playoffs.

Granted, the bench has long been Indiana's calling card, with the team built off the strength of a big rotation led by two stars in Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam. The Knicks, meanwhile, sunk their resources into building a strong starting five.

In the Indiana series, Thibodeau rarely went to the bench early on (only seven players played 10 or more minutes in Game 1). That changed later on (e.g., nine players suited up for 10 or more minutes in Game 5).

In the end, the Knicks lost this series for multiple reasons (porous defense, bad three-point shooting, a monumental Game 1 collapse, etc.). But the depth and bench issues didn't help matters. Perhaps this was a different series if Thibodeau went to the bench earlier and played the likes of Delon Wright and Landry Shamet more, but in the end, the Knicks went home and are now looking for a new coach.

As for who the new coach might be, New York doesn't have anyone lined up, per Charania (five-minute mark).

Frank Isola of SiriusXM NBA Radio guessed that Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd could be the pick.

For now, though, the Knicks have a major question to answer after their best season in a quarter century.